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Cannot keep engine cool!!!!!!!!!!!

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Old 06-12-2005, 06:09 PM
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Default Cannot keep engine cool!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a 1999 LS1, and it will not stay cool at all. I am not running it like most of you all in cars, I am running it in a Jeep Wrangler. The Jeep has no fenders, so air is constantly hittting the engine, I have a 160 degree thermostat, stock water pump, 32" radiator, 15" and 10" fans. Why can I not keep this thing from getting hot. After running it hard for a little while, I am instantly at 230 degrees. I am running an Auto Meter guage, and the sensor is in the left side head. Is there something else I should be doing.

FYI- I just put a .515 .522 cam, and LS6 intake on it, and have not had it reprogrammed yet. I am not sure if that really matters. Also, the dexcool to water ratio was a little too much dexcool!!

Thanks for the help!!
Old 06-12-2005, 06:13 PM
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Do you have the small coolant line under the intake hooked up to the radiator?
Old 06-12-2005, 07:18 PM
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Originally Posted by P Mack
Do you have the small coolant line under the intake hooked up to the radiator?

Are you talking about the line that goed to the throttle body?
Old 06-12-2005, 08:05 PM
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Yeah, that's the one.
Old 06-12-2005, 08:26 PM
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Originally Posted by P Mack
Yeah, that's the one.
I have a T/B bypass, so there is no coolant running through there.
Old 06-12-2005, 08:31 PM
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your fans may not be coming on when there supposed too...get a tune, that should solve your problem.
Old 06-12-2005, 08:40 PM
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Originally Posted by 2000LS1M6
your fans may not be coming on when there supposed too...get a tune, that should solve your problem.
The fans are on a manual switch, and I run them as soon as it gets 180 degrees!
Old 06-12-2005, 09:11 PM
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Originally Posted by bcrishon
The fans are on a manual switch, and I run them as soon as it gets 180 degrees!
theres gotta be something wrong with your rad then..once the fans come on..it should get cool. doesn't only happen when your getting on it?

did you bleed the cooling system?

this is a really stupid question...but are the fans actually coming on? and are they facing the correct way?

t stat workign properly?

rad cap new?

water pump working correctly?
Old 06-12-2005, 09:31 PM
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Originally Posted by bcrishon
I have a T/B bypass, so there is no coolant running through there.
So you're saying that coolant line isn't hooked up to your radiator? That will cause overheating. The line isn't just for the throttlebody, it's there to let air pockets escape from the heads.
Old 06-13-2005, 07:38 AM
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Default I have an idea!!!

When I installed my LS1 in my kitcar the engine kept boiling. I have no heater and so I had blocked off the heater feed and return ports on the side near the thermostat.
The problem was that the water pressure was not balanced on each side of the thermostat and was forcing it shut.
I had to loop a short pipe from the heater feed to the return and then everything was cool!
On the old SBC you could simply blank off the heater ports but not so on the LS1.
Hope this is your problem too.
Old 06-13-2005, 08:08 AM
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Your water pump might have gone out on you. Just an idea. I would try other things first as a new water pump isn't the cheapest thing.
Old 06-13-2005, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by BrandonDrecksage
theres gotta be something wrong with your rad then..once the fans come on..it should get cool. doesn't only happen when your getting on it?

did you bleed the cooling system?

this is a really stupid question...but are the fans actually coming on? and are they facing the correct way?

t stat workign properly?

rad cap new?

water pump working correctly?
I have bleed the cooling system about 3 times to make sure that is not the problem!!

The fans are coming on and are moving air in the correct direction!

The rad cap in brand new, and everything shows me the water pump is working. I can let it sit and idle for about 10 minutes and the temp comes right down to about 190.

Thanks for the help and let me know if there is anything else you think of!!
Old 06-13-2005, 03:46 PM
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Originally Posted by P Mack
So you're saying that coolant line isn't hooked up to your radiator? That will cause overheating. The line isn't just for the throttlebody, it's there to let air pockets escape from the heads.
No it is not, there is no coolant running through the T/B, so I guess that is just blocked off. When I put the LS6 intake on, I had to adapt the coolant lines under the intake and I bought the correct ones from GM so I did not think it mattered. So you are saying to hook that little line up to my radiator and it will help??
Old 06-13-2005, 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by Tommy Tucker
When I installed my LS1 in my kitcar the engine kept boiling. I have no heater and so I had blocked off the heater feed and return ports on the side near the thermostat.
The problem was that the water pressure was not balanced on each side of the thermostat and was forcing it shut.
I had to loop a short pipe from the heater feed to the return and then everything was cool!
On the old SBC you could simply blank off the heater ports but not so on the LS1.
Hope this is your problem too.

I have installed a Mojave heater in it, so I do not think that is my problem. Thank you for the input!!
Old 06-13-2005, 03:54 PM
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I would make sure the fans are pulling air, and not pushing it, friends 1989 tpi had this problem after he rewired to a manual switch like you. check it out.
Old 06-13-2005, 04:06 PM
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Originally Posted by daryl2cb@yahoo.com
I would make sure the fans are pulling air, and not pushing it, friends 1989 tpi had this problem after he rewired to a manual switch like you. check it out.
I checked that, I have one fan on the inside and it is pulling, and one on the outside that is pushing!! Thank you for the help!!
Old 06-13-2005, 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by bcrishon
No it is not, there is no coolant running through the T/B, so I guess that is just blocked off. When I put the LS6 intake on, I had to adapt the coolant lines under the intake and I bought the correct ones from GM so I did not think it mattered. So you are saying to hook that little line up to my radiator and it will help??
Yes, it should help. The hard part is if your radiator doesn't have a place for it to hook up you have to tap into the radiator or a hose. The guys in the conversion forum have dealt with this before.
Old 06-13-2005, 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted by P Mack
Yes, it should help. The hard part is if your radiator doesn't have a place for it to hook up you have to tap into the radiator or a hose. The guys in the conversion forum have dealt with this before.
I can weld a bung onto the radiator, that should not be a huge issue. That air will not be able to be blead through the radiator at all? I always thought that when you did not run coolant through your T/B, that it also meant there was no coolant constantly running through the lines under the intake. I was thinking that the lines under the intake ran directly to the T/B!!
Old 06-13-2005, 04:35 PM
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They run through the TB then into the radiator neck. It bleeds off the air that's in the cooling system.

Since it cools off at idle it sounds like the engine is producing too much heat under load. Are you running extremely lean? what altitude?
Old 06-13-2005, 04:44 PM
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Originally Posted by technical
They run through the TB then into the radiator neck. It bleeds off the air that's in the cooling system.

Since it cools off at idle it sounds like the engine is producing too much heat under load. Are you running extremely lean? what altitude?
That is exactly what I was thinking. If you refer back to my first post, I just put a cam/intake on it and have not had it reprgrammed yet. I was unsure if it could make that much of a difference!! Also, is it necessary to let the computer know that I have a 160 degree stat if I am not running the stock fans, because I have not updated that yet either!!



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