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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 04:19
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in brisbane's heat today my poor 18RC-T is suffering.
the guage is at 3/4 on the guage, and under the bonnet is very, very hot - even the strut tower near the carbi/turbo is too hot to touch
it usually only gets to that territory when giving it serious stick going up long, steep hills - but this is daytime driving ;(
i know its >35 with serious humidity but this is a bit too hot for anyone's comfort (i can't keep the aircon going as the gauge keeps climbing)
what's worrying me is that the top hose is not under serious pressure just after turningthe motor off (i can squeeze it) - this ain't normal, right?
advice most welcome..
background info: radiator is a 3 core (about 4 weeks old), water pump is new, cap is new, coolant is tectalloy 90, thermostat is a new 82 degree unit, engine sounds fine tho the oil's pretty runny from the heat, uses 2 x 10" themo fans behind radiator
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 07:13
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hi blake,
i'll pull the plugs tonite and see what's happening in the combust chamber - this RA40 has never handled the heat as well as my old RA23 - tho i guess the water-cooled turbo does thro a curly one at the cooling system.
i've got a comp tester somewhere and i can re-charge the battery overnite if it's cranked too much.
i'll also have a another look at the fans - the original 14" used to blow a gale thru the engine bay and out under the sides of the car - the two 10" are not pushing the air that far...
btw: i got a few sensors from the toyota wreckers plus a thermo housing with extra sensor port - that'll be on sometime this week
bte 2: have welder to fix the exhaust leaks
i might take you up on that - to discuss opening up holes for fresh air - tho the bonnet's a last resort. i was thinking of:
opening up space where bumper-bar mounts go thru front wall (discussed prev.)
a hole in wheel arch to the air cleaner - a proper cold-air-only induction system.
i might first mockup the vents in photoshop to see what the bonnet might look like - got a link to what XA vents look like? or will most XA's have em?
ta.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 07:28
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they good bug catchers too? 
seriously, is the back of the vent directly open to atmos - or does it do a bit of a curve/loop to trap water and foreign objects?
oh, how much to rare spares charge for 'em
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 07:44
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go to the swap meet next weekend at redbank plains. Im pretty sure youll find something pretty damn cheap
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 07:47
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can you PM the location? if it's running i might - tho am not a big fan of excessive door prices... U were going with a box of pistons??
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 08:42
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door prices are about $5 i think 
Toowoomba was only that or less from memory. its not a car show as such. im taking a heap of crap there - radiators, intake manifold, pistons, heads, a lot of shit i dont need  ill take whatever i can get for it, am not wanting to come home with anything 
Was just thinking about your cooling setup, and im wondering if that shroud that is covering your rad could be interfering with head transfer out of the radiator fins? As it is enclosed so much, and the fans are flush anyway? just a thought, as i noticed how much area it had covered...i am beginning to think 2 BIG fans is your only option. One on the inside sucking and vice versa. With bonnet vents, there is no way that thing should overheat/run hot.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 09:05
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| V8_MA61 wrote on Sat, 14 February 2004 18:42 |
door prices are about $5 i think
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that's a reasonable fee - where do i head?
| Quote: |
Was just thinking about your cooling setup, and im wondering if that shroud that is covering your rad could be interfering with head transfer out of the radiator fins? As it is enclosed so much, and the fans are flush anyway?
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the entire back of the radiator is covered - all the air has to go out the fans - the box they're mounted on shifts them off the fins by about 25-30mm. Was advised by western suburbs radiators to do that.
when fans turn on, the only place they get air from is thru the radiator.
but now i'm thinking that with two fans (one CraigDavies, the other supacrap) with different flow rates, the stronger one will scavange air thru the weaker?
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just a thought, as i noticed how much area it had covered...i am beginning to think 2 BIG fans is your only option. One on the inside sucking and vice versa. With bonnet vents, there is no way that thing should overheat/run hot.
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i've still got a 14" CraigDavies plus a 10" off a nissan something from ABC wreckers.
i think one plan is to:
put the 14" on the back of the new shroud in the centre
mount the thinner 10" on the front iof everything - running both off the thermo switch and the a/c over-riding the thermo.
mind you, none of this will solve a pressure-leak related problem
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 09:42
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[quote title=thechuckster wrote on Sat, 14 February 2004 19:05
the entire back of the radiator is covered - all the air has to go out the fans - the box they're mounted on shifts them off the fins by about 25-30mm. Was advised by western suburbs radiators to do that.
when fans turn on, the only place they get air from is thru the radiator.
but, perhaps the fans arent strong enough to cover the whole radiator with that big shroud?
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 09:52
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what i meant was, have the 14" on the inside of the car. And the two tens on the outside of the condensor. Either this or, go back to a clutch fan and put a 14" on the front/ two tens..whichever fits better...
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sat, 14 February 2004 13:50
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OK ... compression test is OK:
dry: 150/140/150/150
wet: 150/140/150/155 (probably not enuf oil for all of them?)
all readings are psi and were after 4 compression strokes of target cylinder
the plugs were a burning OK but running rich (insulators were light brown to white, with black shadows, but backs of electrode and metal parts down inside plug were black, with no 2 having the most carbon coating. no eveidence of serious detonation and pinging (spots and burnt on crap). No evidence of burning oil and you can still see clean machining marks on the bores when looking thru plug holes.
so the valves/rings likely to fail first will be 2?
but i think i can rule out something happeni=ng in the combustion chamber.
except that running rich will make more heat and will also explain why the exhaust manifold is getting red hot where the ports 2 & 3 join up with 1, just before the turbo (which is between 3 & 4. i think that's the greatest collission point for host gasses and unburnt fuel or carbon-rich gasses.
next stop - flush the cooling system (again) and check the fans.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sun, 15 February 2004 05:57
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i realise its new, but have you checked the flow of the radiator? I.e take the hoses off and put a hose running through both the bottom and top holes? it needs to be done both ends to test the rad is clean and flows correctly. Have you also flushed out the heater core?
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sun, 15 February 2004 08:09
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hi blake, hope you had a good time at Redbank?
i've got the rad/manifold out now and will check the rad for flow - it sure drained quick when i removed the bottom hose
i'll do both as last time i flushed it on was on a farm so the water pressure was low.
i must have been really slack with tightening of bolts/nuts last time it was in bits - i'm short one nut on the back of the turbo, two nuts/bolts from the manifold-turbo flange, the clamp around the wastgate had worked loose (i remember doing that one tight) ... oh i'm short a few rubber rings on the exhaust system. 
i do recall the odd metalic thud whiledriving around recently - i figured i'd run over or flicked up a stone ... 
... so i'll be off to repco after work one day this week
the turbo/exhaust is coated with carbon so it's running way too rich - i'll see if the RWC mechanic can organise a tune with an AFR meter.
havn't found anything indicating a fluid leak in the cooling system yet ;(
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sun, 15 February 2004 10:57
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redbank is next weekend mate
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
February 2003
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Re: cooling/overheating query
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Sun, 15 February 2004 11:06
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well in that case, if yor heading past this way, can i grab a lift (seeing as the car has no induction system atall) 
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
June 2003
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