i need to do something because im melting shit in my engine compartment and my logger is reading 215 degree coolant temps every now and then....i want a lower degree thermostat, but i wasnt sure if 160 was too much and my fans wouldnt be able to handle it....or should i go with 180 to be safe? also would wiring both ac and my normal fan together be a bad idea?? what about wiring them so they are on all the time when the key is turned on? where can i get some cheap thermal rap for my coolant hose? thanks and any other suggestions will help...
doug

Originally posted by lickscissors
i need to do something because im melting shit in my engine compartment and my logger is reading 215 degree coolant temps every now and then....i want a lower degree thermostat, but i wasnt sure if 160 was too much and my fans wouldnt be able to handle it....or should i go with 180 to be safe? also would wiring both ac and my normal fan together be a bad idea?? what about wiring them so they are on all the time when the key is turned on? where can i get some cheap thermal rap for my coolant hose? thanks and any other suggestions will help... doug

I ordered the 160 deg thermostat , and on my car i have one fan that the ac kicks on if theres any signs of the car getting too hot. I have a fluidyne radiator also which keeps engine temps down pretty good.
Howell sells the CR radiator with fans for 500, so that looks like a pretty good deal imo.

Yep, the best way to go would be an aftermarket radiator and fans, especially with having a FMIC. Getting a vented hood would also help a lot. Cheaper solutions would be a cooler thermostat, thermal wrapping hot items like the DP, exhaust mani, etc. and some type of insulation for the coolant lines. You can also remove the rubber insulation from the rear part of your hood to create a cowl effect and pull heat out.

You can rewire the AC fan so that it can be turned on with a switch from inside the car. Its actually pretty simple to do, and the fan will still function regularly when the AC is on.

Buy the 160 degree and drill some holes to it. Like 5 or 6 holes will work good. Also, you can get a coolant additive in the auto part that will lower your coolant temperature by 30 to 40 degrees. My friend has it on his GST and it works great. You can tell the difference everytime you open the hood. And it is very cost effective.

my temp is LOW!!! stays at like 150 while im drivin, skrilla was laughin at how cold it was :P

i have a fat radiator, 160 themostat and water wetter. couldnt be happier. my needle is closer to cold than it is the middle :P

Originally posted by turbo8u
my temp is LOW!!! stays at like 150 while im drivin, skrilla was laughin at how cold it was :P i have a fat radiator, 160 themostat and water wetter. couldnt be happier. my needle is closer to cold than it is the middle :P

yeah but try doing that and living in a colder area. sucks during the winter; your car never heats up. :(

I'd second, third or whatever getting the 160 degree thermostat and using water water. If you haven't switched to a 100% water mixture yet i'd do so. You could also try using a better radiator cap, i know the gst has a higher bar i believe. If not a greddy one is rather inexpensive and is higher than stock. If you do want to get a better radiator the C&R is a great unit. Its much cheaper than a fluidyne. If you want one i can order one for ya, i think its roughly 425 shipped to you, thats with a fan. Its all aluminum and has a 13" spal fan. Chamoko(sorry for the spelling) ordered one from me, maybe he will chip in with hes rating of the unit.

Just get the 160 degree thermostat. Don't drill any holes in it or anything stupid like that...

Flush your radiator fluid.

Running a colder stat wont do crap unless you have good airflow over your radiator. When i put on my FMIC, my temps got pretty hot too..that thing blocks a LOT of airflow to the radiator, and by taking out all the stock air damming, that doesn't help either to direct air to the radiator. I run a 180 stat, with stock radiator adn fans, and i keep the passenger side fan on all the time. Temps are decent around 190-200 on the highway in 80 degree weather. I am going to make some air damming of my own, to help direct airflow from the front bumper openings,and trying to close off the bottom and top of the FMIC so all the incoming air is getting to the radiator and not being dispersed elsewhere..it should work out good..much cheaper than using a aluminum radiator..Remember its all about the AIRFLOW over the radiator, not necesarily the temp of the stat..If you have good airflow at the radiator, it should stay around 10-15 degrees above your stat temp..If there is not good enough flow over the radiator, then it can't do its job of removing heat from the coolant..I drive this car in the winter, so i opted for the 180 stat..The stock ECU turns on the driver side fan at 206 degrees, and off at 197, so i wanted to retain that feature in case temps ever got to 206..so i just wired my other fan with a relay to stay on..

