Cooling Systems - What do you run and does it work?

BamaTJ · Mar 11, 2009

I think I know what I need to do to address my cooling issues, but I wanted to post up since it has been a little dead lately. The type of riding and racing most of us are doing really push the limits of our cooling systems. High RPM blasts for long times and racing at speeds is hard on a rig. KOH really opened my eyes as to how important cooling is. During the race when we would get into the desert sections the temp would start creeping up to 250, which is where my gauge ends. Electric sender, 5 years old BTW. This started by race mile 5 and stayed that way all day. We would slow down and it would slowly drop. In the rocks we were 180-195 all day. Wierd huh? We started thinking that if we ran 250 that long we would be spitting coolant and boiling over and be out of water. None of those things happened all day. The next day I checked water and it was only a quart low.

My setup is as follows:
Ron Davis Single Pass Radiator (22x19), with integrated fan and shroud

Meziere Electric High Flow WP

180 Degree T-Stat
Stock 5.7L Vortec

First, just to make sure I am installing a new mechanical temp gauge and putting the stock 195 degree t-stat back in. I think that the gauge is definately bad, but I also think that it will still overheat if I push it very hard for long times because my radiator is too small. True fix is a bigger radiator in the back with twin fans, and a mechanical WP in the front. The remote mount electric unit is only there because the 1st owner did not have clearance with the front radiator to mount a regular pump, so he did this. I don't trust the electric pump and think it is part of my problem. So pust up your cooling setups good or bad so we can see what works and does not work for some folks.

BamaTJ · Mar 11, 2009

Also for guys with rear radiators how do your plumb it, through the chassis or with hoses? Do you get any airflow across it at all or just rely on the fans? I have noticed quite a few rear radiators mounted in ways that they can get zero air flow and I wondered if that worked?

blacksheep10 · Mar 11, 2009

your fan on the rear and pulling or pushing? At speeds it sounds like your fan was fighting natural air flow and causing a deadlock if it stayed that fuggin cool on the rocks.

BamaTJ · Mar 11, 2009

blacksheep10 said:
your fan on the rear and pulling or pushing? At speeds it sounds like your fan was fighting natural air flow and causing a deadlock if it stayed that fuggin cool on the rocks.

Fan is behind the radiator on the engine side, so it should pull air across it. I checked that when we stopped during the race and it was hard to tell if it was pushing or pulling, felt like it was doing both honestly. It was really hot also though. I will check again when I finish my gauge install.

The other S&N cars run the same motor and radiator setup, with no issues. So that is strange.

John Galbreath Jr. · Mar 11, 2009

I solved my cooling problems by increasing the fan size. The Tauras fan worked great on the Purple Jeep. It pulls probably 3x what you have now. I have a spare if you want to try it.

Most rear radiators use muffler tubing from front to rear, with regular radiator hoses making the connections.

wontwork · Mar 11, 2009

I don't think the electric water pump is your problem. We have run them for years on mud trucks that are well into the 700 hp range. They are put into abuse heavily going in and out of mud holes. We do however run the pump on the motor instead of like the one you are running.

CHASMAN9 · Mar 11, 2009

Mine is Plumbed with cooling lines through the body, not inside the chasis tubing. I am just running a Northern aluminum radiator with a Derale fan/ shroud combo pulling air. I am actually having problems not getting my engine hot enough causing it to run cold. I have changed the thermostat to a 190 and it still won't get over 175 to 180. The computer reads this as closed loop and poors more fuel in it. I also have a Stewart high volume water pump on it and it flows like crazy. :dunno:

biggy · Mar 11, 2009

Griffin 26x16 radiato
Tarus fan pulling, wired to run on high
stock pump/thermostat for the LT-1

have yet to run hot, unless I forget to turn the fan on. I think I'd try a Tarus fan on yours first thing,

Travis · Mar 11, 2009

According to the experts, above 40 mph, you are relying on airflow, not the fan.

