just wondering some cheap easy ways to keep the 5.0tbi cool driving through the desert this week...just dont want any overheating...thanks to anyone who can help

 

make sure your fan turns on when its supposed to, the cow catcher is still under your car, and your coolant system functions like it should. IE: You don't leak fluid like a civ and you hae no blockages.

 

I would have to say that if your front spoiler is intact, you don't have any coolant delivery problems, and your fan turns on when its supposed to, you should be fine.

I live in Las Vegas by the way and all that stuff work perfectly on my car and it never gets above 200...even when its 120 outside.

Hope that helps...P.S. Keep an eye on your tire pressure!!!

 

87daddyformula well wait....im in vegas too...visiting family before i drive to cali...im from florida...and the temps always at 220..and rises when the air is on...rises A LOT.....so no air....uhhh im just scared to go through the desert and how do you keep it around 200????thanks

 

i have a bra' on the front of my car....could this be a cause for high temps. because of lack of air which can enter?oh and when i was in bradenton, fl the avg. temp was 85-90 with above 80percent humidity...my car was ALWAYS at 220 no higher, no lower...is this right??

 

I'm out in the desert as well. Lancaster California, known as the high desert.
We don't get the extremes like vegas, but we hit 106 last week.

I've also lived in Lakeland Florida for over 20 years, So I know what it's like at both places.

With your car running that high of a temp.
My guess would be you still have the stock thermostat which opens at 190 and closes at 220.

With the stock thermo, our car always ran at 220 no matter what the temp was outside. That is the way they are designed to run, add age to the car and they will run a few degrees hotter as well.

Prior to this trip I would.
1) Degrease the engine with a good engine cleaner.
Oil and dirt on your engine act as a blanket and do not let the heat escape as well.
2) Change the thermostat to a 160 degree. It's also a good idea to get a lower fan switch at the same time.

3) check the coolant levels and the air dam located underneath the car.

I've done the above and our car is nearing 150,000 original miles. We drove to vegas during the middle of the day last July and the temps reached well over 120 degrees. Our car stayed under 200 degrees going up hill with the A/C on the whole way of the trip.

So, it can be done if you follow all the right steps.

Locally here around town it does get into the higher temps if we are in stop and go traffic. But once we get it going again it cools right down to the 160-180 mark.

 

I agree with sunbitz on cleaning the engine and changing the thermostat. I would also say flush the cooling system if it has not been done in a while.

Also keep in mind the kind of driving you will be doing. Running around and making a bunch of stops will cause your engine to run a lot warmer than freeway driving. Each time you make a short stop your engine will start out a little warmer next time you start it up. Metal does not dissipate heat very well and when you turn your engine off you remove the ability of the engine to cool itself (coolant, fans, airflow etc.) So it will actually get warmer for a few minutes before it cools down. If you will be doing this kind of driving while in the desert, keep an eye on your temp gauge.

However, cooling problems are not the only problem for motorists in the Arizona summer. You would be suprised how many people are on the side of the road because their tire could not handle the summer heat out here. Summer in the desert and the associated heat is brutal on tires. Make sure your tires are in good shape or you will find yourself on the side of the road with a blow out.

Good Luck

Bill

 

Heat? Drive across at night. Just watch out for armadillos and other friggin' critters...

 

When I got off work the other night at 10:00pm it was 103*.

 

i put a 160 in my L69 and everyone told me not too bcuz it was a carb and it wouldn't adjust to it, is that true? when i say everyone i mean certified mechanics from GM and chrysler-jeep ( i work at a crysler dealer), and my personal mechanic.

 

azvolfan--Damn! I thought it got hot out here in vegas...I feel for you man

 

...But it's a dry heat. And what was the temperature during the day? That's still a 100°+ differential between the coolant and air temperature, so the cooling system should shed some heat. Forget about "cold air" induction, though. And I thought it was nasty at 95/95.

Some of the guys on the Impala boards in the middle east are whining about it being 120° there, and not getting the A/C to work well enough beacuse the R134A doesn't handle it. And we think WE have it tough...

 

after about 110* it doesn't matter if its dry or humid...it's damn hot...!!!!!

 

-=dance's in joy over his 414A=-

 

I think the daytime temp was about 111*. However it makes a huge difference when the sun goes down. Just having the sun off you and not having that intensity is huge. Even though it's still warm.

I can't remember what they call it but there is an index that weather people out here use. I measures the time it take for unprotected skin to turn pink. In the most intense days of the summer out here that number is something like 14 minutes.

How many would like to come visit in the summer.

 

outside temp doesn't matter that much in affecting engine temp. only thing is you'll reach the temp where the fan kicks in sooner.
on a 95 degree day it might take 4 minutes, but even on a freezing day, it'll reach op. temp by like 7 minutes

 

After living out here 22 years, I feel can say that I highly disagree. Outside temp make a huge difference in engine temp. I can't explain the physics of it, just 22 years of experience has brought me to that conclusion.

I can tell you this, in the winter my engine temp rarely rises about 160*. And in the summer, the air it scoops in off the road is hotter than that!!!!!!

 

Back at home it's usually about 75 degrees and my car runs at 180. Here at school it's more like 100 and it runs at about 195-210. It's 25 degrees hotter and my car runs that much hotter. When driving here from home, once you get into the area you can just feel that the air is hotter. It's kind of saddening. I live close to the coast at home, and my school is in the valley.