hotrod388

My IAT gauge is reading 145-150 at times when I'm in traffic is this normal? I live in Louisiana it is 100 DEG outside. When I see these numbers the car starts to run bad i dont know if its in the tune or if i should even see those numbers.

white01ss

iTrader: (37)

High heat and high humidity can make that happen. Where I'm at it hits 100+ outside but not that high of humidity and I've seen 140*F a few times in traffic with the A/C on. Seems like it only takes an hour or so before the entire car gets heat soaked. Once the car gets moving it quickly comes down to 110 or so and then close to ambient at highway speeds.

hotrod388

Thanks. You said yours takes about an hour. Mine is minutes. But like you said when i start going the temp drops. I was just wondering if it was something crazy or not. My car is a ram air car but someone put a cheep air lid on it and it can suck in engine heat i think i might try a diffrent setup.

jimmyblue

iTrader: (11)

Well, there's all kinds of "normal". Stock normal includes
no fans running below about 220F, meaning your engine
bay is cooking big time, heating the wall of the resonator
or lid or wherever your IAT resides and pulling out timing
when it gets hot.

Decent cold air setup and relocating the IAT sure do help.
"Free Ram Air" likely makes it worse except at high steady
road speed.

white01ss

iTrader: (37)

Right on jimmy. Free ram air gives heat from the radiator a straight shot directly to the intake.

Do some quick checks to make sure the IAT sensor hasn't gone bad. Without starting the engine, scan the IAT and ECT temps after the car's been sitting all night. They should both be very close together and at ambient.

Are your fans tuned to run cooler? Have a 160 stat? Those help a ton in hot weather. Is your sensor in the stock location or has it been moved? Like jimmy says, if you have "free ram air", try blocking it off and see if that helps.

hotrod388

Thanks. I'll check in the AM. I'm pretty sure the sensor is good but stock location cant say. It's to the right of the exit at the back of the filter. Yes i have a 160* stat and the fans have been adjusted. I also have headers. I wonder if maybe header heat it getting pulled back in the intake air. This intake is not sealed to the hood at all probbly just need to fix that i have a "Water Jet" at the shop where i work so i can cut some metal to fix that very easy.

Phil'sC5vette

iTrader: (4)

I've noticed that the F bodies seem to disapate the IAT heat quicker than the Y bodies.

On my C5, Ive relocated the sensor right at the top of the plastic intake of the Vararam, and adjusted my IAT tables with HP Tuners