Running temp past 210 mid mark

JimmyBar · April 11, 2021

2018 Chevy Silverado sometimes goes above the 210 temp mark for a bit. It does

come back down, but I’ve never had a Chevy go over 210.

TheLawnGuy · April 11, 2021

I can't help because my 2019 1500LD has started doing the same thing everytime I pull my little 5x8 utility trailer with my zero turn on it. Bought it last year and drove all summer pulling it and it never went above 210, about 2 months ago it constantly goes up to the line after 210 then drops back down anytime the trailer is hooked up. I even pulled the trailer empty and it still does it. I was thinking maybe it's like a warning letting you know the thermostat or something is starting to fail but honestly I have no idea because this is the first vehicle I've had that wasn't already 15 years old . I mainly replied because I'm new to forums and have no idea how to find what I'm looking for lol so I wanted to be able see everyone's thoughts on it. Mileage when bought 21k, Mileage now 44k.

truckguy82 · April 11, 2021

Mine always did it during a wide open throttle pull.

i just came to the consensus that the water is doing a better job at absorbing the heat from the motor, as if they made chsnges to the coolant passages to be more effective.

i mean we all know the motor gets hotter when you stomp on the gas. If the gauge told you it stayed the same temp, I’d say that’s worse than it increasing and then going back down.

Earl Cordova · April 11, 2021

The last time I had that kind of problem the front of the radiator was covered with dead bugs.

CamGTP · April 12, 2021

It's normal. With a stock thermostat the temps will range from 207-220 on the regular.

I've seen mine hit 230 on long full throttle pulls in the summer with my HP Tuners. Doesn't bother me at all.

TheLawnGuy · April 12, 2021

4 minutes ago, CamGTP said:

It's normal. With a stock thermostat the temps will range from 207-220 on the regular.

I've seen mine hit 230 on long full throttle pulls in the summer with my HP Tuners. Doesn't bother me at all.

So I'm curious what would be the cause of that if I'm not dogging the truck but pulling a 600lb trailer at 55mph? My temp rises to the line after 210. Seems like a v8 shouldn't be hitting that temp with an empty trailer and barely even hitting hwy speed

Edited April 12, 2021 by TheLawnGuy
Forgot a thought

CamGTP · April 12, 2021

That's just how the stock thermostat operates. The stock unit starts to open at 207 degrees.

I don't even have to be pulling a trailer or doing anything weird and I've seen mine do the same thing. The hotter the engine is the more efficient it is, pretty much all of the modern cars within the last 5-10 years all run at 200+ degrees.

The dash clusters on these trucks are more responsive than the older trucks too from what I've noticed and the 2019+ T1 trucks are even more responsive to what is actually happening. The 2007-2013 body style trucks would say 210 on the dash but the real temps where 195ish because they had a 192 degrees thermostat.

Edited April 12, 2021 by CamGTP

TheLawnGuy · April 12, 2021

10 minutes ago, CamGTP said:

That's just how the stock thermostat operates. The stock unit starts to open at 207 degrees.

I don't even have to be pulling a trailer or doing anything weird and I've seen mine do the same thing. The hotter the engine is the more efficient it is, pretty much all of the modern cars within the last 5-10 years all run at 200+ degrees.

The dash clusters on these trucks are more responsive than the older trucks too from what I've noticed and the 2019+ T1 trucks are even more responsive to what is actually happening. The 2007-2013 body style trucks would say 210 on the dash but the real temps where 195ish because they had a 192 degrees thermostat

If it was doing when I first purchased it I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it, just seems odd I've pulled the trailer for over a year and put over 20k miles on the truck and the temperature just now started rising within the last 1000 miles. I guess I should add that I run a lawncare business so it's always is pulling a trailer.

Edited April 12, 2021 by TheLawnGuy
Forgot a thought

MikeBMW · April 12, 2021

I dunno, change the thermostat and see what happens?

TheLawnGuy · April 12, 2021

4 minutes ago, MikeBMW said:

I dunno, change the thermostat and see what happens?

