Champion Radiator Install Question

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BBslider001

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Above 20 mph or so the fan has little to no effect. You can drive down the road with no fan so long as you keep moving.


That sounds like a blown head gasket or a cracked head or block. When running with the radiator cap off, does the coolant bubble constantly?
No blown head gasket or cracked block, thankfully. Just got back from a test drive, idled in traffic, and now idling in my driveway with the AC on. It does not get above the 210 mark. It sits just below it about a needle width. Top hose is pliable. Seems like I got it figured out....fingers crossed.
 
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BBslider001

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So, learning moment.....the ONLY thing that changed in this equation was the T-Stat. That is where I should have looked in the first place when I started having these issues that I was not having previously. Rather than looking elsewhere assuming a "new" part wouldn't be the issue, I should have looked there first.
 

BBslider001

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Fan clutch has to have heat to engage. If the thermostat is hung closed it will never engage because the radiator is still cold. Thermostat might be stuck closed because of an air pocket in the system. I have drilled a small hole in my thermostats for years to prevent an air lock. I drill a 1/8" hole, it does not noticeably slow down the engine warm up and allows the engine to run at a more stable operating temp. The hole does 3 things. 1st it vents air and steam to the radiator. 2nd it helps keep the heads cool by allowing more water circulation before the thermostat opens. 3rd it prevents the thermostat from completely blocking off the radiator, allowing ice cold water to surge into your hot block and thermo stress it. Thermo stress leads to cracked parts over time.
So hey, you were correct in this scenario it seems. See above. And thanks for the input. It really helped.
 

BBslider001

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I wanted to put this here for others to learn from, as I did past weekend. Ever since the T-stat debacle, I have nevr liked the way the engine cools, especially with the new radiator. It would fluctuate too much, IMO. Idling with AC on, it would get to 230ish and not come down until moving. Based on other's experiences with this, I thought this was normal and just early technology and poor cooling characteristics of GM. I tried a 195 and a 180...same behavior. Well, leaving Costco on Sunday, the truck got hot and kept getting hotter until "check gauges" light came on and it OH'd. I pull into a parking lot, the top hose is hard as a rock, no fan engagement and I am PIZZED. I immediately know the T-stat is not open. Long story short, I cool down for 30 minutes, pull the t-stat, and get it home 30 miles away. It never got above 160-170 ish on the drive home....traffic or not. I go to the parts store, get a -T-stat, regular AC Delco 195, and notice right away that it's a shorty.....much shorter than the ones I had been using. I look at the bottom if the one I pulled earlier and notice the foot is frickin bent!!! So, my assessment is this. The long t-stat was never opening all the way due to it being too long and getting obstructed. It was "kind of" working, but not to full capacity. The shorty has the room to open all the way. Since Sunday, I have driven it everywhere with the AC on, in traffic, as well as highway. It stays at 195 and the hottest it got idling in traffic was just above the 210 mark, but it immediately cools back down to 195....like it SHOULD. The fan also engages like it's supposed to. I am pretty sure, this entire time, the T-stat has been the wrong one and too long to operate correctly. I just wanted to share this for anyone in the future. It was trying to open, but it was bottoming out. I think the issue has been resolved for now. Hope this helps someone else along the way.
 

Erik the Awful

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It would fluctuate too much... I thought this was normal and just early technology and poor cooling characteristics of GM.
For future reference, that much fluctuation is a symptom. WCJr runs rock solid at 185-188°F pretty much all the time, any weather.
 

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For future reference, that much fluctuation is a symptom. WCJr runs rock solid at 185-188°F pretty much all the time, any weather.
I absolutely agree. I think the symptom in this case was the over heating and poor cooling with the culprit being the T-stat not opening all the way or at all. It's been good all week now operating with in normal range, after changing it out.
 
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