Killer Chiller Radiator/Peanut fitting woes

[Midnight_Cobra]

Hey all,

So I purchased this Gen 3 kit in 2012, and due to life and previously being in the military I didn't have the time nor resources to install this. Well over the past few weeks this has been a pain in the butt. Everything is designed around the the stock radiator it seems, so those with a larger radiator might have to do some custom work. The peanut fitting that comes with the kit has threads and a big nut right next to where my radiator is. I tried and tried to make it work by adjusting the radiator and adding some shims in various locations to give me more clearance. Well there was no luck in doing what I was doing.

I decided to do some modifications on my own. My first trial failed miserably lol. I tried the ole hose clamp method and it worked for my test drive, but the 2nd test drive I blew the line off and sprayed freon and PAG oil everywhere. Twice actually. So I decided to make a permanent fix instead of just getting by.

My solution involved a little welding and measuring and crimping to get everything to work. I just returned from my test drive and the Killer Chiller works, just not as good as I thought it was going to. My IAT 2 temps were around 120 after some spirited driving in about 80F heat. I have not put a thermometer to my reservoir, but the fluid is cold and cool to the touch. I guess I was expecting the IAT2 temps to be in the low 100's.

I hacked the old peanut fitting and old line, I also went to my local car parts place and got a 90 degree beadlock fitting in aluminum tubing and steel fitting. After welding the aluminum line together with the right angle, I went to a local AC shop to get the #8 line crimped.

I put in the blue orifice tube and charged the AC with ES-12 to about 38psi on the low side which was about 2.5 cans give or take. Everything works great with no leaks, but should the KC be cooling a little better or am I just being unrealistic? I'm attaching some pics.

 

[*Jay*]

I have been messing with my KC setup more as of late since it has been warming up lately and here are some observations for you to compare to. My setup is as follows and so far is the coldest it has ever been...

HE taken offline but still in place

Rebuilt stock IC pump

Lethal IC resevoir, same size as your

50/50 coolant, no additives

Coolant hardlines replaced with 3/4 ID hose

~80% of the coolant hoses covered with foam pipe insulation

~90% of the resevoir insulated with reflective foam/foil

~37 lbs ES12, have dropped it down from 45 lbs progressively and less is definitely more here

All new AC components/hoses except for the heater core

Fan setting was MAX AC 1 on an ~80F day with the readings taken at idle after a 10 minute drive in my driveway, hood up, tower fan in front of car, in the sun. Resevoir temps were ~43F. Interior center vent temps were ~48F same day same setting. Temps were taken with a digital stick thermometer. Last year I used a infrared thermometer and my readings were skewed (incorrect) as the vent temps read much, much lower (lowest was 26F) with the cold air blowing on on the sensor when held up to the vent.

Having the HE offline made the biggest impact on dropping the vent and resevoir temps. The jury is still out on the ghetto looking insulation I have but every little bit helps and that matters with keeping the boss happy (wife) so it is here to stay for right now.

 

[Midnight_Cobra]

Well I turned off the AC in basically stop and go traffic and crawled up to about 165F in IAT2. Once I was driving around 40-45 in 4th gear it was staying stead at around 125. I did insulate the #10 AC line, but nothing else. After this I don't want to touch an A/C or heater line for awhile. Maybe I'll drain the coolant and put an actual 50/50 mix. I pretty much just eyeballed it. Maybe some Water Wetter?

 

[*Jay*]

IAT2 is the temp at the sensor and that will always be higher than the temp in the resevoir. Not exactly sure where the sensor is but the amount of cooled fluid flowing over it is throttle dependant, thats why the IAT2 charge temp drops like a rock when you romp on the throttle.

 

[funmoneypit]

OP, did you catch the fact the other guy bypassed his H/E? If you leave it inline you are actually trying to heat the coolant UP to ambient temps. If your coolant in the reservoir is 45 or 50* and the outside temp is 80*, your H/E is going to try to warm up the coolant. Put bypass valves to stop the coolant from going through the H/E and you will see even better IAT's.

I have a Gen III waiting in my garage and have done tons of research. Can't wait to install mine.

 

[Midnight_Cobra]

I have thought about bypassing the H/E, but I wanted to make sure everything works first before I did. I'll have to look into that and see if it's worth it to me. Maybe I'll wait until summer is over, because working on the stang is 90-100 degree heat sucks. I guess having the H/E as a backup makes me warm and fuzzy. I'm going to drain and flush the coolant to gold from the green and add a little Purple Ice from Royal Purple. All my cars have gold, so it's just one less thing I have to buy if I already have it on hand.

 

[*Jay*]

I totally understand being done with AC and coolant lines for a while, went through that last summer. One thing you can do is BLOCK the front of your heat exchanger with some clear plexiglass to prevent the warm air from flowing through it. This will help keep your charge temps lower as well as your cabin temps, it also provides almost an extra half gallon of coolant to help dissipate heat with. With the HE bypassed and my lethal tank I am at just under one gallon of capacity I believe.

 

[ViperRed91GT]

As others have stated, get rid of the HE if you want the KC to be effective. If you feel so worried about the KC working that you feel the need to keep the HE, then get rid of the KC, as it will work better than what you have now. One of them has to go for the other to work as intended.

 

[lowflyn]

What are people using for the bypass? Building your own or just buying a setup? I need to go that route.

Sent from my XT1045 using Tapatalk

 

[*Jay*]

What are people using for the bypass? Building your own or just buying a setup? I need to go that route.

Sent from my XT1045 using Tapatalk

People are piecing their own bypass systems together, some use oneway plastic valves from lowes and some use brass 2 way valves from dem internets. Both ways added alot more lines than I prefer to have. If I had an aftermarket HE with the input/output on the same side it could be routed neater but it was way too messy for my taste when I mocked it up with the stock HE. There are several threads that outline the procedures and methodology, search "killer chiller bypass" and you should find them.

 

[Boogie Chillin]

Here is the bypass I put together with a Jabsco pump.



I cut the bumper to create a path for the lines, so you cannot see any plumbing through the fog light vent.



Reservoir temps with heat exchanger bypassed today.

 

[ViperRed91GT]

What are people using for the bypass? Building your own or just buying a setup? I need to go that route.

Sent from my XT1045 using Tapatalk

Most are deleting it altogether.

 

[whitedevil95]

I have mine deleted. I left it in place for the look but nothing flows through it. I would say to definitely start checking your resivoir temps. Those to me are the biggest indication if your KC system is working right. If the fluid is cold then its doing its job. At full temp driving around on a warm day my fluid is usually between 45-30 degrees. I have the larger IC tank that is insulated. ALL coolant lines for the intercooler are insulated. Cold side AC lines are insulated as well. In my opinion the KC works very well. I see my IAT2s usually are always below 100 degrees, only on a 90 degree day in stop and go will i see them get into the low 100s. My only beef is that when the days are hot always having the AC on make my engine temps get high. Other than that no complaints from me.