my car wont cool down, i have already replaced teh water pump with a high flow one, replaced the thermostat, checked the fan it works great, water flows through the radiator, new 3 row radiator. the next thing im going to do is remove my front ground effect its brand new bought it from classic industries. sits a little lower than oems. im thinking it is creating like an air pocket right before the radiator and its not getting an air because i can sit in the drive way all day long and the car will stay at 170 no problem even with the a/c on. if i drive down the highway any where above 50mph i can watch my temp go up. i have already taken out the fog lights and put air ducts to the radiator that didnt really help out. then i cutted out a 2in by 13in whole in my ground effect seemed to slow it down but still heats up. i dont really want to remove the gfx because it completes the car. i thought about putting a dual fan setup but then if there is an air pocket being created in front of the radiator, it still wont suck air. any ideas.

 

Do you have an airdam? If so is it cracked or have any damage that would hamper the air getting to the radiator????

 

Yes, you MUST run an airdam to prevent overheating at speed.

 

i do have an air dam its new. and i have extended it a little bit. if i extend it anymore i would be scrap the ground on every bump. i broke the last one cause of that.

 

Do you have air in your cooling system? Leave the radiator cap off and watch the coolant until no more air bubbles appear. Have you bled it and then found air is back in the system after driving it? My daughter's Grand Am would run cool as can be when idling, but if you drove it it would over heat, filling the cooling system with air, due to blown head gaskets. If any air is in the cooling system, it will not cool properly.

 

What thermostat are you running?

 

Read Willie's article from start to finish

 

If it heats up as you drive and cools when it sits, then check that the spring is installed in the lower radiator hose.
If it's not there. the lower hose will suck flat as the rpm increases cutting off the circulation.

 

Good Point

 

Very good point--happeneed to me.

Wait until the thermostat is open/water circulating and rev the engine a few times and watch the lower hose.

Gates makes a heavy duty universal series of hoses that we use on the race cars that has the spring molded into the rubber--not just stuck inside the hose. In demonstrating this hose to another racer once, I stood on the hose and it did not collapse all the way, and I weigh about 240. Believe me it will NOT collapse on the car, but for normal street a new regular molded hose will probably do the trick!

 

Could you give us some part numbers for the hose please? I cant find a gates lower hose with the spring inside. They dont make them. A universal number would help. Thanks.

 

I don't have any catalog listings, but I'd check with a dealer on an original.
I quit using aftermarket hoses years ago when the quality went to hell.
I thought it funny that a factory hose would go 3,4,5 years, but an aftermarket 2 at best.

 

my lower rad. hose is fine, checked it. when i sit in the drive way i can sit there and hold the engine at any given rpm just about and it wont heat up. i think im just gonna remove the after market ground effect and see what happens. because i never had a heating problem till i put that thing on. i just dont want to remove it it completes the car.

 

Go to the Gates web site --it's probably listed as heavy duty or industrial--they have a green strip on the outside running lengthwise--the spring is molded into the rubber--not all retailers carry them--even in the town of Houston there are only a handful that carry them, although any of them can order them.

Craig