Txdragon

If you have a thermostat that isn't allowing enough coolant to circulate by not fully opening, hence, binding, this will cause the engine to get hot. Air pressure differences between highway and city driving would contribute to the problem.. Not really pointing out city cruise speed vs highway cruise speed in terms of engine load.

motoxxxman

the engine only produces about 1/4 of the heat in stop and go traffic and mild city driving as it does while highway cruising. At these lower energy (aka heat) times, the fan[s] are enough to cool the system/engine and maintain a normal temp. At higher energy times (highway) airflow from fan[s] and/or vehicle speed is simply insufficient. It needs more airflow. This problem is very common with turbo cars that were originally non-turbo. Keep in mind that at low vehicle speed, the fan[s] will pull air from anywhere and everywhere and direct it through the radiator. While at highway speed, it's relying solely on air coming through the intercooler, because the shape of the car is directing all other airflow sources away. The main issue though is the difference in heat produced by the engine at the different speeds/loads
Do it. Remove the intercooler and install a straight section of pipe in its place. I guarantee your cooling issues will vanish immediately.

Txdragon

I'd be willing to test this theory if the new t-stat wouldn't solve it.

2001GSRSC

Is he not using a 2 in 1 Koyo radiator intercooler system, that cannot be separated?

Yall liked my idea of running no intercooler on my Accord, now it solves everyone's problems. Unbelievable.

Txdragon

No. That pic posted was a different vehicle, for a client of Shodan.

No no, that's not what was said. It was said to remove the intercooler **BRIEFLY** for the sake of testing airflow blockage to the radiator. It's an EG chassis with a triple core, half size radiator. I really don't believe airflow is the cause here.

linkdeezie

haven't checked it yet. Bought one last night and currently at work...will be off soon. Will let the car cool down while i mow the lawn and then swap out the t-stat. And I agree, ducting plays a role 24/7, not only when convenient or in a certain place.So if its good in the city, it should be good on the highway

linkdeezie

possibly...but just like you said, it's "in theory". Remember, when connected properly, the fan only activates momentarily then disengages, in both city and highway driving. So no matter where or how the radiator gets its air, that fan is still used. If the radiator only got its cooling on the highway from the airflow, the fan would never turn on while on the highway...right? because the forced air coming thru (whether there is an intercooler or not) would keep the radiator temp down. the fan only activates at a certain temp, if im not mistaken

JRCivic1

motoxxxman is absolutely correct here.

In addition, a puller fan will DRAW air through the intercooler and radiator at a specific location... and if the fan has a shroud, that air will be drawn from a greater surface area and thus become more efficient in cooling the radiator. In contrast, when cruising down the road, air merely enters the openings on the front end of the car and passes through your intercooler, radiator, condenser and coolers... but the path that it takes is that of LEAST RESISTANCE... and that path may NOT be through the entire radiator.Ducting forces the air to pass through the devices that you direct the air through, increasing the effectiveness of the air flow.

linkdeezie

tested...failed LOL still overheated

linkdeezie

1:05 a.m. EST - ok well I replaced the Mishimoto thermostat and car went UP to 219 degrees within 1 highway exit!...dammit....pulled the intercooler for ***** n giggles and car still overheated. So much for my intercooler being the culprit and blocking air to the radiator. Im going to be M.I.A. for a few and basically tear this thing down..left and right sides...NOT removing the head...and going to try something else for cooling.. be back in a few days with my results/findings

Txdragon

Damn, that really sucks. I was really hoping that T-stat would get ya going. Gave the airflow a try as well, good deal, but it was a long shot. Given everything that has been done and now tried, I'm fresh out of ideas. Unless there's a coolant passage blockage somewhere. **shrug**

Aradin

I didn't read every post of this thread so I'll ask; has anyone mentioned ignition timing values yet? OP are you tuning it yourself? What do your cruising timing values look like? Overly retarded ignition timing values will cause overheating. Especially under constant load conditions like on the highway if you're constantly in a cell or table that hasn't been tuned correctly...

2001GSRSC

Does the reservoir's level stay the same? Are you filling it back up? Coolant pressure leak? If it holds pressure overheating does not happen as fast. If there is a pressure leak it overheats rapidly. The behavior is trying to tell something.

How are you flushing the cooling system? That seems fast 1 exit. There is a special funnel thing that attaches to the radiator, did you use it?

