Still having cooling issues, i think?

[97cobra1]

My car is a DD, and i've been chasing down a coolant issue for what seems like forever. All winter i didnt' have any issues (obviously).

The cooling system is all stock, i have, however, replaced all the hoses, the overflow tank and cap, new crossover new tstat/sending unit blah blah. Radiator is stock also.

My issue is this: The temp seems to hover around 205-210 and will creep to 220-225 sitting in traffic. Interstate driving the temp also hovers around 210, even at speed.

I don't think the radiator has been flushed in... ever? Not sure if that's something that will help, or if i should just cave and buy a new radiator. Or if the radiator is even the issue.

I've seen a lot of stories on here about radiators busting/forming leaks/seem welds cracking etc. So if i need to replace the radiator im leaning towards getting the frpp radiator through tousley since it's oe and cools 550+ hp terminators no problem.

Just wanted to get some input and opinions from ya'll before i stat spending unnecessary money.

 

[Red98CobraStang]

do your cooling fans fuction correctly?

 

[mwolson]

stock fan settings are

low on 208
low off 200

high on 228
high off 224

So your temps aren't too bad.

You should replace your coolant every year unless you are running GM Dexcool, then every 5 years.

 

[tmoee3]

I bought that 180 thermostat from a guy on here and when I received it they showed me how to adjust my fan settings and I also installed electric water pump my gauge for the water pump never gets to 180 works really well just an idea gl

 

[DHG4410]

I had a cooling problem or what I thought was a cooling problem. I replaced everything I could think of... it turned out it was just a faulty gauge.

 

[97cobra1]

Fans work correctly, coolant was replaced when i replaced the coolant crossover last year.

I'm not using the dummy gauge for temps. I have an autometer gauge tapped into the coolant drain plug on the bottom of the block beside the oil pan, so i doubt it's a faulty gauge.

Everything is "functioning correctly" that ya'll have listed, and everything seems fine. But i've never seen a car sit at ~210 at speed on the interstate in 75 degree weather. Something isn't right.

I guess i should mention it's not a stock motor anymore. It's a 10.5:1 compression N/A Aluminator shortblock sitting under the b heads/intake. I am running the stock 195 Tstat and a regular ole water pump, but i don't wanna run a lower tstat without being able to change fan settings and i don't have access to a tuner to do that.

Appreciate all the input so far, though. Keep it coming.

 

[1989Gt.]

Thhat seems fine to me.

 

[tmoee3]

It won't hurt to put a 180 thermostat I believe they come with 1 less spring than the factory one so it actually sets off a little quicker wont hurt cheap part.

 

[mwolson]

You already have the good AC condenser, so that can't be it.

You might want to try putting in a beefier radiator. I'm running a custom copper/bronze radiator that is a copy of the Fluidyne aluminum one that leaked after 9 months in my car. My car has absolutely no cooling issues (except for IATs.)

 

[Tabres]

I recognize this is an absolutely ridiculous question, but it's on topic so I thought I would ask.

Am I correct in assuming the stock fan is a puller design?

I've got a high speed fan switch wired into my car I've noticed that it pushes the air rather than pulls it (engine off, fan on).

Stock fan, stock wiring harness not modified in any way, other than potentially fan temp settings in the tune, which I'm uncertain of.

 

[mwolson]

I recognize this is an absolutely ridiculous question, but it's on topic so I thought I would ask.

Am I correct in assuming the stock fan is a puller design?

I've got a high speed fan switch wired into my car I've noticed that it pushes the air rather than pulls it (engine off, fan on).

Stock fan, stock wiring harness not modified in any way, other than potentially fan temp settings in the tune, which I'm uncertain of.

Tabres, if your fan is a pusher, it need to be mounted on the front of the radiator, not the rear. If you must leave it on the rear, you should replace it with a puller fan. If you leave a pusher on the rear of the radiator, when the car is moving, the fan will be trying to stop the air coming into the radiator.

You can check the fan to see if it is reverseable. With some DC fans, you can just reverse the polarity to spin it the other direction. But the fan blades are typically what is designed for pushing or pulling, so it probably won't work well if you reverse directions from what it was designed for.

Not sure I made that clear...

OP, our radiators typically don't fill with sludge like old-school radiators used to, but it couldn't hurt to flush it. and you definitely need to replace the coolant. The anti-corrosion chemicals are gone after a year, so you are not doing your aluminum any favors. And that may lead to junk in the radiator.

 

[Tabres]

Tabres, if your fan is a pusher, it need to be mounted on the front of the radiator, not the rear. If you must leave it on the rear, you should replace it with a puller fan. If you leave a pusher on the rear of the radiator, when the car is moving, the fan will be trying to stop the air coming into the radiator.

You can check the fan to see if it is reverseable. With some DC fans, you can just reverse the polarity to spin it the other direction. But the fan blades are typically what is designed for pushing or pulling, so it probably won't work well if you reverse directions from what it was designed for.

Not sure I made that clear...

That's the amusing / confusing thing. It is the original, stock fan.

 

[mwolson]

I bet it got reversed somehow. I'd try reversing the polarity of the fan wires to see if it turns it around.

 

[97cobra1]

I know i'm backpeddling, but i think i'm gonna go with a colder tstat first and see how that works, as i have some other stuff i need to get taken care of as well. I know i remember seeing someone talking about a nice replacement oe that was modified slightly? Or something like that.

Also, noticed that the hose coming down from the crossover pipe has a bit of fluid leaking out from the top. Not squirting, but barely seeping out and running down the backside of the hose. Loss of pressure possibly an issue?

EDIT: The Reische tstat is the one im thinking of, but it's a 170 not 180. That gonna be a big difference?

 

[mwolson]

Air in the system will definitely cause the issues you are seeing...

 

[97cobra1]

How about the tstat? Will the reische unit be too much of a step down without having a way to lower the fan temps? (new tstat/radiator/fans/fan temp settings are stuff i intend to do... eventually/if necessary.)

 

[mwolson]

I think you should flush the system, fix the leak and burp the system first.

 

[Beerdog80]

Why not just install a fan that flows more air like the Mark8 one and hook a ground switch to the CCRM to turn the fan on high whenever you want. Useful at the track too.

I'm running the same compression and was seeing similar numbers in mine. After I swapped fans and put in a switch, I run around 190/200 with the AC on in Oklahoma heat.

 

[97cobra1]

Everything is fixed again without leaks, car still sits at the 210 tick on my gauge even with the fans on. Have a 180 stat to drop in to see if that changes the behavior at all when the cars at speed.

If it doesn't, i guess i'm gonna put the fan on a switch to run on high? it seems like everything is doing it's job in the system, just something is doing it inadequately, which is over time causing leaks/boilovers/etc. sitting in traffic.

What's the best route to go with fans/radiator? Should i just find someplace to make a custom one? I see posts all over ofc how the mishimoto and fluidyne are both crap.

 

[97cobra1]

Update on the lack of cooling the system does.

On the way to work today (heavy heavy traffic) car got to 195, then to 210 as usual, and just sat at 210. driving, fan on needle doesn't move. Get into heavier traffic and car got to 225 and just sat there, no cooling off while moving at all. Zero, not one degree.

Got to a redlight in town and had to sit through about three lights. Sitting idle the car slowly (about ten minutes of slowly) creeped from 225 down to 215ish. Barely above the 210 line on the autometer gauge. But it only cooled any when the car was not in motion.

This is the only thing that's keeping me from being able to enjoy the car, and with it being a daily driver it's a huge pain in my ass, the shops all say everything is fine because the system holds pressure and cools while it sits.

Where do i go from here?