Dsm getting hot; Not over heating.

[subie22]

Ok i am having an issue, my car seems to be getting really hot. Not too sure why. I have replaced the thermostat about 6-8 months ago. Replaced the radiator from a junkyard. I have one fan hardwired, so it always on. I only running one fan. I've had this issue before and i am still unable to figure it out. I was told i should put another fan and run that constantly like the other one. I even replaced my intercooler with sbr street kit. So i am running out of ideas. Only thing next to do is buy punishment racing aluminum rad with twin slim fans. I am not having any issues with headgasket or water pump. I have no oil in my coolant or vice versa. When i am driving locally and not on the highway, and not to long of a trip its fine. But once i cruise for like 30mins and getting into boost hear and there it gets hot. My a/f ratios seem to be good. I am not running lean. At wide open throttle i am at 10:8 or so. I have a aem uego wideband. I personally think its because i am running one fan. And my rad is probably not getting enough air. So any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I haven't done a compression check recently but when i did have one done it was 144 across the board. I also have a mitsu multilayer headgasket, with arp hardware.

 

[forcefed4]

Did you by any chance pick up a N/T radiator?

 

[subie22]

umm actually it prob isnt, i figured they are the same. Is that true or no. Since finding parts at a local junkyard for a turbo dsm is pretty rare.. I highly doubt i got one for a turbo dsm.

 

[BrokenTsi]

for a 1g they are the same. Try replacing the radiator cap with a 16lb unit from advanced auto parts. The part number wont show up on the computer, but if you look on the shelf, you'll find a round one that will fit and the last 2 part numbers will be 16.

 

[subie22]

i think i have a stock 13psi cap on it, i dont want to blow off rad hose's because of the extra psi. Would that make a difference.
What temperture should i get.?
I also figured that all 1g rads where the same.

 

[BrokenTsi]

You wont blow off radiator hoses. Its worth a shot. I used to overheat alot during WOT. It wouldnt hurt to try it.

 

[subie22]

i will give it a shot with a 16psi rad cap. I dont think its a good idea to take out the thermostat. I would like to find out the issue. Brokentsi did that work for you when you replaced the rad cap.?

 

[Pirrofab]

vinny it just occured to me how hot it would get when you first got it with the 9 pound cap on it and old thermostat. we went to a higher cap and a new thermo and it got better replaced the rad and it got better new intercooler and it got better the previous post from BrokenTsi about the 16 pound cap sounds like something worth while to look into but I'm not so sure about removing the t- stat completly, take it out and try it temporarily and see how it gets, we could always drill small bypass holes in the t-stat just to help things out.

vinny remember watchin my temp gauge? it gets toasty when I boost it hard for a few miles but cools right down when the fan kicks on or just drive it normally, Not that it has anything to do with it but when we talk about overheating issues it makes me wonder why Phil put t-bolt clamps on the upper rad hose before I owned my talon.

 

[ilikespeeding]

Ok i am having an issue, my car seems to be getting really hot. Not to sure why. I have replaced the thermostate about 6-8 months ago. Replaced the radiator from a junkyard. I have one fan hardwired, so it always on. I only running one fan. I've had this issue before and i am still unable to figure it out. I was told i should put another fan and run that constantly like the other one. I even replaced my intercooler with sbr street kit. So i am running out of ideas. Only thing next to do is buy punishment racing aluminum rad with twin slim fans. I am not having any issues with headgasket or water pump. I have no oil in my coolant or vice versa. When i am driving locally and not on the highway, and not to long of a trip its fine. But once i cruise for like 30mins and getting into boost hear and there it gets hot. My a/f ratios seem to be good. I am not running lean. At wide open throttle i am at 10:8 or so. I have a aem uego wideband. I personally think its because i am running one fan. And my rad is probally not getting enough air. So any ideas would be greatly appreicated. I havent done a compression check recently but when i did have one done it was 144 accross the board. I also have a mitsu multilayer headgasket, with arp hardware.

I'd make sure there is no way the air from the intercooler can get around the radiator. From there, I'd buy a radiator and fan package. I think I saw one for $200. Im not sure where; I already have both. Add more water to your fluid. Does it overheat less when you are running your heater? If not, check your themostat again. Im guessing you ditched your condenser? If not, there's your problem.

 

[absolute_DSM]

Id look out for the water pump. I could go WOT all day with a 180* thermo and stock rad with a good water pump.

 

[subie22]

casey, want to replace a waterpump with me. I am gonna replace the thermostat, make some ducting, and also replace it with a 16psi rad cap. But i have a feeling its either a water pump or headgasket.

when i was bleeding the system it was low. Added more coolant, but i dont think it was mixed, correct me if i am wrong bleedingsilver. I think that was straight coolant.

