I'm checking out new radiators...surprisingly, mine is working a little better now, but I still broke my stock bastard so I'm looking for a new one.

I need help, nobody will give me a solid answer on a difference.

www.radiatorbarn.com has OEM replacement radiators, all metal, no plastic ends for $136 shipped. They say it is a heavy duty version of the stock radiator. (on a side note, they have a race radiator, but only for the 2.4L motor . . . odd)

Fluidyne, I can find for $375 pickup (local) or $350 shipped from RRE without talking to anybody for negotiations on price.

Someone, please tell me, what is the advantage of the Fluidyne? It has a higher capacity for antifreeze, but they are both aluminum radiators, and the radiator barn one is not as deep, as I understand and will fit bigger fans behind it.

I read only the thin spal fans will fit behind the fluidyne radiator, which have far less air flow than the fatter spal fans.

Little advice please! Thanks!

Jesus Christ just get the goddamn Fluidyne.

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs
Jesus Christ just get the goddamn Fluidyne.

You know, it's not like I'm working with an unlimited budget here, I'm barely able to pay for the stock radiator replacement right now, let alone another $200 for a "better" radiator, that nobody can tell me why it is better.

Originally posted by FlyinEsi

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs Jesus Christ just get the goddamn Fluidyne.

You know, it's not like I'm working with an unlimited budget here, I'm barely able to pay for the stock radiator replacement right now, let alone another $200 for a "better" radiator, that nobody can tell me why it is better.

buahahahahhaha.....like i said...it doesn't always solve the overheating problem...on the other hand it looks nice. I would not spend the money on a Fluidyne until i exhausted all other cooling possibilites. It would really suck for you to spend that money only to still overheat. From my understanding, the core on the fluidyne is bigger then stock allowing more fluid to be held and cooled at the same time.

From my personal experience, and that of oh... 30 of my closest car enthusiast friends, the Fluidyne with the help of aftermarket fans and water wetter has cured all of the common overheating problems associated with modified cars. (i.e. FMICs).


However none of them ever bought metal performance radiator hoses.

I don't know what other proof you need. Good luck.


Edit:

The Fluidyine is SIGNIFICANTLY thicker than the stock radiator, which not only allows more fluid to be in the system at the same time, but also gives more surface area to each row to help cool the fluid. The more surface area, the easier the coolant gets access to fresh air and cools the system. The same principle applies to intercoolers. The thicker the intercooler is, the more efficient for the same reason.

Reality is that you can have the largest radiator in the world, but if it isn't getting the air it needs, it will still overheat. There has never been a single instance where it is proven that switching radiators has solved overheating issues. In alot of causes, it just delays the overheating.

So before spending that money on a radiator, I would make sure the stock radiator is getting enough air, which with large FMICs, it usually isn't. Unless of course you have 350 to drop on a radiator like that. Before spending the money on that, I would make sure that all other possibilites have been exhausted. That is just my 2 cents....

Originally posted by BigBald
Before spending the money on that, I would make sure that all other possibilites have been exhausted. That is just my 2 cents....

Jerrome, I see what you are saying too, but IMO hacking my front bumper is really my last possibility. Looks is what is most important on my car, as long as it is running correctly. But I've never had this problem before, and I've had the FMIC from day 1. Something else is wrong here. And this is not my first time in 100*+ weather running 20psi either.

I put the stock lower hose back on, because I think the greddy hose is leaking due to me breaking my lower hose nipple, and I'm pretty sure there is oil in my antifreeze.

On top of that, I hooked up DSMlink last night on the freeway, after turning the boost down to 15psi, and I run approx 16:1 A/F in overdrive at 80 mph. So I'm running lean too, but don't know how to richen up the LTFT? Any help?

Also, I can't find where to kick the fan on sooner, can you take a screen shot? Version 2 doesn't seem to have that option anymore??

Jeff, I really think I need to do a headgasket fix, can I get the APR head studs from Buscher too??

Much thanks guys, I'll owe you both a 6 pack when this is all fixed.

Originally posted by FlyinEsi
I'm pretty sure there is oil in my antifreeze.

If you have oil in your coolant then you likely have a blown headgasket and that could also be the problem with over heating. Fix that first...

Originally posted by Jeff_99gsHowever none of them ever bought metal performance radiator hoses.

Damn, who said they are performance radiator hoses...they just look nice, and they appear to have a stock hose inside, just has the mesh around the outside of it. Drop it, please, it was for looks.

Does it get hotter when you get into boost or is it always hot? I would absolutely change your headgasket before doing the radiator. Buschur has ARPs, but they are usually cheaper through Summit.


And Jerrome, that is bullshit. My car was overheating quite badly before I put in the Fluidyne. I changed nothing at all but adding the Fluidyne and now the car barely stays warm enough even under boost and highway driving to keep the damn thermostat open. The temp gauge used to sit just to the right of the middle before the radiator, and now it never even gets to the middle of the gauge. Saying that there is absolutely no proof at all that a fluidyne helps overheating issues is just a plain lie. I have personal experience with that one.

