Radiator Overheating

XanderWiFi · 07-04-2010, 11:50 PM

Yes, the title is redundant-I am aware. I was looking at the "cooling fans not working properly" thread and I did not want to hi-jack his post and I do believe my issue might be different, if I have one at all. But lately, I've been working on Angel a lot more and I've noticed that when I open the hood she is hot as hell. Redundant-yes. But really hot, especially the area above the radiator-as in the prop rod is too hot to hang onto it feels like sometimes.

The highest my temp guage goes is almost the 3/4 range. Not in the red or anything, but when I see it climbing my butt starts to pucker a bit. And this is not during hard driving or anything, just regular city driving and I rarely go above 2-2.5k rpm so I baby her.

So my thoughts: I have yet to check the coolant level and will have to wait for her to cool down to do so. What is the most accurate way to accomplish this other than eyeballing the reservoir?

Ion, you said we can reset the coolant flow temp on our PCM with the hptuner right? Would this be a viable option?

Lastly, El Paso summer is hot as hell and I imagine the vehicles simply run a lot hotter based on the number of cars on the side of the road. But I want to keep my gal in a healthy range. So I bring it back to the discussion of emplying an oil and transmission cooler to assist?

I'm open to ideas and suggestions.

Weazel · 07-05-2010, 02:11 AM

Mine will go up to 3/4 in city driving, but I also have weak anti-freeze feed and a leak around the belt that I can only assume is because of a faulty water pump. The annoying part is it gets sprayed around by hitting the pullies so it's hard to pinpoint where it's coming from. As far as the fans go, I doubt they'd help that much if at all

widbyj · 07-05-2010, 03:47 AM

HPTuner can modify all of the temp/fan settings desired. My Malibu used to always run at 3/4 also no matter what - recent GM engines do tend to run warmer.

Engine oil cooler would not hurt but involves a fair bit of work to do right.

Improving the cooling for an auto trans is fairly straightforward and can extend life. Put the add-on cooler before the radiator so it gets cooler air.

Flex-A-Lite makes a dual-fan slimline setup that fits perfectly behind the radiator in these cars and gives much better airflow. This can be wired to be controlled by the factory harness.

XanderWiFi · 07-05-2010, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by widbyj

Flex-A-Lite makes a dual-fan slimline setup that fits perfectly behind the radiator in these cars and gives much better airflow. This can be wired to be controlled by the factory harness.

Advanced fans? Think andysautosport would have them?

I just can't help but wonder if the 100+ temps here in Texas play the predominant part. When my fans do kick on I see a visible temp lowering.

widbyj · 07-05-2010, 02:05 PM

Don't know about Andy's, this is the one I used IIRC -- http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-420/
kinda pricey but REALLY moves the air. Measure first to make sure, on mine it pretty well just wedged in there without need for any fancy brackets or anything. I added a seperate temp controller also but that may be overkill. To play it safe use the factory wiring to run relays which will allow the fans to draw power directly from the batteries.

XanderWiFi · 07-07-2010, 12:52 PM

So I just took a looksy at my radiator reservoir. Doesn't even appear that there is any coolant extra in there so I am going to add some and see how it looks. Any contraindications to the reservoir being a little over the cool line limit? Not that I would do it purposely but it's kinda hard to see and measure.

widbyj · 07-07-2010, 01:57 PM

That tank needs to be filled properly to prevent air bubbles and get proper flow. The cap must seal tight to keep the pressure up. These cars are designed to run hot and MUST have a good coolant blend - plain water is NOT good enough. I'd suggest a good flushing/cleaning of the cooling system and refill with new Dex.

lord2heart · 07-07-2010, 03:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XanderWiFi

Any contraindications to the reservoir being a little over the cool line limit?

i'l say what i said in the other thread. nothing really, just dont over fill it a ton. little bit should be fine

Redog · 07-07-2010, 08:13 PM

I will say a thubs up for the Flex-a-Lite fans.

I don't have these in my Alero, but I did have a single 1,900 CFM puller in my Delta and it works AWESOME!! The only downside was that it was a little loud