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Cooling Systems -- Problems & Solutions (Radiator, Fan, etc)

629 messages,  Last post on Mar 23, 2013 at 11:17 PM

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Messages Page 61 of 64

#594 of 629 Re: Solve This One [oldfarmer50] by bolivar

May 30, 2010 (3:24 pm)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (May 29, 2010 5:07 pm)
Your car may be running correctly.
 
Does it hit 235 before fans with the AC off? Or is your AC dead and not running? The Cadillac referenced below will not let the AC turn on if the AC pressure is low or high.
 
In other words, for Cadillas Northstars, if you are running the car with the AC off, it is set to let the temp hit about 225 before it turns the fans on. That's just the way they programmed it.
 
If you have the AC working and on, the fans run all the time (above 195 or so??).

#595 of 629 Re: Solve This One [Mr_Shiftright] by oldfarmer50

May 30, 2010 (5:45 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (May 29, 2010 6:17 pm)
"...you have an AIR circulation problem..."
 
That's interesting. This is a car my son is considering so I have not driven it myself. I'm being told that for some reason the fan does not kick on until about 235 and then it does come on. The present owner say the AC does not operate as it needs some sort of valve. Not sure if one has anything to do with the other but any thoughts would be welcome.
 
I'm trying to let my son make his own decisions but the urge to "protect" him is still very strong even though he's 25.

#596 of 629 Re: Solve This One [bolivar] by oldfarmer50

May 30, 2010 (5:57 pm)

Replying to: bolivar (May 30, 2010 3:24 pm)
"...Does it hit 235 before fans with the AC off?..."
 
Can't say for sure. As I just posted to Shifty, the owner says the AC does not operate. As I understand it, when driving in the city at slower speed the temp reaches 235 and the fan comes on and the car cools to "normal" whatever that is ( for most cars I've owned that would be around 195).
 
Remember, this is and OLD Corvette so I don't know if the computer in it is very fancy. That's why in my original post I was wondering if it could be so sort of mechanical switch which was the problem. If this is typical of all GM cars that would be fine. I just don't want my son to buy this and find out it's a money pit.

#597 of 629 Re: Solve This One [oldfarmer50] by obyone

May 30, 2010 (10:31 pm)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (May 30, 2010 5:57 pm)
With an '84 vette you might want to check the body out closely since the frame wasn't the best leading to a lot of flexing causing the fiberglass to crack. If I were looking to buy a used vette, I'd look at a C5 or newer as the C5 has hydroformed rails which means a much stiffer suspension and no creaks or body cracks. Just my opinion of course.

#598 of 629 Re: Solve This One [oldfarmer50] by bolivar

May 30, 2010 (11:42 pm)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (May 30, 2010 5:57 pm)
84 Corvette will be a money pit.

#599 of 629 Re: Solve This One [bolivar] by kiawah

May 31, 2010 (4:35 am)

Replying to: bolivar (May 30, 2010 11:42 pm)
As was my '75.

#600 of 629 Money Pit by oldfarmer50

May 31, 2010 (7:32 am)

Now you guys are scaring me.
 
Then again I would think any corvette could be expensive to repair.
 
The kid has got the hots for this car so the money pit thing may be a moot point. I'm just hoping it's a smaller pit.
 
Any other thoughts on the cooling issue? The owner suggested installing a manual fan turn-on switch but I was wondering if there might be some other way of fixing such a problem.

#601 of 629 Re: Money Pit [oldfarmer50] by bolivar

May 31, 2010 (8:37 pm)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (May 31, 2010 7:32 am)
Repair the AC. The fans will probably then run all the time, as designed.
 
A Corvette is nothing but a top-of-the-line GM. It's a Chevy motor and transmission and Cadillac electronics.
 
Here is the life line of many Corvettes.
-The first owner babies it. Probably doesn't put many miles on it. It's the car 'he always wanted', or 'it's the 4/5/6 one he's owned'. After about 3/4 years the toy goes stale. Or, if he's a multi-owner, it's time to buy the new model. The car has excellent maintenance from this owner.
-The second owner always wanted a Corvette but never had enough money to buy a new one. He drives it a lot. He keeps it about 3/4 years and then a baby comes, so he has to get something more practical. Usually maintained pretty good. If some small stuff fails, it might not get repaired quickly, if at all.
-The following owners see the car as a 'hot rod', and treats it like one. Maintenance is slipped. If the car starts and gets down the road, all is good. A 'check engine' light is ignored. The AC doesn't work, just roll the window down. The dash display fails, and it's going to cost $1,000 to repair, just keep up with the other traffic for speedometer, and those other displays aren't actually needed.
 
This is an 85, right? 25 years old. Had about 6 previous owners, at a minimum? It's probably been 'hit' at least one time. It's going to be a money pit if you try to get everything working and keep it that way. If your son just wants it to 'get down the road', it might manage to do that.
 
P.S. I've owned 4.

#602 of 629 Re: Money Pit [bolivar] by oldfarmer50

Jun 01, 2010 (3:08 pm)

Replying to: bolivar (May 31, 2010 8:37 pm)
"...Repair the AC..."
 
Now that sounds like a plan. If the fan and the AC are interconnected as you say that might be all it needs. Thanks.
 
As to the typical Corvette history all I can say is LOL. This one was supposedly owned by a doctor in Kingston NY from 1984 until around 2006 when the current owner, a guy in his 70's bought it. I ran a Carfax on it and it came back clean for accidents (at least back to 1996 when Carfax started). I get the impression that the current owner doesn't want to sell it but his wife doesn't want him putting any more money into it.
 
As I said, my kid has hot pants for it so my opinion isn't worth much. Thanks for the advice on the fan.

#603 of 629 Re: Money Pit [oldfarmer50] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jun 01, 2010 (4:07 pm)

Replying to: oldfarmer50 (May 31, 2010 7:32 am)
Since the subject has come up, I would agree that a 1984 Corvette is not a good choice. It has CFI injection, which is not the best and hard to tune and fix right, and very difficult to modify.
 
IIRC, the '84 Vette had a thermostatically controlled fan that only worked UNDER 35 mph.
 
If he likes C4s, he'd be much better off shopping for a later 80s model. Better in every conceivable way.

Messages Page 61 of 64

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