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs
Does it get hotter when you get into boost or is it always hot? I would absolutely change your headgasket before doing the radiator. Buschur has ARPs, but they are usually cheaper through Summit. And Jerrome, that is bullshit. My car was overheating quite badly before I put in the Fluidyne. I changed nothing at all but adding the Fluidyne and now the car barely stays warm enough even under boost and highway driving to keep the damn thermostat open. The temp gauge used to sit just to the right of the middle before the radiator, and now it never even gets to the middle of the gauge. Saying that there is absolutely no proof at all that a fluidyne helps overheating issues is just a plain lie. I have personal experience with that one.

Helps and fixing are two different things. Why is helped you solved your issue can be because of a number of reasons. But you cannot say it will fix a overheating issue. There are those who have that radiator and many other aluminum radiators and still over heat.

There are to many variables. In order to prove this theory, a test will need to be conducted where ALL conditions are kept the same and stock radiator must be in perfect working order in order to exclude any other variables in that conclusion. No such test has ever been conducted to my knowledge so there is now you can make a statement that a fluidyne will "fix" overheating issues. But yes, it will help with stopping the car from overheating in most cases.


Edit: For Flyin, Try using a 80% Water and 20% Antifreeze mix and add a second slim fan. In DSMLink, you will need to add a positive value to the coolant offset variable box in order to turn the fans on early. If you do a search on the DSMLink forum, it will give you a definitive desciption.

Originally posted by BigBald
There are to many variables. In order to prove this theory, a test will need to be conducted where ALL conditions are kept the same and stock radiator must be in perfect working order in order to exclude any other variables in that conclusion. No such test has ever been conducted to my knowledge so there is now you can make a statement that a fluidyne will "fix" overheating issues.

Dude, seriously. Are you reading what I am writing? I did EXACTLY what you are saying has never been done before. I was overheating. I touched NOTHING but installing a Fluidyne radiator, and my overheating went away entirely.

How are you not understanding this?

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs

Originally posted by BigBald There are to many variables. In order to prove this theory, a test will need to be conducted where ALL conditions are kept the same and stock radiator must be in perfect working order in order to exclude any other variables in that conclusion. No such test has ever been conducted to my knowledge so there is now you can make a statement that a fluidyne will "fix" overheating issues.

Dude, seriously. Are you reading what I am writing? I did EXACTLY what you are saying has never been done before. I was overheating. I touched NOTHING but installing a Fluidyne radiator, and my overheating went away entirely. How are you not understanding this?

So you changed a perfectly working radiator? Or was something wrong with it?

With the test I am speaking of, you will need to first prove that the fluidyne will make the coolant run at a significantly less temperature then the stock radiator. All you seeme to have done is replace a broken radiatro with a wroking one.....i would hope it would work in that case.

No, my stock radiator was working perfectly. I still have it and it is still perfect. It just wasn't up to the task of cooling the engine with the FMIC. So, rather than hacking the shit out of the bumper and removing the bumper reinforcement, I just installed a better flowing, larger, more efficient radiator and the overheating problems went away.

Your situation doesn't prove that at all due to so many variables and unknowns. However, I am glad it solved your particular problem. :thumbsup

Originally posted by BigBald
Your situation doesn't prove that at all due to so many variables and unknowns. However, I am glad it solved your particular problem. :thumbsup

You believe what you want. Screw experience, right? Amen!

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs

Originally posted by BigBald Your situation doesn't prove that at all due to so many variables and unknowns. However, I am glad it solved your particular problem. :thumbsup

You believe what you want. Screw experience, right? Amen!

lol.....i am sure you know that you "experience factor" doesn't hold up in any test instance. For starters, you would need to prove that the overheating was in fact caused soley by the radiator and that your radiator was actually working to its fullest capacity.

But all this is null and void.....all i was simply stating is that he should not purchase that part under the impression it will be his cure all. It has not been proven as such. You are the only person i ever met that will go on record saying the the fluidyne will stop overheating.

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs
Does it get hotter when you get into boost or is it always hot? I would absolutely change your headgasket before doing the radiator. Buschur has ARPs, but they are usually cheaper through Summit.

Jeff & Jerrome, thanks for the help, I will order the headgasket after work, but I know nothing about head studs, can you link me up on summit with the head studs that I need, please and thank you.

FYI, I will probably still go with the fluidyne, I just can't afford everything at once. And flushing my antifreeze and replacing antifreeze is getting pretty damn expensive.


Edit:
Sorry, I forgot to mention this, but I got to thinking about it again. Shouldn't I be blowing out white smoke if my headgasket is blown??? I have absolutely no smoke coming from my car, idle or WOT. Is that still an option???

pull the head and see...takes all of an hour to do.

Originally posted by BigBald
pull the head and see...takes all of an hour to do.

Oh, okay, it is not one of those things where once you take it apart, you have to replace it? Something I can look at this week or this weekend.

I take it you never pulled a head before?

