I have a 96 integra ls making 308hp and 255tq and during winter car runs perfect never passes 185 but during the summer it runs hot. It can get up 220 in stop and go traffic. I have a half sized radiator with a 12 puller fan but is just a no namer radiator bought off a vendor here on hondatech. Would buying a better radiator such mishimoto or koyo help me out or would I have the same problem? Thanks

 

Anybody

 

running water or coolant?

 

Coolant. Like 60 percent 40 water

 

try distilled water with 4 or 5 drops of dove soap. that should help. if that dont do the trick i would upgrade the thermostat before rad

 

Never heard of that but Ill give it a shot.

 

it reduces surfice tension in the water so u get better heat transfer acrossed the rad

 

I'm also gonna fabricate a shield of some sort because my downpipe is real close to my radiator

 

good idea bro. a simple piece of sheet metal can drop heat a tramendus amount

 

Thanks a lot for your help

 

yerp

 

OP, is the fan shrouded? If not, that make help as well.

Any more information on the current condition of your cooling system? Age of water pump/tstat/radiator cap/etc?

 

A no-name fan will usually have no-name CFM's. Meaning it's rated 2-3x more than it really flows. Can the supplier show you the actual flow rates for various pressures, rather than just a "free air" flow rate? Top brands like SPAL can, and they aren't bluffing with them.

A shroud will help big-time, since w/o one you're only cooling 2/3 of the radiator. The outside fins barely see any cool-down. Combine that with no heat wrap or heat sheild, and you're actually adding heat to the coolant.

If you don't intend to pull the motor apart in the next 1000 miles, DO NOT use just water & soap. Unless you flush it out with several dozen gallons of distilled water at high pressure, you'll still have some crap in there. With no corrosion inhibitors, your steel plugs, sensors, thermostat, and water pump vanes will all start rusting badly. You can get inhibitors you can add, but they will commonly settle and not protect after a while.