Beyer · Mar 11, 2009

5.7 vortec (only computer, intake, and exhaust mods)
Griffin radiator - I think it is this one:
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?autofilter=1&part=GRI%2D1%2D25242%2DX&N=700+4294810996+4294891681+4294792866+4294792880+115&autoview=sku
radiator up front
seperate tranny cooler
Taurus fan
160 thermostat

Runs cool. Too cool in the winter (need to put in 180 thermostat).

draggbody · Mar 11, 2009

ginormous stock BBC radiator w/ an 18" crown vic fan w/ fabricated shroud, high volume pump, muffler pipe lines, and will run 200* all day until i get in it hard, but i will run it til it gets to 240* and then shut it down....

Jeep CJ · Mar 11, 2009

I agree with it sounds like your fan was actually blocking airflow on the high speed runs.
I have a buddy that was running a flex fan with an electric fan in the front. He had overheating issues and we narrowed it down to the two fans working against each other. It would not stay cool with either or so we installed a clutch fan and he only has to use electric fan when he grinds on something for awhile. The clutch fan seems to not work against the electric fan like the flex fan did.

biggy · Mar 11, 2009

Jeep CJ said:
I agree with it sounds like your fan was actually blocking airflow on the high speed runs.
I have a buddy that was running a flex fan with an electric fan in the front. He had overheating issues and we narrowed it down to the two fans working against each other. It would not stay cool with either or so we installed a clutch fan and he only has to use electric fan when he grinds on something for awhile. The clutch fan seems to not work against the electric fan like the flex fan did.

I had this happen to me when I had the CJ... Threw the pos flex fan in the trash and installed a stock clutch fan. worlds of difference.

JWP · Mar 11, 2009

Are most people getting the Taurus fans from the junkyard or buying it at a parts house. What year models do you get the fans from?

cadpwrdyj · Mar 11, 2009

Mine is an AFCO 27 1/2 X 19 double pass with a Ford Focus Dual fan setup. Haven't run it at the peak of summer yet, but I was able to drive from Warrior to Fultondale (20 or so miles @ 75mph) on the interstate and the hottest it got was 190 in September. On the trails so far it still stays around 185-195.

John Galbreath Jr. · Mar 11, 2009

JWP said:
Are most people getting the Taurus fans from the junkyard or buying it at a parts house. What year models do you get the fans from?

Junk yard, mainly Pull-A-Part. I am not sure the years though. It is the three wire and you wire only the high speed side.

EOR MFG · Mar 11, 2009

The bonus to the taurus fans is there ability to act similar to a propeller, and actually move the vehicle in the event of combustion engine failure. :****:

But... they do work great for a low buget option.

BamaTJ · Mar 11, 2009

EOR MFG said:
The bonus to the taurus fans is there ability to act similar to a propeller, and actually move the vehicle in the event of combustion engine failure. :****:

But... they do work great for a low buget option.

So I installed a new guage and put the stock 195 tstat in. Also noticed that my WP was not running. blown fuse, and now it is super loud again like it was before it was rebuilt :gay:

It appears my fan is pulling the wrong way also. My radiator is mounted facing fwd, so the fan is on the back side next to the engine. I would assume that the fan should be pulling air from in front of the rig through the rad and not pushing air from the engine compartment back across the rad. I put a piece of paper in front of the radiator and it was being pushed towards the grill. Then I move the paper to the behind the fan and it sucked it down on the fan. This tells me the fan is pushing air from the engine compartment back across the radiator, which is bad.

blacksheep10 · Mar 11, 2009

Matt O. said:
So I installed a new guage and put the stock 195 tstat in. Also noticed that my WP was not running. blown fuse, and now it is super loud again like it was before it was rebuilt

It appears my fan is pulling the wrong way also. My radiator is mounted facing fwd, so the fan is on the back side next to the engine. I would assume that the fan should be pulling air from in front of the rig through the rad and not pushing air from the engine compartment back across the rad. I put a piece of paper in front of the radiator and it was being pushed towards the grill. Then I move the paper to the behind the fan and it sucked it down on the fan. This tells me the fan is pushing air from the engine compartment back across the radiator, which is bad.

exactly what I was suggesting, as it only heated up when your speed overtook the fan speed and deadlocked the air.