Originally posted by FlyinEsi

Originally posted by BigBald pull the head and see...takes all of an hour to do.

Oh, okay, it is not one of those things where once you take it apart, you have to replace it? Something I can look at this week or this weekend.

no once you pull the head, you really should replace the gasket. Its gonna break apart piecemeal all over the place....


and if you're worried about flushing with anti-freeze being too expensive and preventing you from buying the radiator, remember that you're in AZ and can probably get away with running just water and water wetter for a month, maybe with just a touch of anti-freeze, until you make a few bucks.

mines is still in one piece after 160k.....

Actually, when it comes to the Fluidyne issue, I had the exact same problem. I had upgraded fans on the stock radiator, and a coolant mixture with water wetter, but I was still overheating.

I dropped in a fluidyne and BAM!, no more overheating. Not sure what else to say. I also know six other people personally that did the exact same thing. The changed nothing but the radiator (fluidyne replacing stock) and their overheating problems went away.

In this case, get a BRAND NEW headgasket (NEVER EVER reuse the old OEM one, EVER). Get yourself new OEM HG and some ARP headstuds as mentioned above and you should be ok to retest your current cooling sytem. If it still overheats, buy a Fluidyne.

Start saving now. :) It's not getting any cooler down there in the desert.

Originally posted by HybriDSM
In this case, get a BRAND NEW headgasket (NEVER EVER reuse the old OEM one, EVER).

Words to live by. Never ever reuse an old stock headgasket. Even if it is only on the car for 5 minutes, you can't reuse them. The only headgaskets you can reuse are metal ones as long as they are in good shape.

I'm glad someone else chimed in about the radiator issue. Matt is one of those 30+ people that I was talking about when I said they installed a Fluidyne and it fixed all of their overheating issues.

It is just fact that the Fluidyne cools better than the stock radiator. There is no denying it. I will say that it does not always cure 100% of overheating issues all the time, as every car is different. However, it will absolutely help in every possible way.

Personally, if you pull the head, have it decked and get a Mitsu MLS gasket. Those are easier to seal then the Cometic Gaskets. But that is just what I would do.....you wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. They are not much more then stock gaskets.

What is having the head decked???

Is all of this something I can do over a weekend?? I absolutely cannot have any more downtime than that???

I'm going to replace the headgasket first, I'm pretty sure that is part of my problem. But I will also be ordering the fluidyne after my paycheck in the middle of June. I need a new one regardless anyway, so might as well get the best.

Can I use my stock fan and my spal fan on the Fluidyne? or will I have to get a 2nd spal fan?

i would imagine a second spal fan. The Fliuidyne is thick as hell compared to the stocker. Stock fans suck anyway, I would just get the second Spal fan to help with the cooling.

If you are trying to do this over the weekend then just get a new stock headgasket. You would need to take the head to a machine shop to have it decked.

Some of you may be proud, some may not.

I talked with RRE today and he said from the symptoms it is 99% likely the headgasket. I ordered a mitsubishi metal mesh headgasket, and will find time to get the head decked.

I also ordered the Fluidyne and ARP head studs.

Should have it Monday/Tuesday next week, and will tear down that weekend, possibly, I think there is a car show I'm supposed to be in that weekend, so I might try to find a way to get it done sooner. We'll see.

Wish me luck when the time comes.

Make sure you take a razor blade and scrape off every single bit of the stock head gasket from the block and head or you will not get a proper seal. Since you are getting the head decked, you only need to worry about the block surface, but make sure it all comes off.

For a newbie, you might want to plan on it taking longer than an hour to remove. You have to remove a ton of stuff from the engine, especially if it is the first time the head has ever been off.

Good luck. Follow Vfaq and you will be fine. Oh and make sure the torque wrench is ready!

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs
Make sure you take a razor blade and scrape off every single bit of the stock head gasket from the block and head or you will not get a proper seal. Since you are getting the head decked, you only need to worry about the block surface, but make sure it all comes off. For a newbie, you might want to plan on it taking longer than an hour to remove. You have to remove a ton of stuff from the engine, especially if it is the first time the head has ever been off. Good luck. Follow Vfaq and you will be fine. Oh and make sure the torque wrench is ready!

Thanks Jeff, I appreciate all your help :thumbsup

Good shit....I sent you a PM.


Now you can run 30psi with no issues.

Originally posted by BigBald
Now you can run 30psi with no issues.

On the stock bottom end?

Originally posted by Jeff_99gs

Originally posted by BigBald Now you can run 30psi with no issues.

On the stock bottom end?

I am not going to get into that with you....but there are more then a dozen people who are doing this successfully and no its not for everyone. Besides, i don't think you can run more then 24psi on a 16g....lol.....yes it was a joke Jeff.

No 30psi for me. Not until I go with my built block. I even turned my boost down to 15 psi for now and I think I'm going to leave it there for a while. I just want a reliable, working, car for a while.

I'm sure it won't be long before I have the high boost bug again.

Jerrome, thanks for the PM, I'm sure I'll be in contact.