It is easy to overlook the low speed maps when tuning. I suggested this as there is a lean spot not accounting for map sensor load. At a constant load, in one Hondata column, it could be being held lean . Far out there cause why not in city, that is the same column area you are driving on 40 or 65MPH.

linkdeezie

This was actually my next step: going back and checking timing. Thats why i said I was going to "tear it apart left and right"...left side is the timing cover and right side is the dizzy LOL...and going to whip out the ol' laptop and see whats going on. Will take me a few days though due to work schedule. Probably gonna attack it tuesday (day off) and report back

linkdeezie

hmm coolant passage blockage...interesting. What im going to do next is recheck timing, wrap and blanket the turbo manifold and exhaust elbow, and slide in my full-size skunk2 radiator and see if that helps. If it doesnt, the head is coming off! Speaking of which, can ANYONE suggest or point me to a good write up of how to wrap the Greddy 18g turbo and manifold, or make a good heatshield for it...this thing radiates a RIDICULOUS amount of heat...melted part of my damn condenser fan

linkdeezie

Yes the reservoir's level stays the same. No, im not filing it back up. No (again) there is no pressure leak. As previously mentioned, the system has been pressure tested and is holding pressure... "there is a special funnel thing that attaches to the radiator..." whats the NAME of said "special funnel thing"? what is its function? As far as the "1 exit", i think it heated up that fast because the car was running for a good while in the driveway before i pushed out onto the highway

motoxxxman

new thermostat, and removed intercooler, and still overheated. That too tells me there's a blockage somewhere, or a lack of flow from something.
Before you pull the head; take the water pump off and inspect the blades. I know it sounds strange, but I've had a few cars where the impeller fell off the shaft, and other cars where some of the blades actually broke off the impeller wheel and lodged themselves in the coolant passage. While the pump is off, try looking into the coolant passages to see if anything is making a new home where it shouldn't be.

2001GSRSC

Lisle 24610. If it was not used you cold let it idle for an extended time and the bubble /cavitation would work its way out.

You said it had pressure. The blades didnt fall off.

Because of the rate of the coolant boiling vs. the position on the gauge. You have me suspecting it is NOT holding pressure. It would not boil so soon.

linkdeezie

🤦🏾*♂️ I didn’t say it was boiling. And for the 12th time it IS holding pressure. No leaks. No coolant disappearing. NONE. It’s just getting up to 220 degrees, where it should NOT be...

2001GSRSC

An engine comming to a boil , out the overflow, is overheating.

An engine running hot is holding at 220. This is running hot .

I noted my turbo'd vehicles ran hotter above 200 was common. But they did not overheat. If your radiator is a smaller capacity or different style of internal flow it could be the problem. A vehicle runing at 220 temp will not melt or warp the aluminum its made of. If anything it will feel soft off the line, letting out the clutch from the heat. Not going to mechanically fail. It will not have excessive heat losses till much later. And the moment air flow increases it would cool down.

The standard flow of air at the front of the stock fascia is sufficient for cruising at 65MPH. You can try to give it more , but that has never been a problem so yer on your own with that theory. I did a handful of them and never had a problem with the stock cooling system. You should also see it on a TEMP infra red gun. It would be a contributing factor but never the cause.

Use a running fan at the front of the car to determine how much blockage you might have. Feel with your hand how much air the intercooler blocks. You should also see it on a TEMP infra red gun.

Why not take off the clip, it takes 10 min, go fer a drive report back.

This kinda thing works when people bounce ideas off each other. I really don't have much useful diagnostic information. Pictures are good.

linkdeezie

Why not take off the clip? Easy...because it wont solve the problem. People with intercoolers 4x the size of mines have NOT had airflow problems. Hell, YOU just said "The standard flow of air at the front of the stock fascia is sufficient for cruising at 65MPH" so i should be able to hold 60 and not overheat, or over boil, over cook, oversee or any other over, 10-4 over. Your turbo'd vehicles have ran over 200 and you say its common then i must be the exception because my cars have never ran that hot. The b16 i have in my EF that i recently built was running 180 the hottest. But its all good. The crisis has been averted. The gremlin has been captured...the problem has been solved

linkdeezie

****winner winner steak and shrimp dinner.....Aradin guessed it. Apparently the intake cam was the culprit. It decided to relocate and rotate a couple of degrees to the right which threw everything off. The intake cam timing was retarded... Mechanical timing was the issue. and i believe it might have been due to something getting inside the timing cover and making the belt skip. i usually have cover on in its entirety but i had to order a new upper. reset everything to TDC, timing gun set to "stun" and dizzy at 16 degrees BDC. car running at a cool 193. it did go up to 203 but then back down. probably an air pocket that will get worked out. Needs a tune now tho but at least the overheating has ceased as fair as i kno. gonna take it down to miami on the highway tomorrow night, maybe do a little street tuning on the way down and back. thanks for all the ideas and input.

Txdragon

***response edited due to posting after an edit***

Mechanical timing did this?!

linkdeezie

yup. The intake cam was retarded. Then when u set the dizzy timing, it’s not true due to the intake cam being off. So, it was doubly retarded, mechanically and spark-wise. So the plugs couldn’t dissipate the heat fast enough due to being so retarded, which caused cylinder temperatures to rise, and the radiator couldn’t cool down the excessively hot coolant fast enough causing the car to run hot

Txdragon

Ah, I see. Yeah, makes sense. It had been a long day yesterday and late when i saw the post. Think i was already in snooze mode and woke from the phone notification. lol. My brain wasn't properly functioning.