Can't seem to keep it cool!

[RipperXX]

Ok so if you review my profile you will see my setup. So far it's only a real problem in town. Although it's a little warm on the highway it's not THAT bad, but in town it does begin to become a problem. I am trying to keep the temps at or below 203*F in town. But in town if I don't keep both fans on it will get up to and sometimes above 220*F. Also I have removed the A/C, which by the way the only way I can have both fans on is to turn on the interior fan, and hit the A/C button which then turns on both fans even though the A/C has been removed.

Far as keeping the engine cool I will list exactly the steps I have taken
- Custom exhaust manifold cover
- Custom lower turbo cover
- Koyo radiator
- Coolant mix (70% water 30% antifreeze + water wetter)
- Removed A/C

Only other things I know to try is a high pressure radiator cap, but I only see that maybe helping when it's getting above the boiling point.

 

[nuclearr]

Have you changed your thermostat?

 

[RipperXX]

It's not stuck if thats what your hinting at, it's the stock temp range btw. Why?

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

Sounds like you have a fan/radiator problem (overheating at low speeds/idle). If both fans are on and it's not doing anything, have your radiator checked, it could be plugged.

 

[RipperXX]

I had it checked a while back.



Maybe I caused confusion earlier, it does not go above 200*F at idle, it only starts to heat soak at low speeds in stop and go type driving. At which point i have to turn on both fans via turning on the interior fan and hit the A/C switch. Once both fans are on then it cool off to sub 200*F temps. The only other thing I know two do is build an air dam off the lower radiator support and put on a high pressure radiator cap. But I don't feel this will help much with my problem since it's more about lack of air at low speeds.

 

[bboyalan]

Wow, you've done everything that I would've suggested and am currently/partially employing. I use the A/C Switch on really hot days or bumper-to-bumper traffic spots.

My only other suggestions are creating some additional ducting as you've said and possibly a vented hood. A lower temperature thermostat would only initially help, and the coolant would eventually reach operating temperatures. If you're really crazy, you could hack up your front bumper.. but your car is really clean as-is.

For comparison, I've been able to get my VR-4 to stay at ~175* on average and ~185* during our heatwave 90+ days. I have the same coolant setup as you, 170* thermostat [180 stock], 1.3bar cap, and a Deftracing 575 hood. THEN AGAIN, I went with upgraded SMIC's over a FMIC for this very reason. I will also be dropping in an aluminum radiator this summer for extra cooling.

Another suggestion would be temperature-triggered sensors/switches for your fans.

 

[snowborder714]

My cooling system kicks ass

If you don't mind spending a bit of money and doing some modifications to parts, you can have the same as I do. I rarely see over 190*. I haven't had a chance to check the temp after a 20 minute road racing session however. I also have an SSAC FMIC in front of the radiator, but no A/C condenser in between the two.

My setup includes:
-Koyo radiator
-Flex-a-lite 220 dual electric fans (bought from Summit racing and had to modify to fit radiator because I didn't want to spend $100+ more dollars for the Eclipse specific model)
-Dakota Digital fan controller
-Power Enterprise 1.3 bar cap
-Stock radiator hoses
-70/30 mix with a bottle of Water Wetter

 

[My1GLaser]

You will need to make ducting if you took out the black plastic piece when you installed your FMIC.

Try the 170* thermostat. I switched from the 185* with two 1/4" holes drilled in it to the 170* last week and my temps are at least 20* lower right now.

Go to Adv Auto and buy their fan controller in the aftermarket fan section. I think mine is "Imperial" brand or something. The $65 version has all the wiring, relay, variable temp controller, and brass thread-in-radiator temp sensor made into one kit. It can control 2 fans, but you have to get a separate in-line fuse holder for the hot wire to that fan, which is only a couple bucks.

I have been running it for over a year, and I like that I can change the fan kick-on temp in the summer and winter to keep it at about 175* all year long.

 

[bboyalan]

Well I'm glad that we all concur with similar results.

 

[RipperXX]

So what your all saying is I need a fan controller?

I noticed JMF race bumper support, so I am going to order it, take out my hacked up stock bumper and replace it with the JMF piece. Once I do that there will be room to cut the underside of the top of the mouth. I am NOT cutting a giant box shaped hole in the bumper cover like some have. Instead I am hoping I can gain flow to the FMIC and radiator both by cutting the top underside of the mouth out. So it's not really noticeable to anyone but lets air go up and into the bumper cover. Because as it sits right now the air comes stright in and threw the mouth but thats it, it doesn't really go up to the rest of the FMIC or radiator.

So I am going to try that, i'll get a 10* cooler thermostat and a high pressure cap. I already have two FAL 12" fans wired up like the OEM fans. Not sure if they pull as much as the OEM fans though. I noted the 16" FAL fan moves 2,000cfm where as the 12" fans only moves like 1035cfm difference is 9am draw vs 11amps for the 16"

IF there is enough room after removeing the actual OEM bumper then I am thinking about trying to get some sheets of aluminum and make some kind of ducting....hard to get time away from the wife to actually do this shit though

 

[My1GLaser]

So what your all saying is I need a fan controller?