the stat makes a difference no matter what air flow.

i have had no problems with overheating, even with the stock stat with my fmic on.

Originally posted by siueclipse
the stat makes a difference no matter what air flow.

exactly, the thermostat opens at 160* now doesnt really matter air flow, it just gets cooler when air is flowing over it if anything

i see about 163-165 on my logger in traffic and it dips LOW if coasting for awhile in neutral but normal driving like tow ork and shit usually stays down by 150ish coolant temp

water wetter + 75% water to coolant and a 160, big alluminum radiators are overrated kids

Originally posted by siueclipse
the stat makes a difference no matter what air flow. i have had no problems with overheating, even with the stock stat with my fmic on.

YES it does make a difference. I went from a 195 to a 180, and it made NO differnce in coolant temps what so ever. Then, i had my one fan on and that made the differnce. A thermostat is just a coolant flow regulator. A colder stat will flow more coolant at a colder temperature, over the stock 195 stat. BUT, if there is no air flow going through the radiator, then the stat will just open up fully, and thats that..Now, if you can keep air going over the radiator, and remove heat from the coolant, this lets you run close to whatever temp your stat is rated at. They both need to work together. The radiator is what cools the coolant, not the stat..A colder stat will open up at a lower temp, there by feeding the radiator cooler coolant, and can keep the engine at a lower temp. But this all means nothing unless the radiator is removing heat from the coolant..and it doesnt do it that well unless air is moving through it..just like how an intercooler works..if no air is going over the fins, then its not going to cool..My FMIC takes up ALL the space in the front opening..and there really is not much flow going though it to help cool the radiator..esp with the A/C condensor in the way too. I mounted my FMIC a bit higher up than others have, and there is no air gap at all at the top of it, for air from the front opening to get up to the radiator..

Leave all your fans disconected, and let the car idle for a while. Check your coolant temps with a datalogger, and i'll bet you its much higher than your rated stat temp..

Temps of coolant are dependant on 2 main things:

-temp of the coolant going into the radiator(and flow)
-the amount of airflow going through the radiator

Yes, a colder stat will feed the radiator colder coolant, but if the airflow going through the rad is not enough to cool it down at a fast enough rate, then the temps of the coolant will rise, and the stat will just stay fully open, and the temp of the coolant is now completley dependant on the radiator and how much heat it's removing

Where do you find a 180 stat? I have tried a 160, but the car runs to cool while cruising.


-Jared

xtreme: what fmic are you running?

Im just wondering because my car never ran hot even with the stock stat, and now runs much cooler with the 160.

my fmic also blocks the entire radiator, but it still allows plenty of air through





And yes, if you cant cool coolant, a colder stat is just allowing hot coolant through sooner. A new stat wont fix an overheating condition, unless the stat was the problem in the first place.

Originally posted by RyaN95i4
xtreme: what fmic are you running? Im just wondering because my car never ran hot even with the stock stat, and now runs much cooler with the 160. my fmic also blocks the entire radiator, but it still allows plenty of air through And yes, if you cant cool coolant, a colder stat is just allowing hot coolant through sooner. A new stat wont fix an overheating condition, unless the stat was the problem in the first place.

I use the Hahn universal FMIC..The way it sits, it covers the entire opening in the front bumper, no air gaps on the sides or anything,and i took out the plastic air dam too..You have an aftermarket bumper, and it looks like more area for air to get in there..I put a big fan in front of my FMIC, and i could barely feel any air coming through to the radiator...i don't know, my setup is just different from others i guess...but as soon as i could get some airflow going over the radiator, it cooled it down a ton..

