Improving on Engine Cooling.

[XfireZ51]

Ok guys. Car runs fine but last year at The Woodward Cruise, car began to overheat. We were c r a w l i n g in traffic. 1hr to go a mile. Decided to either replace with Fluidyne or clean it. What'dya guys think? Love it or list it?

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x198/Z51Xfire/Mobile%20Uploads/3F8726F8-D5B4-44AA-B6E4-ADBCAE6A59D7_zpskbf3oae8.jpg

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x198/Z51Xfire/Mobile%20Uploads/AA2254C0-1580-4937-B2ED-1BDA48BC1D70_zpsmlaneezs.jpg

[LGAFF]

looks like you had a dead cat or maybe a small dog....like a pug, stuck to the front of that thing

[mike100]

Get a radiator fin comb and go to town. That thing will cool fine when it isn't 40% plugged up.

Still, idling on a 90 degree day in traffic with the a/c on is going to run hot, especially if you are on black pavement (vs concrete road). The super heated road surface air, the oil cooler heat exchange, and a/c condensor heat can be a bit much. With reprogrammed fans and the ability to turn off the a/c, the stocker will work well enough.

I think it may be possible to never have to turn of the a/c with one of those 4 row aftermarket units, but I can't say for sure.

[XfireZ51]

Mike,

Not running A/C at the time. With all the cars around me, I'm sure the ambient temps were quite a bit higher than what the weather was. Sort of a micro version of Global Warming.

I power washed it and blew it out w compressed air as well as I could. I'm sure it will improve things considerably. Hopefully it won't take too long to go closed loop in cooler weather.

[Dynomite]

Excellent and Important Thread and photos :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Get a radiator fin comb and go to town. That thing will cool fine when it isn't 40% plugged up.

Still, idling on a 90 degree day in traffic with the a/c on is going to run hot, especially if you are on black pavement (vs concrete road). The super heated road surface air, the oil cooler heat exchange, and a/c condensor heat can be a bit much. With reprogrammed fans and the ability to turn off the a/c, the stocker will work well enough.

I think it may be possible to never have to turn of the a/c with one of those 4 row aftermarket units, but I can't say for sure.

Yep.....Like Mike says........you should straighten out some of those fins with a Radiator Comb :thumbsup:

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzcwWDM3MA==/$(KGrHqJ,!okE63(r0n(0BO+nhB6YWg~~60_12.JPG

Mike,
I power washed it and blew it out w compressed air as well as I could. I'm sure it will improve things considerably. Hopefully it won't take too long to go closed loop in cooler weather.

Be VERY CAREFUL when you use a Pressure Washer or Compressed Air on a radiator as that alone can damage the fins.

But you already know that as it appears the before and after photos had the same fin damage :handshak:

The radiator I cleaned just last week before I installed a radiator Debree Screen......had one of those small plastic grocery bags sucked up between the Oil Cooler and Radiator........you want the path below the Oil Cooler and Radiator totally clean so air can move under the oil cooler and up between the oil cooler and radiator as well.

It also is good to use Engine Degreaser on the Oil Cooler (and even Radiator) before you carefully use a pressure washer if oil has contaminated the fins as the oil collects the finer dust particles.

See Item #3 LT5 Added Systems (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-zr-1-discussion/2942569-tech-info-lt5-eliminated-systems.html#post1579114180)

[XfireZ51]

looks like you had a dead cat or maybe a small dog....like a pug, stuck to the front of that thing

Lee,

That was the Aqua ZR!

[XfireZ51]

Dyno,

Those pics are front and back not b4 and after.

[Dynomite]

Dyno,

Those pics are front and back not b4 and after.

That means you have fin damage on both sides which is unusual :D

[XfireZ51]

Altho I bought a fin comb, I conferred w Mr. Polatsidis today and we decided too many fins were compromised. Could be a great winter project to straighten all out but in the meantime I'm installing the Fluidyne. Much better shape and better chance of doing it one time.

[PhillipsLT5]

happy with my fluidyne for years in AZ, took Hib's advice, no buyer remorse

[XfireZ51]

Thx Phil. Good to know.