I will because it seems to be the easiest piece to replace with the least amount of coolant loss. It'll probably this weekend before I can do it unless it completely fails. I'll update here when I change it and if it fixes it.

pokismoki · April 12, 2021

try removing thermostat and drill a 1/8" hole for bypass, run it and see where it stabalizes, add another hole if you like lower temp

rlcole321 · April 14, 2021

Yes, as CamGTP said, it is a 212 degree (average) Tstat, unless you are a performance geek (installing a lower temp Tstat for power gains), that is the correct temp range for the Truck. The motor is designed for that.

Grumpy Bear · April 14, 2021

It's designed toward a goal. Longevity is not a priority. I believe the word used was 'efficiency'. Let's see if I can find that....

On 4/11/2021 at 9:27 PM, CamGTP said:

The hotter the engine is the more efficient it is

Hotter is indeed more efficient, to a point. More compression is more efficient, to a point. Leaner mixtures are more efficient, to a point. Every one of these has a 'point of diminishing returns' that OEM's have long since past. These motors are not 'designed' to run this hot as if they received some special materials or operations that pushed the limit further away. They were designed to chase an impossible goal they can never reach. It IS NOT OKAY...it is what it is.

newdude · April 14, 2021

1 hour ago, Grumpy Bear said:

It's designed toward a goal. Longevity is not a priority. I believe the word used was 'efficiency'. Let's see if I can find that....

Hotter is indeed more efficient, to a point. More compression is more efficient, to a point. Leaner mixtures are more efficient, to a point. Every one of these has a 'point of diminishing returns' that OEM's have long since past. These motors are not 'designed' to run this hot as if they received some special materials or operations that pushed the limit further away. They were designed to chase an impossible goal they can never reach. It IS NOT OKAY...it is what it is.

All that heat and what do they use on 1/2 of their cooling systems? Plastics. Plastic thermostat housings, plastic water outlets. If plastics are a proven should not use on a cooling system, look no further than the 2011-2016 first gen Cruze and anything else that uses the 1.4 and 1.8 Ecotec (Trax, Encore, Sonic). Nothing but failures with water outlets and thermostat housings warping and failing.

Almost as if they never learned from the coolant tubes on the 3800 that used to crap out all the time. Lots of aluminum replacements on the market for those.

Edited April 14, 2021 by newdude

Grumpy Bear · April 14, 2021

1 hour ago, newdude said:

All that heat and what do they use on 1/2 of their cooling systems? Plastics. Plastic thermostat housings, plastic water outlets. If plastics are a proven should not use on a cooling system, look no further than the 2011-2016 first gen Cruze and anything else that uses the 1.4 and 1.8 Ecotec (Trax, Encore, Sonic). Nothing but failures with water outlets and thermostat housings warping and failing.

Almost as if they never learned from the coolant tubes on the 3800 that used to crap out all the time. Lots of aluminum replacements on the market for those.

I got a guy in another thread claiming water temperature has nothing to do with oil temperature. No correlation he says! Needs an introduction to a Stribeck Curve and really study the axis requirements. GM/other run them this hot to heat the oil, thinning it, reducing the viscosity or effort it takes to shear it. Not only does it have an effect, it IS the point. It is the same reason every few years we get lighter and lighter grade oils. They call it efficient. I call it Molly Hatchet.

Flirtin With Disaster!

Hotter temperatures, thinner rings and higher gas loading. All spell film rupture and total reliance on EP/AW additives which under such loads and heat deplete rather rapidly while at the same time the OEM's and EPA push for longer and longer OCI's and shorter and shorter warranty periods with larger loopholes. Lord man.

Oil and Industry have an easy task. Convince people that this is harmless and even beneficial. Easy to do. They have their minds unplugged. Part of the current culture. Say it's true and, Voilia. Hey, we just canceled Stribeck, Watt, Newton and a dozen others with a single 'It ain't so'. All the sudden base oil chemistry doesn't matter because additive chemistry is all that matters. BOOM!! 16W oil and they are not done yet.