97 cooling mods

[reelmin]

Can anyone tell me if all the 1997 cooling mods will bolt right onto my Suburban 2500 2wd w/ rear AC without any mods?

Thanks, John

[rustypig]

Yes and no... how's that for an answer..ha ha.

The only "mods" you'd have to do is bend the line from the heater core that goes back into the new water cross over, and possibly need to sligtly move a couple of the fuel return lines a hair. These are VERY easy to do. Other than that it's a a straight bolt up operation.

You'd need a new upper and lower cross over, upper radiator hose, the 130 gpm water pump and new T-stats (preferably Robert Shaw brand).

I'd also recommend having the radiator rodded out while your doing the job. You could also go to a 97+ year fan clutch and get the new composit 9 blade DMAX fan. With the DMAX fan you will probably have to trim the radiator shroud opening a little, but not too much.

If your worried about heat, no other mod will kill high temps like this mod.

You do have to remove the engine front cover to get the rear bolts out of the water pump, so if your thinking of other mods like phazer gears or new timing chain & gears it would save some down time to do it all at once.

[rjschoolcraft]

rustypig:

Did you have to grind any off of the alternator mount bracket? I did on my 95 to make clearance for the new cross over.

I would recommend the Kennedy recalibrated fan clutch rather than a late model OEM unit. I'm using a 20" steel (late model) fan that required no modification of the shroud. If MP can recover the lost posts, I discussed this back in June. My engine overheated badly with the high flow pump and dual thermostats...until I installed the clutch and fan.

[tanker]

All of the above plus you may wish to get rid of the coolant line (steel pipe) and install a brass heater hose barb straight fitting in the new crossover manifold. The GM slip in fitting is a major source of leaks. Parker makes the hose barb, which is available at most auto supply stores or a HD truck parts dept.
Yes on the 94-95 models you will need to gring some excess material away on the alternator bracket. It does work and is well worth the costs if you tow. smile.gif

[rustypig]

Doah....yup, had to grind the alt bracked a bit as well..completely forgot about that one.

Ronniejoe: I've heard nothing but great things about JK's fan clutch. It costs a pretty penny though. I opted for the DMAX fan and 97+ fan clutch because of several reasons. First and foremost is price. There is a huge price difference between an 94/95 or a 97+ year fan clutch. I paid $49 for the 97+ fan clutch and another $40 for the DMAX fan.
I also wanted the DMAX fan because it is composite (read lighter), has nine blades, and is a 21" fan. By all accounts it moves more air than any previous GM fan available.

I'd venture to say your previous fan clutch was suspect if you were still overheating after doing the cooling mods.

The bottom line is we need lots and lots of air to keep temps in check. I believe that the stock cooling system has a very marginal reserve capacity and things like high tranny temps, ambient temps, bug plugged coolers, evaporators and radiators, plus high underhood temps all tax this system to it's heat soak limit.

The cooling mods do help with keeping the overall system cooler, but I did it mostly to get the additional coolant flow through the heads. New fan clutches/JK clutch and DMAX fan etc...are what really keep the system temps in check.

[reelmin]

Thank you for the replies. I got a little conflicting info from a local shop...He thought that the 97 dual thermostat crossover might not clear the AC compressor. I feel a lot more comfortable with your guys input.

Thanks again, John