Originally posted by RyaN95i4
xtreme: what fmic are you running? Im just wondering because my car never ran hot even with the stock stat, and now runs much cooler with the 160. my fmic also blocks the entire radiator, but it still allows plenty of air through And yes, if you cant cool coolant, a colder stat is just allowing hot coolant through sooner. A new stat wont fix an overheating condition, unless the stat was the problem in the first place.

Wow your car is HAWT!!! Post more pics imo...

-------jezreel
1998 GS with hrc stage 2, sfmu, ml, prokits, egt, boost gauge, apexi tt, haydans tranny cooler, costum dp, dr. uber groundwires, dynotune fp gauge. gst muff, turbo spoiler
Boostin since Aug 03.

nothing like driving with the windows down and the music low: i love hearing the turbo spool, swwwhhhttt!!!!
thanks for www.kaptainmyke.com for the sig hosting :thumbsup

a 160 degree thermostat will help a car that is overheating reguardless of air flow. the simple volume of fluid going through the motor will be larger, therefore relieve more heat.

Originally posted by jsupetran
Wow your car is HAWT!!! Post more pics imo...

Thanks, more pics/info @ http://www.groundfloormotorsports.com

LOL Chamoko... sounds like a leather bugger.

Yes I can vouche for Chad, he is a great guy and honest. BTW chad I gotta call you bout something ;). I have pics comparing the fluydine and the C&R, the C&R with the spal is one sexy fan and more then enough to cool down a turboed car. I like its construction a lot better.

Originally posted by Chamuko
LOL Chamoko... sounds like a leather bugger. Yes I can vouche for Chad, he is a great guy and honest. BTW chad I gotta call you bout something ;). I have pics comparing the fluydine and the C&R, the C&R with the spal is one sexy fan and more then enough to cool down a turboed car. I like its construction a lot better.

Is it thinner or thicker than the Fluidyne? I'm worried about clearance issues with turbo and manifold and such. I barely have any room with my fluidyne and the header even with the passenger side fan removed.

holy shit thats a lot of replies.... i forgot i even posted this until today.... anyways, i found a 180 thermostat at autozone that was close to ours.... it wast the same diameter, just the spring wasnt off centered.... i dremmeled the waterneck a little and it fit fine.... i think the part number was 400-180...anyways, i made a better heat shield for my turbo, put some washers under my hood and removed the rubber....its a lot cooler now.... i used to open the hood and would almost singe my hair it was so damn hot.... it feels about stock temps in there now....i do want a heat rap of some sort...can anyone reccomend a Home Depot style coolant line rap? for the upper hose mainly..... im not about to put money into an aftermarket radiator when mine works fine....i would like to wire the A/C fan like someone reccomened... how would you wire it with a switch and still function when you turn the ac on?? and another thing.... as soon as my logger read 183, the thermostat opened and kicked the fans on...how would 183 degree coolant kick the fans? i dont believe that they turn on at 206.....thanks everyone for the replies

doug

oh yeah...im using water wetter, and then the 40 degree cooler stuff also....
doug

my coolant temps never go above 203.

I've been running my car w/o a thermostat at all for the past 3-4 months. Is there anything wrong with this and would this actually make the car run colder or warmer?

Originally posted by Sorry_i_Win
I've been running my car w/o a thermostat at all for the past 3-4 months. Is there anything wrong with this and would this actually make the car run colder or warmer?

put a thermostat back in. youre doing damage.

really? why do u say that? temps have been good (half-way on the gauge or lower)

because your over working the whole coolant system... without a thermostat, you could run really cold or really hot..... its going to fluctuate way to much where a thermostat will hold the temps steady....like he said...put one back in....especially if youre non turbo there is no reason to even want or need to take it out
doug