Help A Broke Dsm Tuner!!!

[INNERCIRCLERACI]

I Have Been Searching For Low Profile Radiator Fans. The Best One That I Have Found That Best Fits My Needs Is The Blue Flex-a-lite Fan. But It Is Running $300+. And I Am A Tuner On A Budget So Any Help With Finding A Site Or Seller For That Fan Or Any Other Well Performing Fan Would Be Extremely Appreciated.

 

[95blackGsTurbo]

First off there is no need to capitalize the first letter of every word. Secondly if you are looking for slimline radiator fans you aren't going to find them for very cheap. Your best bet is to search for slimline fans on ebay. Can I ask what the purpose of these is? You don't need them unless you are installing a turbo kit and if your car is overheating it won't be because of the fans on a 2gb. Thier overheating issues were relatively small. Just wondering what was the purpose of buying these. The only way you will find them for cheaper than that is A) ebay or 2) the classifieds on here.

 

[INNERCIRCLERACI]

Alright, alright. I accidentally left the caps lock on. Anyways I am planning on turbo charging my car in the future. But for now I do have over heating issues. She overheats when I have the ac on. That is only when I am driving in hot weather. It sounds stupid, I admit but no other car that I have owned before had this problem. So if my cooling system is fine then whats the deal?

 

[Vallary99]

I had the exact same problem. IMO, don't slack on the fans. Even though the Flex-a-Lite fans are expensive (and it took me a year to get them) they are COMPLETELY worth it. I love my fans and it solved my overheating issue. I had cheap slim-line fans before the FAL ones and they didn't help at all. Don't settle when it comes to your fans.

 

[ddavisaf]

Try replacing the thermostat, flushing the radiator, replacing the rad cap, and checking your hoses for damage. Also, run a compression test after all of these things have been either replaced or checked.
Make sure both fans are coming on with the AC on.
Don't try and mask the problem with new fans, lets get it fixed first, then if you need some hardcore 300 dollar a piece fans go for it.

 

[INNERCIRCLERACI]

No, one of the fans (driver side) does not fire up at all. I knew that was a problem in the first place and I figured if Im replacing the fans I might as well do it right. But $300 is steep as hell!! The radiator is a new oe (I do plan on buying a koyo they are about $100 all day everyday on ebay), and I have been concidering the thermostat. Where could I find a good 185-195 degree thermostat??

 

[siceclipse]

Auto Zone
Napa
Pep Boys


Take your pick

 

[ddavisaf]

Low coolant levels. Top up your overflow bottle. There should always be coolant in the bottle. If your system is perpetually low on coolant, your bottle isn't big enough.
Your overflow bottle is not allowing coolant back in. Check the overflow bottle still has a hose leading to the bottom of the bottle. The system must be able to draw coolant back in.
Flush your radiator. Old coolant (or a clogged radiator) could be the problem.
Try adding some Water Wetter or RMI-25 to aid cooling. Note that some of these products promote corrosion to a small degree.
Your radiator cap might be old, and leaking too easily. Try a 16 lb radiator cap from a Nissan 300Z TT. Watch out - you might blow old heater or coolant hoses with the higher pressure, so be careful, or replace your hoses beforehand.
Your fans might not be running. Replace the fan temperature switch at the bottom of the radiator.
Try a 90/10 to 70/30 water/antifreeze mix. More water leads to more cooling, but easier freezing and more corrosion.
Replace your thermostat.
Try a 180 degC Mitsubishi thermostat. It is part number MD997607.
Try running with no thermostat. If you still overheat, the problem is probably not in your cooling system per se; probably your difficulty is airflow through the radiator.
Wire both fans to run simultaneously. Obviously this only works if you have an secondary (air conditioning) fan to hotwire.
Run both fans permanently. That is, wire them to be always on. Note that the driver's side of the radiator probably doesn't cool as much as passenger side, because of where the radiator inlet and outlet are placed.
Remove the rear hood weatherstripping. Or, shim the rear hood hinges to raise the rear hood edge about 1/4-1/2". This promotes airflow out of the engine bay.
Install better fans. There are "high-performance" models available - get the ones with the best airflow.
Try shrouded fans instead of unshrouded fans. Shrouded fans seem to cool better.
Install some ducting to force incoming air into radiator. This mostly works only if you are having problems only when driving at highway speeds.
Install some high-temperature weatherstripping on top of radiator to try and force more air through it.
Open up front bumper fascia to allow more air flow to radiator.
Replace or upgrade the radiator. Fluidyne and Arizona Performance make upgrade models. You can try to get your radiator cleaned (or "rodded out") if you want to.
Install an external oil cooler to try and lose some heat that way. Leave a gap between the oil cooler and the radiator, if possible.
Wrap the water pipe near the turbo with heat wrap or jet hot/ceramic coat it.
If you have the air conditioning still in, remove the A/C condensor.
Maybe the water pump belt is slipping.
Install a new water pump.
Check your crankshaft pulley has not separated.
Check that your A/C refrigerant level is correct. Only applies if the A/C causes the overheating.
If all else fails, maybe a leaking headgasket is the problem.

 

[ddavisaf]

I meant to give you this list earlier.

Every single remotely possible minor fix known to man concerning overheating.

 

[oldman]

No, one of the fans (driver side) does not fire up at all. I knew that was a problem in the first place and I figured if Im replacing the fans I might as well do it right. But $300 is steep as hell!! The radiator is a new oe (I do plan on buying a koyo they are about $100 all day everyday on ebay), and I have been concidering the thermostat. Where could I find a good 185-195 degree thermostat??

Just search around junk yard and pick up an used one for $20, you don't need an aftermarket fan for your setup now, spend the $20 and keep your options open.

ddavisaf, I think you should spend sometime reorganizing the last thread and turn it into a tech article.

 

[INNERCIRCLERACI]

I agree thats some good stuff. it could be useful to alot of people. i just came acrossed another person with the same problem in a 95 gsx.

 

[ddavisaf]

ddavisaf, I think you should spend sometime reorganizing the last thread and turn it into a tech article.

It's in the engine section now. Let me know if I need to reword anything. I just kinda spaced it out and hurried it up since I'm leaving work soon.

 

[Nanan]

I have helped several DSMers with overheating issues and so far 5 of the 7 with non-blown headgaskets had problems due to a clogged radiator.

Water is water right? No wrong. Do NOT use water out of the hose in your cooling system EVER. Unconditioned non-deionized water will calcify the internals of the radiator quicker then shit. The build up of calcium will drastically reduce the heat transfer ability of the radiator.

To help cure the problem with out just replacing the radiator outright do the following.

Remove radiator from vehicle and remove the fans from the radiator.
Dump out all of the coolant.
Mix up 1 bottle of CLR in 2 gallons of DI(reverse osmosis) water.
Lay the radiator face down so the inlet/outlets are facing up.
Put the CLR/Water solution in the radiator and let it sit for 2-3 hours, setting it in the sunlight or a warm place will help with removing the gunk as heat accelerates chemical reactions.
Dump out the Solution, it should look murky brown.
Flush the radiator out with several gallons of DI water.
Reinstall the fans and put the radiator back in car.
Put a 1 gal bottle of radiator fluid in the radiator and fill with DI water.
Start the engine and leave the radiator cap off.
Once the engine gets up to opperating temp the thermostat will open and you should see the coolant level drop, add more water until it is full, squeeze the upper radiator hose a few times to purge bubbles.
Turn off the car and watch the coolant level drop again, add more water.

Wala, you now have a nice cleaned out radiator and a properly purged coolant system.