Is it to hot or just right?

Great Forum. Glad to be a part of it. Maybe someone could answer this I purchased a 1999 C2 ,33k,6 speed all records, Mint Well anyway the operating temp is always between the zero in the number 180. The front fans come on fine no water leaks and the car runs great but having just come over from the dark side I'm not sure what is good and what is a problem waiting to happen? I tell you the C6 may be a better value but after my Z06 I'll take a Porsche any day. Thanks for any info

that's about right....between the 8 and the 0. Welcome to the board

X-vette - Kirby is spot on... mine runs between the 8 and the 0. Welcome to the "light" side... much better than the dark side, I would imagine! Good to have you here. Check in every now and then and if you decide you want to stick around, membership is only $17 a year or $32 for two. MUCH cheaper than a tank of gas and lasts much longer too!

Alright, who is going to tell him about the new members pictures requirement? Welcome aboard but guard your wallet.....

I will POST PICS..........Rule Number one, and its worth the $$ to join, these guys are awsome and a wealth of information!!

Thanks for the info, So my car running at the midway point in the zero in the number 180 is fine thats good news.

Don't be too surprised if after you run her hard the needle creeps to the right of the "0". My temp gage reads the same as yours until I start climbing the mountain roads to Mt. Hood. It can take it just fine. Watch your expansion tank. They crack frequently. You'll know it if you start to smell coolant when the car is parked. Frequently the crack allows for a small drip right onto the driver's side tail pipe where it evaporates off.

I'm a soon to be ex-Corvette guy. Honestly, great mass produced sportscar, lot of fun, but feel like I deserve a step up after 20 years of Vette ownership. Welcome X-dude

As everyone else has said its totally normal. Mine runs in the middle of the eight during the cooler months and the middle of the zero in the hotter months. Welcome to the forum!

Just a note of caution....although this is common, it is not how the car was designed. In warmer temps, your car's coolant is aopproaching 220F when your gauge shows on the right side of the 0 in 180. This means your oil temp is higher. The engine was designed (as spec'd by Porsche) to have a normal operating temperature of bewteen 190 - 200. At minimum, I would dump the 0w40 oil if you are usiing it, in climates that is warm. Replace with a 15w50. This will go a long way in saving your bearings and valve guides as well as give you better performance from the lifters in hot temps. There is not much you can do to reduce these temps around town when running the air conditioner. But, if you wire a switch so you can run the engine compartment fan on hot days, it will reduce engine temps even with the air on. By also wiring a switch to activate the 2 front radiator fans when the air is not on, you will reduce your coolant temps to well below 200F even in the hottest of temps. I run a constant 194 - 196F coolant temp while driving around town in 95 - 100F temps. This mod also greatly reduces your oil temp.

Thanks again, Damm there is alot of smart people here. My engine fan never comes on. I need to find out where the sensor is so I could remove the wires from it to test the fan. After 20 plus years of Corvettes I find myself opening the "hood" to find that sensor Then freezing looking at the motor and thinking Where is the Motor?

Welcome. This is a great forum and congratulations on your purchase. The corvette is a great car as well and I was torn between getting a new C6Vert or a Carrera Cab and I picked up my Carrera cab three weeks ago and couldn't be happier. The Z06 is one hell of a performance value and I sure would like to have the chance to run the C6Z06 through its paces (although I think I would rather have a chance at the 997TT). As you start to add mods, and you will, you will notice that the price is a definite step up from what it probably was to add to your Z06 (not fair). Don't let that discourage you. There is lots of good information here and the members of this forum were essential to helping me learn everything that I needed both before and after my purchase. My rennlist membership was preceded only by my clear sidemarkers. Good luck and enjoy. Sorry my comment had nothing to do with your question. I'll try to be more helpful in the future.

Jim... Do you have a DIY on the switches? You've mentioned this before and I'm interested. It sounds fairly easy and it would certainly make sense to do something like this.

yes please...i made a fan for my oil cooler and a switch for my 930 turbo years ago. it really helps.

Radiator Fan and Engine Compartment Fan Switch Mod The 3.4 996 runs extremely hot when driving around town in temperatures higher than 75 degrees. This mod is a way to reduce coolant temps back to a safer level, helping to reduce oil temps and improving performance. The mod consists of installing a switch that will allow you to turn on the high speed radiator fans at any time, while maintaining the automatic operation of the fans. We do the same for the engine compartment fan. Radiator Fans Connect a wire to the ground of the 2 high speed fan relays on the relay carrier located in the driver�s side foot well. The relays are #20 and #22. Feed this wire to where your switch will be located. Connect the wire to one side of the switch. Connect another wire from the other contact on the switch and then connect the other end of this wire to a chassis ground point. With key on, this switch will now immediately turn on both radiator fans providing maximum cooling. When you turn the key off, the fans will continue to run for about 5 seconds until the relay shuts down. Your fan operation remains normal when the switch is off. Engine Compartment Fan Connect a wire to the ground of the relay located in the relay carrier behind the driver�s seat. Relay #8. . Feed this wire to where your switch will be located. I simply fed the wire along the driver�s side of the car and under the door sill. Connect the wire to one side of the switch. Connect another wire from the other contact on the switch and connect the other end of this wire to a chassis ground point. With key on, this switch will now immediately turn on the fan drawing air into the engine compartment. When you turn the key off, the fan will continue to run for about 5 seconds until the relay shuts down. Your fan operation remains normal when the switch is off. This mod helps keep the engine compartment much cooler when driving around town and is particularly beneficial to any engine that draws its intake air from inside the engine compartment, such as the EVO SC. If you are adventurous, you can automate the operation of these switches so they will switch off at a specific speed, or operate when vacuum is present only, etc. You can choose any style switch you want and even use Porsche switches. I simply used 2 simply toggle switches that I installed in the batwing, Jim

How do you know which one of the four pins on the relay is the ground? I think #22 is the bottom one all the way to the right and #20 is two over from that, am I correct?

Yes, those are the 2 high speed relays. Mine in the bottom contact. Test it by slipping one end of the wire in the female slot and then the other end to ground. (like the door hinge) With the key on, the fan controlled by that relay will turn on.

Ok, got those two figuered out, and need to find a couple small switches before doing the install, but I am unclear on the one you said is behind the driver seat. I don't see any relay behind the driver seat. Is it behind the rear seat? Might be different in a cab than a coupe, also. Any ideas?

My 2003 996 is always to the right of the 180. Never seems to move. Is this too high, should I go to the dealer and complain? The engine was replaced this year. TIA Neil

In the coupe (and I assume Cab) lift the carpet behind the rear driver's side seat and you will see where the relays are.

Neil, your gauge is indicating that your coolant temp is above 215F. It is not that it is bad for the engine in normal driving; although Porsche specs the design to keep the engine below 200F. If driven hard (which is the only way I drive), not only will your temps start climbing more, but your ignition timing will be retarded more than necessary as the temperature rises, greatly reducing performance. The higher the engine temperature, the higher the intake temperature, regardless of where the intake air is coming from. This also reduces performance. Pushing an engine hard when engine temps (including oil temp) is high, increases the risk of wear of bearings and guides. This mod reduces your engine temp down to below 200F which is a safer temperature. Your oil and intake temperature falls accordingly.

Even when I push the engine the temp moves up only a little.

great tips! do you have the third radiator? has it helped keep the temps low. i have one and my car still reads to the left of the 0. hmmm..... i thought after being installed the engine would stay to the left of the 8. does the extra power draw, from having the fans constantly blowing, affect performance?