JohnnyTurbo
07-30-2011, 03:08 PM
Posting on here for those who don't "go over there". ;)
What I am dealing with:
My temps are always at 90°C MINIMUM during the day if cruising at speed down the highway. Go into city traffic and it will start running at 100°C to 105°C and if I get caught at a long light it will go to 110 to 115°C. If I stay in the city, it will go down around 100°C if I keep moving and then back down to 90°C when back on the freeway. At night when the temps are cooler, it is not as bad and will actually run around 85°C on the freeway. With the hot ambient temps of the last few weeks, I have been caught in traffic where I was at 115°C for extended periods of time until I could get out to the open road.
What I have:
99 front bumper, 3.1L, ported heads, yada, yada. TD04 15Gs, no heat wrapping anywhere. GTPro FMIC w/polished hard piping, 3SX dual pass radiator w/dual flex-a-lite pullers, A/C condenser w/dual Flex-a-lite pushers. AEM EMS controls the engine. Radiator to fans is totally sealed and foam seal is between the radiator and the core support. A/C condenser is sealed at edges also so incoming air cannot blow out the sides, it must go through the condenser and through the radiator to the puller fans. I have a big FMIC and it's footprint totally covers the radiator opening, but there is a gap between it and the A/C condenser. I also sealed off the opening around the hood latch with heavy, flexible plastic to prevent air from blowing out that opening before going through the Radiator.
I have a few Q's about things I've read in my search results.
Burping the system to get rid of a big air bubble.- I've heard of this before, but never had to actually do it. What I've done is pour in the antifreeze solution until it hits the neck, pinch the upper hose a few times, refill and repeat until the fluid will not suck down anymore. It this correct?
Engine was new around '05 and there is not a ton of miles on the water pump and the coolant looks good. I pulled the T-stat which was marked at 68°C (155°F) and put in a Stant 180°F, which Advanced Auto had listed as an optional choice. Temps would still climb up, but it seems to cool down faster than before at speed. If I leaned on the throttle and did some high speed bursts, the temp would climb instantly to around 105°C and go back down to 90°C when I resumed cruising. Last night's drive was from 10 to 11 pm and it was around 70°F with med-high humidity.
The cooling system was as is when I bought the car so I can only assume that the dual pushers were needed on the A/C condenser. A fact I came to by turning on the A/C during a highway trip running 90°C and watched the temp climb as soon as the A/C started working and shut of the Air when the temp hit 110°C. It then went back down to 90°C with the A/C off.
Given the shrouding on the A/C pushers, could that be enough of a blockage to cause the rad temps to run so high given what the system is and what all I have done to promote airflow going through, not blowing out and around the cores?
What I am dealing with:
My temps are always at 90°C MINIMUM during the day if cruising at speed down the highway. Go into city traffic and it will start running at 100°C to 105°C and if I get caught at a long light it will go to 110 to 115°C. If I stay in the city, it will go down around 100°C if I keep moving and then back down to 90°C when back on the freeway. At night when the temps are cooler, it is not as bad and will actually run around 85°C on the freeway. With the hot ambient temps of the last few weeks, I have been caught in traffic where I was at 115°C for extended periods of time until I could get out to the open road.
What I have:
99 front bumper, 3.1L, ported heads, yada, yada. TD04 15Gs, no heat wrapping anywhere. GTPro FMIC w/polished hard piping, 3SX dual pass radiator w/dual flex-a-lite pullers, A/C condenser w/dual Flex-a-lite pushers. AEM EMS controls the engine. Radiator to fans is totally sealed and foam seal is between the radiator and the core support. A/C condenser is sealed at edges also so incoming air cannot blow out the sides, it must go through the condenser and through the radiator to the puller fans. I have a big FMIC and it's footprint totally covers the radiator opening, but there is a gap between it and the A/C condenser. I also sealed off the opening around the hood latch with heavy, flexible plastic to prevent air from blowing out that opening before going through the Radiator.
I have a few Q's about things I've read in my search results.
Burping the system to get rid of a big air bubble.- I've heard of this before, but never had to actually do it. What I've done is pour in the antifreeze solution until it hits the neck, pinch the upper hose a few times, refill and repeat until the fluid will not suck down anymore. It this correct?
Engine was new around '05 and there is not a ton of miles on the water pump and the coolant looks good. I pulled the T-stat which was marked at 68°C (155°F) and put in a Stant 180°F, which Advanced Auto had listed as an optional choice. Temps would still climb up, but it seems to cool down faster than before at speed. If I leaned on the throttle and did some high speed bursts, the temp would climb instantly to around 105°C and go back down to 90°C when I resumed cruising. Last night's drive was from 10 to 11 pm and it was around 70°F with med-high humidity.
The cooling system was as is when I bought the car so I can only assume that the dual pushers were needed on the A/C condenser. A fact I came to by turning on the A/C during a highway trip running 90°C and watched the temp climb as soon as the A/C started working and shut of the Air when the temp hit 110°C. It then went back down to 90°C with the A/C off.
Given the shrouding on the A/C pushers, could that be enough of a blockage to cause the rad temps to run so high given what the system is and what all I have done to promote airflow going through, not blowing out and around the cores?