ktm Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 I am ultra paranoid about doing heat related damage to my head (probably unreasonably paranoid) and have tried to keep the temps relatively low (below 190). My old set points on my fan were 181 on, 176 off. I now see after doing a fair amount of reading that this may be too low. However, most of the information I am able to find deals with modern aluminum heads and engines. This information states that many cars are setup to run at 190+; SBC setups over 200 before the fans kick on. For our L-series heads, what is everyones set points? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 Not sure what my setpoints are but I adjusted my controller it to keep the water temp needle centered or below center. With MSII and Megaview, I also monitor the head temperature directly through the sensor in the head. It ranges from 185F cruising to about 220F or so on boost. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 i think keeping the set point so that the fans shut off just above your thermostat temperature is ideal. It would keep the coolant flowing from rad to block to heater core and would keep the thermostat open so it's not constantly popping open and closed (they will wear out). I have mine so it shuts off at 181 degrees... my thermostat is good for 175. fans turn on at 189. I did this using a sentra rad fan switch. adjustability could be had by using a higher rated switch with resistors in line. this is a z31 but similar, i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktm Posted May 12, 2009 Author Share Posted May 12, 2009 My EMS controls my fan via a relay. The reason I ask is because a lot of literature states that running around 190 degrees is optimal for engine life and power. Grumpyvette has a great post in the SBC forum that discusses this issue for that setup. Those engines are ideally run at 190 degrees. Timz posted that his setup runs better at 190 degrees as well. I have been searching for a while trying to find the optimal temperature for our heads but to no avail. If running at 190 to 195 is fine and offers plenty of buffer, then I will adjust my tune (I start pulling timing and adding fuel over 195) and cooling setpoints accordingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Careless Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 there is a stroker motor build on youtube where the builder of the engine states that putting in a lower thermostat helped his vehicle run a little better or it just plain liked the cooler temp. I would say the operating temperature that the engine should run at is in relation to the engine itself, as there are some 220F thermostats for some cars, and I couldn't imagine when the fans come on for those cars... 245F? WOW. if your thermostat is 175, 192 is ideal. (10% above thermo open temp). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woldson Posted May 12, 2009 Share Posted May 12, 2009 would keep the thermostat open so it's not constantly popping open and closed I do believe that the thermostat is always in a state of opening and closing. Except when initial start and too hot (wide open). Once that happens only more air through the rad will cool the engine. If you are in a very hot environment, sometimes putting in a little hotter thermostat can actually help, since it can operate (open and close) at higher temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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