Radiator/Fans

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

We installed a Koyo 55mm radiator into a 2002 last week. It was running just fine with the stock radiator before we did it. No overheating, no ping. However, we knew it wouldn't stay fine if pushed on a hot day. Then we went for a long ride Wednesday to ring it out. Rainy and overcast it was just fine. Stopped for lunch in high country (~5000 feet) and then drove back. The sun came out and traffic got to stop and go. It started to overheat. Temps in the 90s.

Well, to make a long story short, we got back up to the shop and cogitated on the problem. When you mount the stock fans on the Koyo 55mm, they sit back from the radiator by 1'2 to 3/4 inch. Huge gap. The observation was made by Curt that we should put a run of weather strip around the shroud and seal that gap. I ran to Ace hardware and got some of the dense foam (Black not the soft grey stuff) and we installed it. Then sat the car in the parking lot with the AC full blast in 100F heat at idle. The temperature actually ran to the cold side of normal. Moral to this story is that, if you have installed an aftermarket radiator, seal the fan shroud to the radiator. Even a small gap, IMHO, is too much of a leak. The difference was absolutely astonishing.

[Serpico]

I agree 100%!!! I did the same thing with my stock radiator and aftermarket fans and have yet to see my coolant temps or oil temps go up above normal w/ the AC running.

Thanks again Tom for spending the weekend with me via phone.

I'll do some more test runs this evening to see how the new fuel maps are working.


Steve

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Steve, Call my cell phone anytime you have a question. Don't hesitate to call.

I know ho9w to get even more fuel out of that injector if we need it.

[Serpico]

Thanks so much Tom!!!!!!

I took my car out for a drive today and I beat the crap out of it and......
NO PINGING!!!!!

I didn't see a cloud of black smoke in the rearview mirror either.... :D

I just a got a tracking number for my 2.5" midpipe and it's supposed to be here Friday. So, once I install it I'll be heading back to the dyno to see how the A/F ratio looks. Hopefully I can turn the Elf down a little and have some room to adjust it for future upgrades.

Thanks again Tom. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you spending that much time talking me through the fuel maps and computer related stuff.

:mrgreen:

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

WooHoo!!!!!

Awesome. Hope it was running relatively smooth as well.

BTW, here is that website to make your computer run better/faster:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/setup/expert/northrup_restoreperf.mspx

"Registry Mechanic" is what I use to fix the registry.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Oh yea, I forgot, bigger pulleys are ONLY $60 and you will need them soon. :)

Seriously, take a look at the SC pulley and crank pulley. Now that it is running OK and has fuel again, it might be time to see if the belt is slipping. I think it probably is. No fun wasting power. ;)

[chuckerants]

Thanks so much Tom!!!!!!

I took my car out for a drive today and I beat the crap out of it and......
NO PINGING!!!!!

I didn't see a cloud of black smoke in the rearview mirror either.... :D

I just a got a tracking number for my 2.5" midpipe and it's supposed to be here Friday. So, once I install it I'll be heading back to the dyno to see how the A/F ratio looks. Hopefully I can turn the Elf down a little and have some room to adjust it for future upgrades.

Thanks again Tom. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you spending that much time talking me through the fuel maps and computer related stuff.

:mrgreen:

Hey! What about me? I helped too didn't I??? :D

BTW, is that the midpipe you ordered from "them" during the last century? :lol:

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Actually you did help, Chuck. I needed a load of fuel so I did a version of your map. We were inching up on it before that and would have taken awhile if I hadn't grabbed your map and used it. That just seemed to be what it needed.

Now all he needs is:

A good exhaust - On it's way.
Proper cut pulleys - Soon, I think.
BTB kit - soon, I think.

And then.........................................Bigge r pulleys. :)

His mantra will soon be like yours. More HP, More HP, More Hp.........

[Serpico]

Thank you too Chuck. :wink:

It's been so long, that I've forgotten when I ordered the midpipe....

