Overheating High Head Temperature Differential
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 61
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Overheating High Head Temperature Differential I have a 2002 low mileage LS1. My engine recently overheated and the temperature spiked quickly to ~250 degrees. I was stopped at the time, and I'm not sure if my electric fan was coming on at the time. I checked and replaced the thermostat even though it was working fine. I thought the problem could be the water pump, so I borrowed an infrared temperature probe to check temperatures at different locations on the engine. I noticed that there is a 40* difference between each head on average and when I checked at normal operating temp. Is this normal behavior or does it indicate a problem? Anything else I can check besides the fan connections? I'm thinking the electric fan connections are not that great.
As of now, the fan is working and the engine is running at 210*.
I'm really hoping my heads weren't warped. Oh well if so it will give me a reason to put the TR CheatR package in.
~Bob
As of now, the fan is working and the engine is running at 210*.
I'm really hoping my heads weren't warped. Oh well if so it will give me a reason to put the TR CheatR package in.
~Bob
Thread Starter
Staging Lane
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
My engine has about 15k miles on it. It was completely flushed before installation three months ago. The coolant is new (I'm using Green not Dexcool by the way). I checked the fan electrical system and noticed that the relay for fan control is behaving intermittently, so my fan most likely was not coming on all of the time.
There is still the question of the head temperatures though. Could it indicate an obstruction to flow or is it generally nothing to worry about? The infrared probe is supposed to be around +/- 5 degrees F accuracy. Apparently shiny metal objects have a different emissivity than what it is designed for, so maybe it is not a good tool for head temperature, but it still detects a large difference between the two. The passenger side head always seems hotter.
There is still the question of the head temperatures though. Could it indicate an obstruction to flow or is it generally nothing to worry about? The infrared probe is supposed to be around +/- 5 degrees F accuracy. Apparently shiny metal objects have a different emissivity than what it is designed for, so maybe it is not a good tool for head temperature, but it still detects a large difference between the two. The passenger side head always seems hotter.
