For those that have high coolant temps...
07-20-2009, 04:47 PM
#1
Le Mans Master
Thread Starter
For those that have high coolant temps...
In June I was running a typical small lot autocross event and the coolant temps ran almost to redline on my last run; high enough that the DIC chimed and the system blew a lot of coolant overboard.
I run an external oil cooler and the engine oil temps ran into the high 250s, so no problem there. No problems with oil pressure either, and the engine recovered just fine.
Then a couple of weeks ago I ran out at Mineral Wells on a large open course, running 2nd-3rd gear throughout the course. AGAIN my coolant temps headed north in a hurry with the oil temps staying comfortable.
In the past I had tried blowing out the radiator from underneath with marginal success. So, this past weekend I pulled the radiator out of the car to clean it out using air AND water.
It was astonishing. I shook out as much as I could gently tapping the radiator on my concrete floor, then used garden hose pressure water to flush it out from back to front. I swept up the dry stuff and it was about 1.5 inches deep in a 2 gallon bucket. The water came out looking like mud from all the dirt. The amount of muck was amazing.
I won't know how things work until our next autocross in August (the same location as we had in June), but if I see improvement I think it'll be attributed to cleaning this out.
So, for those that think they need an aftermarket radiator to keep things cool, you might try giving your stock rad a GOOD cleaning first.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
I run an external oil cooler and the engine oil temps ran into the high 250s, so no problem there. No problems with oil pressure either, and the engine recovered just fine.
Then a couple of weeks ago I ran out at Mineral Wells on a large open course, running 2nd-3rd gear throughout the course. AGAIN my coolant temps headed north in a hurry with the oil temps staying comfortable.
In the past I had tried blowing out the radiator from underneath with marginal success. So, this past weekend I pulled the radiator out of the car to clean it out using air AND water.
It was astonishing. I shook out as much as I could gently tapping the radiator on my concrete floor, then used garden hose pressure water to flush it out from back to front. I swept up the dry stuff and it was about 1.5 inches deep in a 2 gallon bucket. The water came out looking like mud from all the dirt. The amount of muck was amazing.
I won't know how things work until our next autocross in August (the same location as we had in June), but if I see improvement I think it'll be attributed to cleaning this out.
So, for those that think they need an aftermarket radiator to keep things cool, you might try giving your stock rad a GOOD cleaning first.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
07-20-2009, 05:14 PM
#2
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In June I was running a typical small lot autocross event and the coolant temps ran almost to redline on my last run; high enough that the DIC chimed and the system blew a lot of coolant overboard.
I run an external oil cooler and the engine oil temps ran into the high 250s, so no problem there. No problems with oil pressure either, and the engine recovered just fine.
Then a couple of weeks ago I ran out at Mineral Wells on a large open course, running 2nd-3rd gear throughout the course. AGAIN my coolant temps headed north in a hurry with the oil temps staying comfortable.
In the past I had tried blowing out the radiator from underneath with marginal success. So, this past weekend I pulled the radiator out of the car to clean it out using air AND water.
It was astonishing. I shook out as much as I could gently tapping the radiator on my concrete floor, then used garden hose pressure water to flush it out from back to front. I swept up the dry stuff and it was about 1.5 inches deep in a 2 gallon bucket. The water came out looking like mud from all the dirt. The amount of muck was amazing.
I won't know how things work until our next autocross in August (the same location as we had in June), but if I see improvement I think it'll be attributed to cleaning this out.
So, for those that think they need an aftermarket radiator to keep things cool, you might try giving your stock rad a GOOD cleaning first.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
I run an external oil cooler and the engine oil temps ran into the high 250s, so no problem there. No problems with oil pressure either, and the engine recovered just fine.
Then a couple of weeks ago I ran out at Mineral Wells on a large open course, running 2nd-3rd gear throughout the course. AGAIN my coolant temps headed north in a hurry with the oil temps staying comfortable.
In the past I had tried blowing out the radiator from underneath with marginal success. So, this past weekend I pulled the radiator out of the car to clean it out using air AND water.
It was astonishing. I shook out as much as I could gently tapping the radiator on my concrete floor, then used garden hose pressure water to flush it out from back to front. I swept up the dry stuff and it was about 1.5 inches deep in a 2 gallon bucket. The water came out looking like mud from all the dirt. The amount of muck was amazing.
I won't know how things work until our next autocross in August (the same location as we had in June), but if I see improvement I think it'll be attributed to cleaning this out.
So, for those that think they need an aftermarket radiator to keep things cool, you might try giving your stock rad a GOOD cleaning first.
HTH, and have a good one,
Mike
Good point and great idea. I'm gonna do that!!
Thanks
07-20-2009, 05:17 PM
#3
Race Director
I spray mine a few times a year and use a bristle brush to remove the stuck on bugs. But mine only gets to 190° so maybe it's a waste of my time. 
07-20-2009, 09:02 PM
#4
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I was just about to make the same thread. Mine was staying @ 220 and would go higher in traffic, to the point that I would have to turn the a/c off in stop and go.
I took off the intake, masked off the throttle body, and just used my garden house on "Jet" (don't use a pressure washer since you could bend the fins). I went row by row probably 10 times and pulled out at least a few cups worth of dirt alone, not including the leaves/twigs/bird feathers. Car stays dead on @ 198 95% of the time now, even with the a/c blasting in 100+ TX summer.
I took off the intake, masked off the throttle body, and just used my garden house on "Jet" (don't use a pressure washer since you could bend the fins). I went row by row probably 10 times and pulled out at least a few cups worth of dirt alone, not including the leaves/twigs/bird feathers. Car stays dead on @ 198 95% of the time now, even with the a/c blasting in 100+ TX summer.
07-20-2009, 09:10 PM
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You can't really clean the A/C condenser or the radiator without removing the radiator. If you try to blow air or water from behind the radiator the radiator fins basically disrupt the air or water flow and prevent it from doing any good cleaning out the A/C condenser. If you try it from the front of the A/C condenser all you are doing is forcing the dirt further into the unit. With the radiator out you can drop it face down on the floor and get a lot of dirt out and then flush the fins from behind. You can check to see how well you have cleaned it as well. I found I needed a pick to clean the A/C condenser fins as a lot of the dirt was lodged into the fins and all the water did was make the dirt wet.
Bill
Bill
