The themp gauge registering higher than normal
07-10-2013, 02:34 PM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
The themp gauge registering higher than normal
I took my car out for a ride back on fathers day (it was 88-90 out with 55-60% humidity) and I was running the ac. I noticed the temp gauge going to the 1 line after the 220. It has never done that before. Normal operating rage is right at 2 lines before the 220. It freaked me out and so I turned on the heater and it slowly dropped to 1 line before the 220. I pulled into a parking lot and let it cool down before I headed home. I once again noticed the gauge climbing to 220 (did not go past 220 this time) in the stop and go traffic. Once I got on the interstate, the temp gauge dropped to the normal operating range as all the cooler air was forced into the radiator at highway speeds. I ended up driving about 20 miles home with the temp still in the normal operating zone. I was glad about that!!!
For added info, my car is not a stock Z06. I believe it has a 180 degree thermostat. It has a swanke 6 L iron block with stock Z06 intake, afr heads, mild cam, long tubes, etc. It has almost 5K miles on the motor and 18k miles on the entire car.
I needed to change the oil and noticed that the fan on the passenger side of the radiator would come on when the temp gauge hit in my cars normal operating zone. However i did notice that the fan on the driverside of the radiator was not coming on at all. Could that be why my car's temp gauge is registering higher than normal? Is there a fuse that might be blown not causing the driverside radiator fan not to come on? If so , which one? Thanks for your help.
For added info, my car is not a stock Z06. I believe it has a 180 degree thermostat. It has a swanke 6 L iron block with stock Z06 intake, afr heads, mild cam, long tubes, etc. It has almost 5K miles on the motor and 18k miles on the entire car.
I needed to change the oil and noticed that the fan on the passenger side of the radiator would come on when the temp gauge hit in my cars normal operating zone. However i did notice that the fan on the driverside of the radiator was not coming on at all. Could that be why my car's temp gauge is registering higher than normal? Is there a fuse that might be blown not causing the driverside radiator fan not to come on? If so , which one? Thanks for your help.
07-10-2013, 03:25 PM
#2
Team Owner
Check and clean the radiator for debris. That is usually the first step. The second set of fans should come on at a higher temperature than the first but I forget what that is. If you do a search, you should find some information from Bill Curlee on troubleshooting.
07-10-2013, 04:15 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Apr 2009
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I'm having over temp issue. If you search on "over temp help" and my name (if needed) you can get a look at the fan schematics and explinations of operation. I hope this is the same for Z06.
07-10-2013, 04:30 PM
#4
Instructor
Thread Starter
Thanks, I did a search a while back about cleaning the debris from the radiator, but when I saw one of the fans not working, I figured maybe a fuse popped. I will definitely put cleaning the the fan a priority.
07-10-2013, 04:35 PM
#5
Team Owner
The fan may still be an issue, but the second fan comes on at a higher temp than the first so it may be fine. Search around though, I can recall a dozen or so threads on how to trouble shoot this type of issue.
07-11-2013, 09:07 AM
#6
Team Owner
Actually BOTH fans run at the same time in Low speed mode and High speed mode.
Factory turn on temps for low speed operation is 226 degrees. BOTH fans run.
Factory Turn off temp for low speed mode is 219.
Factory turn on temp for High speed is 235. BOTH fans run. When the coolant temp drops to 226 the fans revert to low speed mode.
You can force the fans to come on in low speed mode when the coolant temp is above 185 degrees by turning on the AC.
If the vehicle speed exceeds 35 MPH the fans are commanded OFF irrespective of coolant temp.
Here is the wiring schematic:
There are 3 fuses and 3 relays needed to operate the fans as designed by GM. The fans are electrically configured in series for low speed operation with about 1/2 or the 12 volts dropped across each fan motor so they operate at a lower speed than if each motor had 12 volts dropped across it.
For High speed operation the relays alter the wiring configuration so that the fans are in parallel and the full 12 volts is across each fan motor hence the higher operating speed.
Factory turn on temps for low speed operation is 226 degrees. BOTH fans run.
Factory Turn off temp for low speed mode is 219.
Factory turn on temp for High speed is 235. BOTH fans run. When the coolant temp drops to 226 the fans revert to low speed mode.
You can force the fans to come on in low speed mode when the coolant temp is above 185 degrees by turning on the AC.
If the vehicle speed exceeds 35 MPH the fans are commanded OFF irrespective of coolant temp.
Here is the wiring schematic:
There are 3 fuses and 3 relays needed to operate the fans as designed by GM. The fans are electrically configured in series for low speed operation with about 1/2 or the 12 volts dropped across each fan motor so they operate at a lower speed than if each motor had 12 volts dropped across it.
For High speed operation the relays alter the wiring configuration so that the fans are in parallel and the full 12 volts is across each fan motor hence the higher operating speed.
I must've confused the fans getting faster with turning on. We should probably get that into the DIY sticky. It seems to be a common question asked here.