OK what are the basic simple cooling mods that work..

IE: Fixing/Replacing air dams

 

Coolant flush and a fan switch would help.

 

How would a fan switch help?

 

A fan which kicks on at a lower temperature will keep your engine cooler. Stock, the fans turn on somewhere in the 215-225 range. If you would make it like 180 degrees, your engine will run ALOT cooler. Especially if you install a 180 degree thermostat as well.

 

OK, I can understand that.. But wouldnt a Hypertech ( Or a reprogrammed prom ) do the job automaticly..

 

removing or by-passing the heated throttle body hoses on v6's

 

as well on TPI/LTx/LSx TB's also

 

I drive my vehicle in the hotter summer months. BOTH fans are wired to work constantly. Keeps the engine temp down, and I've never had a problem.

 

You could make a manual fan switch to turn on your fans If you do it right, you only need a single wire, and you don't lose the stock function of the fan, in case you forget to turn it on .

 

I'm still convinced that drilling 1-2 1/8th" in the thermostat to let some extra flow through it is a worthwhile mod... i have a 460hp motor that lives happily behind a stock radiator, and a/c condensor, with the a/c on, in 90* stop and go... 190-200... otherwise it run 180 flat in every other situation....

 

Well I added the Airdam this morning.. Going to resolder the Rad tomorrow so I can drive intill the new one gets here..

 

Upgrading the fan helped mine out tremendously. Here's what I did: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/cool...o-s80-fan.html

Also the thermostat as others have mentioned, adjustable temp control... And in the summer, don't use a 50/50 coolant mix. 80/20 works fine. Water is your coolant; the antifreeze just modifies its freezing/boiling point. So unless you expect extreme cold, the less antifreeze you use the better. 20% is enough to keep it from boiling.

And I don't normally sing the praises of any additive for your engine fluids, but Redline WaterWetter is really good stuff. It's no miracle, but it actually does what it's advertised to do. It will lower your coolant temp. And again, the less antifreeze you use the better it works.

 

That sound good.. Here in Redding, heat the problem not freezing at all.. This past weekend was at 117*F and to day was at 116*F and its not looking like its going to be letting up to soon.. It rarely drops below 100* in the summer and even rarer for it to drop below 40*F in the winter.. So dealing wit it running hot a major problem.. Here 99% of what I drive has Engine Oil coolers and ( If Auto tranny ) Aux tranny coolers.. So any tips should help

 

Thats an excellent idea facelessnumber..wondering if you got the ac wired up to the fan and if so how did you do it.I had a plastic radiator in my 90 and that was the first thing that went to the scap bin.I also removed the front license plate mount(not illegal here) and that helped.I did a aux.fan on another vehicle and I tapped it off the low pressure switch to activate a 30 amp relay,but it was a secondary fan not a primary.I would like to do that upgrade,but dont think I can get a volvo set up.Could you post the measurements (height/length)of that volvo set up?..maybe I can find something compatable.

 

 

no, the fans arnt ECM controlled on these cars... theres a thermal switch in the coolent jacket of the passenger side head... it grounds the fan relay when it reaches a set temp.



as far as cooling mods.... i have none. everything from mid 11sec 400SBCs, to my current ls1 to my friends thirdgens, have stayed cool if you keep everything working.

obviously you need the airdam there, but the electric fan from later years, even the single one, works great.
the alum/plastic radiator is amazingly effective, and is actually a little thicker in the core then the 4thgens...

alot of people think their engines run hot at 200... and they think its because of the cooling system... really, they're designed from GM to run at the temps they do. the cooling system is great on these cars... just remember that its the thermostat that sets the min temps.. and the fans should kick on AFTER the thermostats opening temp..

i wont get into why its better to have your coolant and oil temps high... too many people just argue about that.. just remember its the cold intake air you want.. heat in the engine itself doenst hurt anything until it becomes excessive.

 

I did get it working today, by using the low pressure switch. Check my last post in that thread for more info... As for the measurements, I'll try and get that for you. Pretty much anything is compatible if you can make it fit.

 

Make sure the air deflectors/baffles are in place between the radiator support and radiator, and around the ends of the radiator support. A bigger air dam can help, but the deflectors really need to be in place.

 

Well I found out today that with just adding the airdam back in running 20* cooler right off the bat.. Now the air deflactor seems to cover 1/2 the rad .. how that going to help if I put it in? I understand the airdam making a low pressure under the car to air thur the rad and back under the car.. But the only thing I see from covering the rad 1/2 way would be to help it warm up in a cooler environment..

 

I meant these deflectors:

 

Those side deflectors actually do something? lol thats crazy.

As far as airdams go, my car had a single, but all of the replacements that I can find are the 3 piece for the trans am style nose. Will the 3 piece work on my car?

 

See in my Crash book for the 88-89 there a 3rd piece that covers the rad half way up... it closes off the area from thr top to the botten creating a pockets of air.. that cant move from what I see.. I do have the side pieces in place and the air dam now..

 

Those side air deflectors prevent ram air from escaping around the ends of the radiator support, through the voids created by the gap between the fender skin and support, and around the radiator instead of through it. Worse, that escaped air increases pressure behind the radiator and in the engine compartment, making it harder for the normal flow of air (and even running fans) to do their job.

Do you think the factory would have wasted $2 per car if they weren't necessary?

 

Good point, I still have one, and left one side out. Looks like that will be going back in soon.