hi guys
this seems to be a huge topic on the subbie forums but not so much here.....

my car runs hot...water temp is out the roof in the summer, i sometimes have the blast the heat to get the engine to cool and i have everything cooling related upgraded already !

it idles at 203 Fahrenheit on a normal summer day and up to 230 Fahrenheit / 114 Celsius when i drive
this is mainly due to the opening of the bumper for cool air is too small and the engine bay being too cramped ....and i am not going to cut the bumper or change to a vented hood.

recently i was exposed to the idea was Co2 spray for the intercooler for cooling of the intake temp.
my question is will this work for radiator ? how effective is water spray ?

i am not talking about the compressed air CO2 tanks, but more of a DIY normal water spray set up.

anyone have experience with this ?
thanks in advance !

 

No it won't work....If your temps are that high at idle, you have a fundamental issue with your cooling systems: Try the following:

1. full radiator flush/ replace coolant with 50/50 water/coolant or do water wetter
2. check your fan to make sure that they are coming on.
3. Inspect for any leaks, especially near the head gasket
4. look for anything blocking air flow to the radiator.
5. check hoses to see if their are too stiff, especially the bottom hose. If the bottom hose is too rigid or stays cold even when the engine has been running, then replace the hose, and or the thermostat.

If that doesn't work:

look in you radiator, and look for oil droplets or milkiness. If present, you have a blown head gasket or cracked sleeves.

 

Spraying water for the intercooler only works if there is a lot of air movement.. Keeping the cores wet helps improve shedding heat.

Since you are overheating at idle, then it will be an airflow issue. Your fan could be too weak, or there is a huge air leakage between your radiator and the frontal area of your car (fan is pulling hot air from the engine bay and not getting air from the outside through your FMIC), or there is a huge blockage either in front or behind your radiator.

If cutting the bumper or a hood vent is not a choice, or if heat wrapping a nice tubular manifold is a last resort, and you've also done the basic things (more water/coolant ratio, water wetter, thermostat, etc..) then you can try these things:

- install a fully shrouded fan (puller side) if there is room to do so
- install a pusher + puller fan at staggered locations (fan on both sides of the radiator) if there is room to do so
- make ducting/block off panels, sealed, so the fan can only pull air through the radiator, and through your FMIC. Any leakage will be a least resistance path, and the fan will pull in hot air and not fresh air
- separate engine oil cooler located in the fender area, with its own fan. This pulls heat away from your radiator, and cooling the oil also puts less strain on your factory coolant/oil heat exchanger.