 

[steelzeus]

Water transfers heat better than coolant does, so try it with a 50/50 mix and report back.

 

[NB4G63T]

I've been fighting a over heating problem for sometime now. To rule out the water pump I would take out the thermostat and run the car(easy not pounding it) and see if the temp gage stays real low while driving. Feel both rad hoses and your rad to see if there hot. If the rad is hot and the hoses are both hot you know the pumps working and the rads not clogged.
FYI I put a new thermostat in a couple of months ago and it turned out to be faulty, just started to open at 210. So with that said I could drive all day(both fans on) and not heat up until I started boosting hard. But idling it would always be warm 206ish. I know I have a 2G with a front mount and there alot worse for over heating But the above idea to rule out the pump & therm still applies.

 

[madmike]

Is it actually overheating or is the temp sending unit bad?

 

[subie22]

thats also another good question i rele dont know if its over heating, i'm not spitting out coolant when it does get a lil toasty.

should there be coolant in the thermostat housing even if the car isnt on, It seems to be dry nothing in there when i open it. But the resivoir is full.. I dont get it.

update, i just went to bleed the system again, and it seems like the lower rad hose has very little pressure in it, and also its not very hot at like the upper rad hose is. So this should help you guys figure something out.

also, when i bleeding the system, i noticed it had a lil oil in there, and little black specs floating around. I think i may have found my overheating issue. Is it normal to have very little oil in the coolant, i am talking very little. I didnt notice alot of it, just a lil bit. I guess i have to do a compression check and see. But do you guys think my headgasket went bye bye. I;ve had this issue for like 6months, but it would never get to the hot just right before it.

 

[hpexperts]

Is it actually overheating or is the temp sending unit bad?

to check that u need to use an infra red thermometer and point it at the sending unit and see what the temp read out is. is should be close to what the gauge is telling u or what u get off the data logging.

 

[Steelnation36]

i had this problem or a similar one i did the 50/50 mix and it fixed it until i replaced some parts. I still think that 50/50 mix is a band aid though

 

[sillyme]

I hope you're bleeding the system after the car warms up. If not that would explain the difference in temp for the upper and lower rad. hose

 

[subie22]

the way i bleed the system, is i open the cap, let it bubble as much as it can then sqeeze the rad hose until i see no bubbles. I just dont understand why the lower rad hose isnt hot.

 

[vancitydsm]

the lower rad hose will not be as hot as the upper rad hose.. but if its barely warm compared to a hot upper then u have a circulation problem, many would quickly point to the thermostat, and they would have good intention on doing so because ultimately it does control how much cold water goes to the radiator.... yes i know what i just said " it keeps cold water from going to the radiator".. i said earlier to remove your thermostat yes, not as a quick fix but to check one thing off the list, if no more overheating then i would suggest replacing your thermostat..the sign of oil in the coolant could mean a head gasket i hope its not though.. here is a list of things you should do prior to ## next post..

Try to add some water to your antifreeze
Bleed your system with your air temp to hot(fan doesn't have to be on)
Check for leaks daily ( especially after a long drive )
check for excessive white smoke coming from tailpipe
check oil for milkiness
Check your reservoir after a drive is it full ?

 

[subie22]

yea my lower rad hose rele isnt very hot, i am expecting it to be close to the temp of the upper. I also noticed that my resivor is always full, but when i open the cap its usally empty, I dont know if should be full to the top when i open it but its usually not. Also when am driving around town its fine. But once i start cruising on the highway around 60+ plus miles an hour and driving for a half hour or so it gets toasty and wont come done.

Am i bleeding it correctly. This is driving me nuts. I dont think i could of blown a mitsu multi layer headgasket.

 

[vancitydsm]

change / take out thermostat.. and replace rad cap.. both cheap to do

 

[NB4G63T]

MLS are still proned to having trouble, there not indestructible. If your losing some coolant and It not leaking..... I would suspect the HG. You'd be fine with a OEM composite
(stock) HG.

 

[subie22]

well if im gonna do a hg, im prob going to put in a 4 layer metal gasket.

 

[SnowBird]

That is the same way I bleed my cooling system in the DSM, I would only agree with these other guys about your temp sensor, is the water boiling or really overheating? Does it run sluggish when it heats up? I wouldnt run without a thermostat all the time, I did that in an old ass RX7 I had and it stayed so cool it ran pig rich all the time.

As for your fan hotwired, I live in FL and I have my AC fan removed and my temp guage never goes past halfway with one fan. Good luck, I had the similiar problem in the RX7 mentioned above and after replacing sensors, radiator, waterpump, thermostat (no thermostat) and fan clutch, I still never figured out what was wrong with the damn thing.

I feel ya man, very agitating.