Ron Hickey
Enthusiast
Relax. Vipers run hot. Unless the needle is well past the 3/4 mark, approaching the red, it's not overheating. On the highway, at cruising speeds, my 97 GTS ran right at the center of the three center marks on the gauge. In really hot weather, maybe a bit to the right. If it was in traffic, the temperature would creep up halfway to the 3/4 mark, then the fan would come on and the needle would move back toward the center. I can't ever recall the needle passing the 3/4 mark. Replacing the stock 97 with the upgraded 98-99 fan did help.
My 2001 GTS seems to run hotter. With the stock radiator, the needle ran most of the time at or just right of the rightmost center tick mark. In traffic, it would creep up to the 3/4 mark, when the fans come on and the needle would move back toward the center. Even on-track at Viper Days the temperature never went past 3/4.
If your car is exhibiting the same behavior, I wouldn't worry about it. We've hooked up a laptop running diagnostic software to the OBD2 connector, and I can tell you the gauge is very inconsistent. I've noticed a difference of nearly 10 degrees (from the coolant temperature on the computer) at the same position on the gauge.
I had the stock radiator on the 2001 replaced with a Fluidyne radiator and a 160 degree thermostat. At cruising speed in 6th gear, even on a 90-degree day, the needle runs to the left of the leftmost center mark. The computer reports coolant temperatures as low as 172 degrees. But when I get in traffic, the needle creeps right up to the 3/4 mark, the fans kick in, and the needle moves back to right of center. I tried replacing the stock fan with a pair of higher capacity aftermarket ones; in traffic, they did not work as well as the stock fan -- the needle would creep up to 3/4 and stay there, even after the fans kicked on. So we put the stock fan back on.
With the A/C off, if you're moving at speed, and you're in 4th or 5th gear, the needle should be somewhere near the 3 center marks. If you shift to 6th gear, the needle should be close to center.
My 2001 GTS seems to run hotter. With the stock radiator, the needle ran most of the time at or just right of the rightmost center tick mark. In traffic, it would creep up to the 3/4 mark, when the fans come on and the needle would move back toward the center. Even on-track at Viper Days the temperature never went past 3/4.
If your car is exhibiting the same behavior, I wouldn't worry about it. We've hooked up a laptop running diagnostic software to the OBD2 connector, and I can tell you the gauge is very inconsistent. I've noticed a difference of nearly 10 degrees (from the coolant temperature on the computer) at the same position on the gauge.
I had the stock radiator on the 2001 replaced with a Fluidyne radiator and a 160 degree thermostat. At cruising speed in 6th gear, even on a 90-degree day, the needle runs to the left of the leftmost center mark. The computer reports coolant temperatures as low as 172 degrees. But when I get in traffic, the needle creeps right up to the 3/4 mark, the fans kick in, and the needle moves back to right of center. I tried replacing the stock fan with a pair of higher capacity aftermarket ones; in traffic, they did not work as well as the stock fan -- the needle would creep up to 3/4 and stay there, even after the fans kicked on. So we put the stock fan back on.
With the A/C off, if you're moving at speed, and you're in 4th or 5th gear, the needle should be somewhere near the 3 center marks. If you shift to 6th gear, the needle should be close to center.