That's one of the main problems, since the stock thermoswitch doesn't kick on the fans until near 200.*

IF there is enough room after removeing the actual OEM bumper then I am thinking about trying to get some sheets of aluminum and make some kind of ducting....hard to get time away from the wife to actually do this shit though

I don't know if you had a chance to look thru this thread. http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/turbo-system-tech/245981-fmic-ducting.html I did something similar, except there really wasn't any need for the sides, since the my fmic fit very close to the rad support.

Also, there are small pieces of Al sheeting on either side of the fmic in the front to keep air from going around it. Its kind of hard to tell but they are fastened in the back "slit" of the black piece of the bumper and then taper back toward the face of the fmic. I hope that makes sense...If I had any skills in MS paint I could have drawn arrows on the pic.

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

If I can keep my 63t cool using an aluminum honda radiator with a 1200cfm slimline, I don't see why you would be having a problem with a radiator twice the size and double the fans. You have a problem somewhere else if the radiator checked out. Have you flushed your heater core lately? Headgasket good? Your alternator dieing out and not putting out enough power to the fans at low rpms?

 

[Dsmj89]

Have you thought about just removing the thermostat for good ?
I would also suggest running 2 pusher fans in front of the radiator to help keep the temps cooler.

 

[RipperXX]

-- Removing the thermostat is a no no in my book.

-- The altinator is a new mitsu unit

-- And concerning why your honda radiator works and mine doesn't duno, only idea I would have there is that the thing is so thick etc. that it's not getting the airflow it needs at low speeds. I mean my FMIC is 3.5" thick that thing practically stops the air.

Also the water pump was replaced a few years ago and the car hasn't been driven a whole lot since. The car did over heat last year which warped the head and resulted in a blown HG but the HG was replaced and the head surfaced so it's all good now, not burning coolant anymore etc.

 

[T9S1i]

besides the obvious things posted above, which are all good advice. I would go ahead and replace your rad. cap and thermostat just to be safe, its a cheap fix and could potentially be the problem.

If all else fails, test your coolant for hc's and see if your head gasket is leaking at all.

 

[RipperXX]

If it were leaking though, wouldn't it either burn coolant or push it? Cause it does neither...




Thanks for the advice though guys, I am going to try my idea on the bumper, as well as build ducting like posted in the link above, a 19psi radiator cap and 10* cooler thermostat. If that doesn't resolve it then I may try a fan controller. I think the bumper mods and ducting will do the trick, though it could very well be the thermostat. I got to thinking about it. and when the head was resurfaced etc. The thermostat I had in it then (was 10* cooler than stock) got replaced with oem temp. *shrug*

 

[PIMking]

cant you control when the fans kick on via dsmlink?

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

If it won't stay cool with both fans on already, a temp switch on the fans won't do anything to help you. If you're up for it, take your bumper off and go for a drive and see if it overheats then. If it doesn't, then you'll know 100% that it's an airflow problem and it's time to start building dams and ducts. If it still overheats, then you have a coolant or coolant flow problem.

 

[KFT0001]

Sounds like there's a problem somewhere there. My setup was very similar, except for only one fan. Never any issues in regular driving. I did duct my FMIC to my radiator after a few hot road racing sessions, and since then it's maintained around 200*F through the hard driven 20 minute sessions.

Maybe try a chemical coolant flush if the fluid had been previously neglected for a while. There may be rust/lime deposits lowering the heat transfer.

 

[RipperXX]

ok I duno why some of you keep thinking it wont stay cool with both fans on. It will but I don't feel I should have to run both fans all the time in town to keep it cool. especially since the way I have both kick on is via turning on the a/c switch (theres no A/C on the car) which results in warm/hot air blowing though the vents making me even hotter.

 

[My1GLaser]

I forgot to mention this fan mod. 1st Gen Cooling Fan Relay Bypass Mod At least when you run both fans you won't have to deal with hot air blowing in the cabin area.

Its very likely that 2 fans will always be necessary with a FMIC IMO. The 1g bumper cover just doesn't have a lot of room for airflow to the radiator compared to the 2g. Sh_t, I have 3 fans, but I only use the 3rd at the track in the summer.

 

[dsmfa9nutter]

ok I duno why some of you keep thinking it wont stay cool with both fans on. It will but I don't feel I should have to run both fans all the time in town to keep it cool. especially since the way I have both kick on is via turning on the a/c switch (theres no A/C on the car) which results in warm/hot air blowing though the vents making me even hotter.

The same advice still applies. It shouldn't be overheating with just one fan even. Most of the time the fan shouldn't be running when you're driving normally. You have an underlying problem and should follow the advice, then report back so we can help you more.