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Just For The Heck Of It

G

gandolphxx

Charter Member
Full Member
Joined
Jan 24, 2002
Messages
5,750
Location
Houston, TX
Well I have taken off the electric fans - interesting experiment - the clutch fan seems to keep the tranny between 10 and 15 degrees cooler and holds the 185 pretty steady on the main coolant. I think they are probably adequate for a small block but not for the 8.1L - the clutch fan is 21" - real air grabber.

While I was dinking around I also installed a new MAF with a screen and separator - stock, right out of the box - interesting to see the results since mine was descreened during the Whipple install - never have felt comfortable about that so decided to rectify it.

Reset the PCM and drove it like I stole it for an hour - seems fine - hopefully I lost all the bad habits and set new ones. >:D
 
I believe that would be carved into the license plate frame :D
Do you have them? or something similar?

Mommas Impala say's 'Get in, sit down, shut-up, and hold on!'
mine has Spikes all around it.
 
Because you have a 2500 with the trans temp guage I will ask you. Does the trans temp stay right with the engine temp? My service advisor at the Chevy sdealership says it will run almost the same temp. I was talking to him about installing a cluster with the trans temp guage and he says there is no need, I pull a travel trailer and think there might be lots of times that my trans will get hot before the engine!
 
Z66 BUTCH said:
Because you have a 2500 with the trans temp guage I will ask you. Does the trans temp stay right with the engine temp? My service advisor at the Chevy sdealership says it will run almost the same temp. I was talking to him about installing a cluster with the trans temp guage and he says there is no need, I pull a travel trailer and think there might be lots of times that my trans will get hot before the engine!
Click to expand...

I see little correlation between the two since I have the separate tranny cooler that is standard on the 2500 and 1500 Z71's - I think the tranny gauge is as inaccurate as the rest of the cluster gauges, but I use them as a gauge [pardon the pun] to track mods and general condition. If you have a 1500 you can get a deeper transmission pan that will increase the fluid volume and that will help lengthen the life of the unit.

If I were to tow, i would absolutely have a gauge - the cluster swap is too easy and painless. I am considering an auxillary cooler for the tranny and oil given the abuse I give my beast.
 
gandolphxx,,,

My Z71 doesn't have an aux cooler, and I do have the Z85 tow package ... It sucks, both my Silverado Z71's had them ... The av is heavier, and is rated to tow 8,000 with 4.10's ... GM is weird man ...

11H
 
That's a big different gandolphxx. Thanks for sharing that info, guess the stock fan is better than some may think. Is the stock fan on the 2500 a viscous fan and if not do you think that one might be a happy medium? It would reduce the engine load until things got hot.
 
Johnny_D said:
That's a big different gandolphxx. Thanks for sharing that info, guess the stock fan is better than some may think. ?Is the stock fan on the 2500 a viscous fan and if not do you think that one might be a happy medium? ?It would reduce the engine load until things got hot. ?
Click to expand...

If you are referring to the so called "flex blade" fans, no - it is solid as a rock - i don't believe that they make flex fans that large - at least I couldn't find any in a search about 4 months ago.
 
11H said:
I think he means the "clutching" method ... Johnny ?

11H
Click to expand...

Gee 11H I was hoping you would explain the difference between a viscous fan a standard clutch fan! Many of the old muscle cars had visous fan on them and I had one on an old Cutlass. I will try explaining the best I can. :2:

A viscous fan differs from a standard clutch fan because it always has some viscous coupling to the fan. When the engine is cold it turns at a reduced speed and when hot it engages more but has some slippage.

A standard clutch fan is either fully engaged or disengaged. When it engages you feel the drop in power. You do not feel it as much on a viscous fan.

The so called advantage of the viscous fan was that it does not pull as much power from the engine and they claim saved 10 to 15HP over standard clutch fan.

 
I think 11H might be a little young to remember viscous coupled fans. They were pretty common on higher performance American cars in the 60's and 70's.
 
I think 11H might be a little young to remember viscous coupled fans. They were pretty common on higher performance American cars in the 60's and 70's.
Click to expand...

And how old am i Steel ? ... LOL ... I had 3 vehicles with viscous fans ... (ok one wasn't mine) ... Brace yourself ...

1. 1977 Ford F150 with a 300 Inline Six ... (best Ford I ever Had)
2. 1975 Ford Mustang Ghia with a 302 (quickest car in school...far from stock...LOL... But damn was it ugly! )
3. 1977 Olds Cutlass with a 403 (burnout king.. and quick for it's size...Still looking for a nice one as of now... Classy quick "big" car)

... Now as I remember, all these cars had viscous fan clutches ... ?1. and 2. were owned at 16 and the 3rd 18 ... >:D

... Oh and there was that '86 S-10 that "had" a 2.8 V6 ... It "had" a viscous clutch I think ... Not too long after I bought it it had a 305 dumped in with an electric fan ... ?Now that was a pain ...>:D

11H
 
Wow 11, I never figured you for owning any of the low-tech vintage stuff my my fossilized era! ;D
 
LOL ... Steel... I think I can cover most of what I've had in this post... ?Sorry if off-topic ... Can't resist ... ?:2:

0. 1975 Olds Vista Cruiser Wagon 350 (Demo Car)
1. 1975 Mustang (above) ... (only car in school running 13's ... on 13" tires that is... LOL)
2. 1981 Mercury Lynx Wagon (college plans)
3. 1984 Tempo 2 Dr GLX with the 2.3 HSC Motor (fun)
4. 1995 Tempo 4 Dr (winter car)
5. 1977 Cutlass 403 (above)
6. 1977 Ford F150 (shared with step dad)
7. 1978 Monte Carlo (first high speed low drag builder... The one with the 396 from a 67 Chevelle ... Remember?)
8. 1986 S-10 (above)
9. 1991 Toyota Tercel (GF Car)
10. 1992 Toyota Paseo (5spd fun)
11. 1987 T/A ... 305 H.O.
12. 1991 Sentra SE-R
13. 1990 Crown Vic (Po Po Pkg)
14. 1994 Grand AM GT
15. 1995 Ford Contour (5 spd)
16. 1996 Z28 (T top) ... (fastest I modded)
17. 1994 Z28 (Rag Top)
18. 1997 Z28 (T Top)
19. 1999 Silverado Z71 Xtra Cab 5.3
20. 1998 S10 Xtra Cab 4.3 4x4
21. 2000 S10 Trailblazer LT 4x4 (all options... GM buy back)
22. 2000 Prizm LSi (Current Car)
23. 2000 Silverado Sportside Z71 Extra Cab 5.3 (sweet & fast ... Had nos ... Shoulda kept it...)
24. 2002 Avalanche Z71 (Current Car)

... This doesn't count the farm vehicles we had... 1975 Chevy 1500 350 ... 1985 Chevy 3/4 ton 350 4x4 ... 1984 Ford 3/4 ton 6.9 Diesel 4x4 ...

... These were all in my name except the '77 Ford and farm trucks ... Never stranded, never a motor failure, never a tranny ... Uhhh ... OK the 75 stang had a weak C4 ... ?Oh, and I'm 33 ... >:D

11H
 
I have to hang on to your list 11H for ammo against my wife! :eek: When I bought home the Hemi last month she accused me of changing vehicles like some folks change socks. I told her she was exaggerating. Then she handed me a list she had written with 13 cars and trucks on it I have owned. I looked it over and decide not to tell her see had left three off the list. >:D
 
11H, Please check. I bought one of the last Olds VistaCruisers GM built. It Was a Zone car with an Olds 455 and was the 1973 model year. I had the same engine in a couple of Olds 98s and they were sweet.
Buppa
 
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