[Hog]

I had the 57 in a parade for Canada Day and with all that crawling around the old 283 got pretty warm. I had to do some neutral high idle/heater on action to cool her off. The strap in electric aux fan wasnt coming on. (It is easily removed for showing)

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb373/Paul_Schermerhorn/2014canadaday2_zps433113c1.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/Paul_Schermerhorn/media/2014canadaday2_zps433113c1.jpg.html)


Has anyone ever taken a peak inside the water jackets/ passages of an LT5? A little bit of buildup in the water jackets, coupled with some crud builtup outside the rad, along with some bent fins can all add up to cooling that is off nominal.

There doesnt appear to be the extra "cooling reserve" in the C4's that there is in other GM vehicles. It is a sports car, not a tow vehicle, and is designed as such.

[PhillipsLT5]

Thx Phil. Good to know.

Temps are cooler & when it gets hot, start moving and temps come down very quickly with alum.

[GOLDCYLON]

Temps are cooler & when it gets hot, start moving and temps come down very quickly with alum.

Yep

[XfireZ51]

Fluidyne is in, coolant in and the engine is burped. Pretty interesting that once temps get to where fans kick on, temps drop pretty quickly from 178F to 170F and then seem to stay there.

[PhillipsLT5]

Win/Win

[Hog]

The Fluidyne is a 9 core rad, 90-92 was 5 core and 93-96 was 7 core. Does this sentence seem correct?


Cheapest I found was $510.

They even do the old downflow rads, maybe on my next 57.

[Dynomite]

Fluidyne is in, coolant in and the engine is burped. Pretty interesting that once temps get to where fans kick on, temps drop pretty quickly from 178F to 170F and then seem to stay there.

Are we or were we talking about a ZR-1 with LT5? (If so, what year?)

Which Fluidyne Radiator did you install?
Did anything have to be modified for fit the Fluidyne Radiator in the ZR-1?
What is the source of your Fluidyne Radiator and how much did the Fluidyne Radiator cost?
Which thermostat are you using?
What are your Fan On and Off Settings?
What was the outside Air Temperature when your coolant dropped from 178F to 170F?
How did you know Coolant Temperature was 178F and 170F?
Was your AC ON and how fast were you traveling during this test/demonstration?

[XfireZ51]

Are we or were we talking about a ZR-1 with LT5? (If so, what year?)

Which Fluidyne Radiator did you install?
Did anything have to be modified for fit the Fluidyne Radiator in the ZR-1?
What is the source of your Fluidyne Radiator and how much did the Fluidyne Radiator cost?
Which thermostat are you using?
What are your Fan On and Off Settings?
What was the outside Air Temperature when your coolant dropped from 178F to 170F?
How did you know Coolant Temperature was 178F and 170F?
Was your AC ON and how fast were you traveling during this test/demonstration?

My 92Z
Not sure which Fluidyne other than it replaces stock C4 ZR radiator
No modification was required to make it fit. Shroud etc. all work as with stock.
Bought from Pete the Greek so maybe he can tell us what model it is. Believe it came from FUs car.
Thermo is 180
Fan On at 78C when under 12mph
Outside temps were in the low 80s
Car was in garage and idling. Ran up to 178d when fan kicked on. A/C was not on. Now that rad is replaced, I need to get A/C re-charged.

I may need to modify fan settings now that I have better cooling. Still want motor to maintain 80C temps enabling Closed Loop/Learn.

[PhillipsLT5]

The Fluidyne is a 9 core rad, 90-92 was 5 core and 93-96 was 7 core. Does this sentence seem correct?


Cheapest I found was $510.

They even do the old downflow rads, maybe on my next 57.

They were pricey, I think they are no longer making them for LT5

[Paul Workman]

The discussion surrounding radiators brings to mind something a (Kankakee area) radiator shop owner told me once - who was building a replacement radiator for a '52 vintage antique Farmal M tractor for me, as it were. He told me he could build me a radiator for just about any application for less than what you pay for those "highly advertised" custom radiators.

Up until recently, I never thought about doing a Group Purchase with one of those shops. But, now that Dom brought it (cooling) up again... Hmmmm.... Mebby I'll swing by and get some more information on the custom radiator approach, and costs/group buys. ("Stay tuned to this station for new developments".)

Paul.

[edram454]

interested. I am in south florida and so far I have not had any problems with heating since I have a manual switch for my fans but down here you cant ever be too prepared.

ed ramos #3028