I have my 05 less then 3 weeks and I alredy want to modify it. Was bummed with some problems that it seems are inherent to this truck .But after going on a 400 mile top down trip this weekend , I'm happy with the SSR. Can the thermostat be replaced with a 160deg or 180deg ? Does the ECM or the temp sensor located in the head control the cooling fan on ? Will any of the flash programers available alter cooling fan on and run time ? Who is this "Mike " and where can I buy one of his auxillary fans ? Is it a pusher fan mounted in front of the radiator ? Lastly , is K+N the only air intake available or does anyone make a cold air intake system ?
Thanks .
Last edited by KRUSSR; 08-06-2006 at 08:38 PM.
Reason: spelling
My SSR: 2006 Blue over Primer'd Bondo 6spd #23424 slapped together 2/22/06
Hi there...
You need to spend a lot of time searching these forums. Everything you've asked has been answered numerous times...
Regarding the thermostat, lowest recommended would be 195. Yours, depending on when it was actually produced (being a 2005) can either already have the 195 or the 210, which later 2005's and 2006's have. 210 doesn't harm the engine, but running a 195 while actually depending on the engine (with the heat soak qualities of the underhood design) to actually RUN at 195 is a long shot.
ECM controls the fan to come on...its pretty complicated. Do a search. The coolant temperature sensor sends this info to the ECM, not the IAT. BTW...I'm currently researching whether doing an IAT mod (like on F-bodies/LS1's) will "fool" the PCM into thinking the IAT isn't so hot, therefore keeping if from retarding timing due to intense underhood temps.
The flash programmers and programming software will allow you to set fan characterisitics. But, be forewarned...any increased USE of the fan will just kill it quicker. And, you're likely to not even budge the 210 temperature gauge reading, regardless if the fan runs constantly at high speed.
Search for "Mike in Az". He's one of the nicest and most helpful members here. He sells the pusher fan to mount in front of the radiator. Looks, fits, and runs like a stock piece. Amazing insurance. I set up to buy one a couple weeks before I even bought my truck.
The stock airbox is about as much "cold air intake" as you're going to get, give or take a few degrees. The K&N unit has too big a hole around the throttle body to be effective; its probably actually detrimental compared to stock. A couple members here have fabricated their own superior designs. A drop-in K&N's benefit is negligible, except for being able to clean it.
My SSR: 2006 Blue over Primer'd Bondo 6spd #23424 slapped together 2/22/06
No, that's not a stupid question...
The fact is, I don't know! There is a long post called "build on date" but it was never clear to me how it was determined the exact date a car was built, as a lot of people posted messages about trying to guess theirs based on production numbers.
I found out mine by asking someone directly at GM who at the time was trying to find out the availability of aftermarket blue running boards. I'm not sure where she got the information, but she spit it right out with my VIN.
This may sound stupid, but how do you determine build date?
Just post your VIN # here and a supporting member with all that info will answer it for you.
Welcome to this web site as you'll gather tons of useful information and SSR related activies.
Search for "Mike in Az". He's one of the nicest and most helpful members here. He sells the pusher fan to mount in front of the radiator. Looks, fits, and runs like a stock piece. Amazing insurance. I set up to buy one a couple weeks before I even bought my truck.
I guess I need to re-look at the pictures. I thought his fan was a replacement puller. I played this electric fan game for years in trying to keep the temps down on my V8 S10. When I moved from NC to Las Vegas I knew I had to do something since the two 10" pushers I had in NC were adequate in the summer but I still had to keep and eye one it. I've found that pushers by themselves are not efficient for cooling the radiator especially if your running A/C. I'm now running one 18" Spahl (from BeCool) puller and it works fine even here in the summer in Vegas. The only reason I still use my 10" pushers is when I have the AC on. The 18" at low speeds does not draw enough air across the condenser and the pressure get up there. When I'm on the road doing 55 MPH at 110 OAT I can cut all the fans off and still be below 210 and have cold air. Compared to what my C5 see's 210 is cool.
Are SSR owners using the pusher as a replacement for the burned out puller or are they supplementing the puller? The 05 loaner the dealer gave me last week had much different coolant temp characteristics than the 06 I temporarily had. When under way the 05 would run just below 210. If I got out of the car for a few minutes and started it up it was well above 210 (halfway to the next mark) and would take forever to come down. I never saw the 06 above 210. I suspect the cooling fan wasn't coming on as advertised on the 05.
Once I get my truck I'll have to bone up on this issue. I do know there are plenty of good aftermarket fans out there. Instead of adding a pusher I would just assume gett a better (higher CFM) puller.
My SSR: 2004 Redline-#11446-1 of 43 Calif. Speedway Parade Lap Trucks 9/05/04 (#48 Jimmie Johnson)
Mike Makes.....
two fan's now. 1st is the Aux Fan a pusher fan that installs in the front part of the a/c condenser right above the air dam comes on with your preferred adjustment setting and also goes on and off after shut down helps cool things off when parked. 2 nd fan replaces the OEM fan that is going out this is a puller fan with a shroud. Both fans get a two up.....
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Last edited by crazyrtr53; 08-06-2006 at 10:43 PM.
My SSR: 2006 Blue over Primer'd Bondo 6spd #23424 slapped together 2/22/06
There are a LOT of threads here about the fans and cooling characteristics of the SSR. So many, in fact, that there's not much point in second guessing what's been researched.
Once you actually go through what Mike has researched and fabricated, you will find answers to all your concerns. Mike also has a replacement main fan which has saved countless members here (since the factory ones are pretty much non-existant...and don't believe GM if they blame it on a supplier problem, its the same fan as the VW Beetle fan, and they have NO supply issues). JimG also has a new dual Spal fan kit on the way. Both of these guys are extremely knowledgable about what they are doing.