I'm limiting myself to one upgrade every other month and I think the next one is going to be a wideband setup. I'm tired of being in the dark when it comes to my A/F ratio.

Then a clutch
Then a BTB

Ok....maybe properly cut pulleys squeezed in there somewhere....

E 8)

[chuckerants]

Now that you have enough fueling, you should be damn close to 200HP.

Once you get back to a dyno, or fiddle with your WBO2, you can start dialing in some more power.

As for your clutch, at this level of power, it won't last very long. :D

Thank you too Chuck. :wink:

It's been so long, that I've forgotten when I ordered the midpipe....

I'm limiting myself to one upgrade every other month and I think the next one is going to be a wideband setup. I'm tired of being in the dark when it comes to my A/F ratio.

Then a clutch
Then a BTB

Ok....maybe properly cut pulleys squeezed in there somewhere....

E 8)

[cmetzner]

Back to the topic of the 37mm radiator -

Did you wedge the foam around all sides of the fans? Including the bottom? Looks like a pain to get it into that space way down there.

I have the same compaint with my Koyo 37mm. When the sc was off the car, the temps always stayed cool with the new radiator.

I reinstalled the sc (doing nothing to the new radiator) and the car runs consistently hotter than NA. The temp gauge (real working type) is almost like an rpm gauge - higher rpm = higher temp. Never did that with the stock radiator and FI'd. Even cruising at freeway speeds, the car runs hotter than with the stock radiator.

Is this a combination of the parasitic drag of the sc and the lack of a good seal around the radiator fans??

[chuckerants]

Chuck,

If your car is running hotter at speed, than it's probably not the radiator. Have you changed the thermostat or flushed the cooling system lately?

On my car with the PWR 37mm rad, it runs at 210F. In traffic, and with the AC on, it'll get as high as 230F. As soon as I speed back up, it'll cool back down to 210F.

This tells me that #1. my OEM fans are crap, and #2, I a need better ducting for the rad/fans in the form of the seals.


Back to the topic of the 37mm radiator -

Did you wedge the foam around all sides of the fans? Including the bottom? Looks like a pain to get it into that space way down there.

I have the same compaint with my Koyo 37mm. When the sc was off the car, the temps always stayed cool with the new radiator.

I reinstalled the sc (doing nothing to the new radiator) and the car runs consistently hotter than NA. The temp gauge (real working type) is almost like an rpm gauge - higher rpm = higher temp. Never did that with the stock radiator and FI'd. Even cruising at freeway speeds, the car runs hotter than with the stock radiator.

Is this a combination of the parasitic drag of the sc and the lack of a good seal around the radiator fans??

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

When you increase HP, you equally increase heat. If the radiator can't keep up, the temps will rise. I was amazed at what $3 worth of weather strip could do to cure that.

[Serpico]

If there are any gaps between the fan shroud and the radiator, then the fans are basically pulling air through the gap and not the radiator. Do yourself a favor a fill any gaps. I put 1-1/2" square grey foam stripping on the sides and top. For the bottom, I got some 3/4" diameter foam tubing and used a 2 foot long wooden dowel rod to press it down in the bottom gap.

I checked it after a couple hundred miles and it still in place.

I can't remember if the OEM fans have a gap and I'm referring to my aftermarket fan shround, which is basically a piece of sheet metal w/ low profile fans mounted to it. The shroud left a 1/2" gap all the way around between it and the radiator.

[cmetzner]

I flushed and changed the thermostat.

What is strange is that without the sc, at cruise, the temps were lower than with the stock radiator.

With the sc and at cruise, temps were up. So, I figured it was the drag of the sc since at cruise, you are not using the sc.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

It only takes 1-2 HP to run the SC in bypass at cruise. That should be negligable to your engine temperature.

[chuckerants]

What temps are you seeing?

I flushed and changed the thermostat.

What is strange is that without the sc, at cruise, the temps were lower than with the stock radiator.

With the sc and at cruise, temps were up. So, I figured it was the drag of the sc since at cruise, you are not using the sc.