[Marky Dissod]

Another low-buck mod for those with 160 or 180 stats is removing airdams around Thanksgiving.
Result(s) being warmer heater / defroster operation in colder winter weather.
Plus retaining it's heat longer.

I agree wholeheartedly, whenever the ambient temps get under 41F / 9C regardless of thermostat ...
The airdamns should also be removed if water / snow levels get too high.
Remember that the airdamns are no longer in production.

 

[storm9c1]

I'm a little late to this party but will offer my 2 cents.

My general rule of thumb, without writing a huge, complicated reply, is have the primary fan come on 20 degrees warmer than the t-stat. Set the secondary 8 degrees warmer than that, so 28 degrees above the stat temp.

I don't want to start any kind of war, but I personally think 160 is too cold of a stat on the LT1 for street use (track use, different story). Low temps are not good for moisture removal, oil temps, or combustion efficiency. I recommend a 180 degree stat. Then set primary fan for 195-200 in this case. If you insist on running a 160, then set fans for 180-185 if you really want the engine to run that cold (contrary to rumor, that temp isn't ideal for street use). I wouldn't go lower or else the fans will run too much and burn up the harness.

When you do your own custom program, ideally you would run 2 wires from the relays back to your dash and wire up LEDs so you can monitor the fans. If you connect those wires to the ground side of the fan relays, you can even "override" the PCM, forcing the fan on, using switches on the dash wired to ground. So a single wire (per relay) could serve as both indicators and overrides. I have this setup on my B-Bodies. It took me a few tries and tweaking the numbers before I was happy with how much the fans were running versus how hot the engine gets.

Note that any fan temp adjustment, even just a few degrees lower, will be better than stock. No need to go crazy.

 

[Marky Dissod]

storm9c1, pretty much generally agree with your entire post #22.

Note that any fan temp adjustment, even just a few degrees lower, will be better than stock.
No need to go crazy.

Hypothetically speaking, imagine an LT1 car equipped with a 195F thermostat (say it's a winter-only beater in, say, North Dakota or Alaska).
OE B-car fan-on thresholds of 225F & 232F are too hot, even for a 195F tstat (F- & Y- cars are even worse).
Even when using a 195F tstat, 212F & 221F would still be better, and very strongly recommended.

Instead of a 160 thermostat, better a 180 tstat, and do the following:
upgrade the KD1 external ATF cooler with a much better one, add a fan to it that turns on by 215F
disconnect / bypass the ATF radiator tank (bad idea for winter however - good idea for the other three seasons though)
lower the fan-on thresholds to, say, 203F & 212F (every LT1 & LT4 should do this anyway, as in pcm tune)
enable OverHeat Enrichment Protocols and adjust to activate by 230F, or 239F for bona fide racing (every LT1 & LT4 should do this anyway as well, as in pcm tune, although most tunes don't do this)

 

[PeterDuerr]

Thanks for the input, much appeciates. This wont be driven in the winter. In summer it is around 95-105 F.

I'm somewhat commited to the 160 stat at this point. I've done the throttle body bypass...fyi. I'll add your temp settings in the notes when I mail the PCM in for a tune.

I am concerned about the wiring in general. There are signs of the aux post getting hot, but thats another topic.

Too bad Gary is no long building wiring kits. I'm able to do it myself, but nice to have plug and play.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Thanks for the input, much appreciated. This wont be driven in the winter. In summer it is around 95-105F.

I'm somewhat commited to the 160 stat at this point. I've done the throttle body bypass ... fyi.
I'll add your temp settings in the notes when I mail the PCM in for a tune.

Unless you REALLY want your fans to turn on colder than 185F & 194F, you probably only need to mention the 160F tstat to the tuner, as those are the typical fan-on thresholds applied by most tuners when a 160F tstat is mentioned.
You should be interested in upgrades to your EXTERNAL ATF cooler.
If your car avoids winter, bypassing the radiator's ATF 'cooler' will also be helpful.

I am concerned about the wiring in general. There are signs of the aux post getting hot, but that's another topic.

Zinc vs Brass Auxiliary Post is the first thing that comes to mind, but I'm sure this rabbit hole goes deeper.

Too bad Gary is no long building wiring kits. I'm able to do it myself, but nice to have plug and play.

He deserves more credit than he got for what he's done for us all.
I hope things get better for him soon.

 

[PeterDuerr]

Ok thanks,

It appears I do have brass post. I purchased the car in oct with a 80 000km and a blown tranny. So I've only driven it the one day I picked it up from the tranny shop. Ill run the elctrical system hard and monitor temps. Ill probly start with replacing the battery cables.

 

[Marky Dissod]

I'll run the electrical system hard and monitor temps.
I'll probably start with replacing the battery cables.

There are several parts of our wiring harnesses that could definitely use upgrading.
Feel free to study older ISSF posts about
H2Opump temp sensor wiring
head temp senDER wiring
headlight wiring (or switch to LED headlights?)
power steering switch
ignition system wiring (besides the nine spark plug wires)
radiator fan wiring harnesses ...