Any fan above 55mph is superfluous; its not really doing anything. Mike's pusher fan supplements the standard cooling fan. It isn't meant to replace it; although it has saved a couple people when their main fan went to fan-heaven. Best feature about it (for me) is that when I'm towing up a 15% incline at 25mph following a motorhome, I can set the thermostat on Mike's fan to come on as early as I want to keep the initial temperature spikes down.
Once you pull your airbox off and actually LOOK at the radiator, your first reaction will be, "What the *!!*!!! There is NO WAY that can cool ANYTHING!!!!" When you first see it, you'll understand the cooling concerns of the SSR. That, combined with the fact that most of them are mounted in with zip-tie wraps...
A 160 thermostat works fine in the SSR. No perfromance loss, no mpg loss nothing but an SSR that will stay below the 2 in the number 210 on the gauge. This is in GA temps of 100 degrees and 90% humidity in traffic. I have had one in both of the my SSR'S, new corvette, wifes car and the Turbo Buick..
My SSR: 2006 Blue over Primer'd Bondo 6spd #23424 slapped together 2/22/06
Wow Boosted I'm surprised...
One of the negatives (usually, maybe not in your case) with using a low temperature thermostat in a vehicle that has difficulty running cool by its design, is that the temperature is nearly always above the thermostat's set point. What this creates is constant coolant flow; basically the same as completely running no thermostat. What a lot of people don't realize about higher temperature thermostats is the actual benefit of the thermostat closing, leaving the coolant in the radiator for a longer period of time, which in fact cools it much better than if the coolant was running continuously. Then, the thermostat opens, and nice cool coolant is flushed through the engine, helping it operate at a more stable temperature. If the coolant constantly runs through the radiator without a portion of it "stopping" there to cool off, a situation for a hotter engine actually develops...especially on a vehicle such as the SSR which runs so hot by design. A lot of people who remove the thermostat on older vehicles thinking it will run cooler never realize this fact...a higher temperature thermostat actually helps your engine run cooler because the coolant sits in the radiator a little longer to be more effectively cooled by air; PROVIDED the engine naturally runs slightly "hot". A theoretically "normal" engine would defintely run cooler the lower the thermostat used (to a point, of course).
But, if your SSR runs fine with the 160 degree thermostat, then this is another area to research...I'd like to make mine run cooler than it does.
I have also run a 160* in my 04 most the time that I have had it, I took it out after reading here, Started thinking it wasn't running as good but after leaving it out for a while I found out it was in my head, I run a 160* in my Buick GN and every other race car I have had, I run 170 to 185 in the hotest weather
Unless you reprogramed your PCM for the new thermostate temp, you actually may be losing MPG and Performance and not know it. The PCM has a set value for what it considers normal operating temp. If you have not reprogrammed the pcm it will think the engine is not hitting the normal operating temp and continue to run in a kind of "Start Up Mode".
I plan to put a lower thermostat in, but I havent had a chance to connect my laptop to the SSR yet. I want to take a look at the current values and decide what temp to put in.
ggoat: I'm reading with interest your comments regarding cooling, etc. Do I understand that Mike's pusher fan is installed right over the original production fan??? I was snooping around under the hood over the weekend and I saw those wire tie's which GM used to hold the fan. Not very impressed with my company. I'm GM retire! I also visited my dealer and ask them to order me a new fan and have on hand. They won't do it until mine fails. When that happens you know the story! Scheide
My SSR: 2006 Blue over Primer'd Bondo 6spd #23424 slapped together 2/22/06
Hi Scheide...
Mike's fan installs in front of the radiator crossmember, directly in front of the A/C condenser. It bolts to holes that are already there, and comes with plug-in factory style wiring. No mods, drilling, or cutting are required. I HIGHLY recommend it. Mike's also one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
The Aux Fan goes in front of the condenser and operates as a pusher. There is over an inch of space between the condenser and the radiator and no interaction between the two fans. The Aux fan is pretty much an independent device that has its own thermostat for turn-on.
Instructions can be found on the web site my son has created for me. There is a system schematic on the last couple pages. Here's the link:
obd2 comes out of loop around 125 degree's. So the pcm is reading all sensors then and making adjustments accordingly. No reprogramming required for the t-stat..
thanks boosted I was unaware OBD2 was set to 125 across the board, I thought each vehicle was different. Im gonna do 160 myself then and drop the fan turn on temps. It just gets way to hot down her in Florida!
I appreciate all the good info. Mike contacted me today, very knowledgeable and nice guy. I ordered one of his aux fans ,it seems to be the same design GM had on the L98 C4 corvettes.
The fact is, I don't know! There is a long post called "build on date" but it was never clear to me how it was determined the exact date a car was built, as a lot of people posted messages about trying to guess theirs based on production numbers.
I found out mine by asking someone directly at GM who at the time was trying to find out the availability of aftermarket blue running boards. I'm not sure where she got the information, but she spit it right out with my VIN.
Respectfully,
Jeff
Last edited by Ominous Beast; 08-13-2006 at 11:02 AM.
I have had the over heat issue since the first week I had my 04. I have had it in three times for overheat. I wonder what part of "the fan is not coming on" don't they understand?! They mess around with the computer and get the fan running just enough to get it out of their hair again. I feel for you guys. I thought I was the only one with the problem. Glad I found this site, glad you guys are so helpful...The only stupid question is the one that is not asked...
I am going to Mike's site now!!!
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180 deg. thermostat ?
Mike Makes.....
up.....
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