car runs hot

[ddgermann]

Reading this seems like 'deja vu' for me. I had overheating problems with my big block especially when stuck in traffic. I tried most if not all the suggestions, lower temp thermostat, no thermostat, better sealing around the shroud, high performance water pump, straight fan (instead of clutch), coolant additives, tinkering with engine timing, etc.. I wanted to keep the car looking original so the DeWitts aluminum rad and dual Spal fans was the last option. I finally gave in, and kicking myself in the head for not having done it sooner. Its the only mod to the car, but I kept all the stock parts.
My recommendation, go for DeWitts and Spal combo!

I would personally be leary if removing the thermostat as it is designed to restrict flow to force the cooling water in the “harder to reach” spots in the engine. Thus from what I’ve been taught removal may actually cause overheating in certain areas that you will not see on your gauge.
Oddly enough the Evans coolant I put in my H1 requires the system to run at atmospheric pressure. So the spring was removed from the cap on the overflow tank. This stuff boils at 300+ Celsius so overheating is never an issue now. The truck runs about 10 degrees cooler with both factory 195 thermostats in.
Probably a good rad cleaning and possibly an electric fan install may be all a guy needs on a corvette. With the Hummers’ the electric fans can actually cause a reduction in air flow by blocking the already poor cooling air flow. Lots tried and pulled them back off
Corvettes should have a better draft through the cooling system but if you are sitting in traffic the electric fans make perfect sense.
The age old cooling question...
what works for Derek may not work for Billy or Bob due to both cooling system condition or demand.

 

[Jr. Corvette]

One last thing I’ll add. The coolant isn’t forced through the engine because of the thermostat. Cold coolant gets pumped by the water pump trough the jackets around the cylinders. It then goes up through the cylinder heads and out. The only purpose of the thermostat is to allow the engine to heat up to operating temperature the fastest. So by removing the thermostat (as all our cars are summer driven and don’t need help getting hot) we’re increasing coolant flow. This increases the turbulence of the fluid allowing it to absorb more heat and allows colder coolant to enter the engine faster while subsequently removing the hot fluid faster as well. If slower moving coolant cooled the engine faster by allowing it to cool more while it passes through the radiator than thermostats would restrict as they get hot, not open like they do.

Here is a link to a forum of guys dicussing this very matter. No Thermostat... - Chevelle Tech

Here is a link to an old (1936) video of chevys water cooling. Now it’s an inline 6 but the theory is still the same to how it works now.

 

[ddgermann]

One last thing I’ll add. The coolant isn’t forced through the engine because of the thermostat. Cold coolant gets pumped by the water pump trough the jackets around the cylinders. It then goes up through the cylinder heads and out. The only purpose of the thermostat is to allow the engine to heat up to operating temperature the fastest. So by removing the thermostat (as all our cars are summer driven and don’t need help getting hot) we’re increasing coolant flow. This increases the turbulence of the fluid allowing it to absorb more heat and allows colder coolant to enter the engine faster while subsequently removing the hot fluid faster as well. If slower moving coolant cooled the engine faster by allowing it to cool more while it passes through the radiator than thermostats would restrict as they get hot, not open like they do.

Here is a link to a forum of guys dicussing this very matter. No Thermostat... - Chevelle Tech

Here is a link to an old (1936) video of chevys water cooling. Now it’s an inline 6 but the theory is still the same to how it works now.

Well I’ll stand corrected.
Good luck with that.

 

[Tristan69]

I see Dewitts has a Black Friday sale.
Did those who bought Dewitts buy the pro 1” or HP 1.25” radiators? The pro is the perfect fit but I cant see the extra .25” being an issue. Just curious before I place my order.

PS, I drive my vette on cold sunny days and thus put a 175-180 deg thermostat in so it warms up faster.

 

[Tristan69]

New Dewitts Pro arrived for Christmas I called and they said Pro is plenty good if I only run as high as 225. I want to instal it now