first off i have a 89 crx with a b18a1 block and a pr3 b16 head.. garrett turbo tial bov ad wastegate controlled by hondata s300... running 550cc injectors walbro fuel pump... also running a type r oil pump and gsr water pump...

i am using a cheap ebay half sized eg 2 row radiator cost me $100

the issue is it over heats ... i have tried everything... i ran stock thermostat and race thermostat also removed the thermostat completely... same results...



i tried doing spal puller fan ... i tried using spal puller fan and pusher fan... still didnt help... btw my fans are setup on a toggle switch...

i tried water wetter...

since my AC is gutted i bought a heater core thinking i could stick it up front by my radiator and in theory it would work like a secondary mini radiator and would help draw some heat out of the motor ... even tho that did help a little my temperatures still creep up to 230* degrees F.

i have even pointed the finger at the guy who tuned it thinking maybe something in my tune makes my car overheat. he looked it over and changed a few small things but it still didnt help ..............


i have even borrowed a friends radiator thinking the cheap $100 ebay radiator was the cause of this over heating issue and my friends mishimoto 3 row radiator still had the same results as my cheap $100 radiator...

any ideas would be greatly appreciated...
my only idea was to get dynamic performances outlaw cooling system...
DP Outlaw Radiator / Expansion Tank ? Dynamic Performance Racing

my thoughts is overkill... only bc i have seen people run the same setup i have without these issues that i have...

err please help!








89 crx lsvtec turbo

 

First of all get rid of that rad, even if you tried another one, the cheap one wont help. Second of all do you have a fan shroud? Get a shroud. Third of all, have you tried any method to ensure that your rad is getting a good aiflow to it? You can use some type of block off plate to redirect more air over the radiator.

Good radiator ( the one you linked too is nice but damn its expensive)
Good fan/shroud combo..puller fan is my sugguestion
Oem thermostat
Fan switch
Block off plate

This should do the trick

Oh and do you think you have enough room for that radiator? Its pretty thick, but I would be curious to see.

 

Biggest issue most all people who over heat is they don't have a fan shroud like stated above. Def get a fan shroud and see if that works and make sure the system is bleed properly..

 

Also have you tried to wrap your downpipe and a turbo sleeve. Proven to take down engine bay temps..

 

Just for testing purposes, try removing the bumper cover.

 

This is a good idea

 

What would it prove by taking the bumper cover off? Just curious..

 

Pretty simple. If he takes the cover off and drives around and it doesnt overheat, that would mean that the problem is that the radiator is not getting enough air flow.

 

normally fans are positioned between the engine and the radiator not in front of the radiator...

they are suppose to aid in pulling air not forcing it through.

If you have a stock honda that is overheating the first thing they do is bypass the temperature sensor and keep the fan on at all times

however with a built motor you can have a lot of issues.. but you need to start with the basics.

If you are producing more heat you need to remove it.. race cars will put supplemental cooling outside of the engine compartment but thats a bit overboard.

If I was you I would invest in a noncontact thermometer at harbor freight .. its like a gun you point at stuff.

then I would start the car cold and measure the temp going in and coming out of the radiator.

If you don't see an appreciable difference in temperature it means the radiator is either undersized which it probably is .. and or the air flow is not high enough to allow the radiator to perform at its best.

If you do see a large difference between the in and out on the radiator.. then you might have engine problems.

you could have a clogged cooling passage .. maybe some RTV or gasket is causing a blockage.. maybe you need to get a better water pump with higher flow.. .. maybe .. maybe maybe you know..

and like someone said .. you need to test the air flow if you have similar in an out..

hit the junkyard grab a fan off of a pickup truck and mount it up with cardboard and power it with your battery charger. .. get a lot of air flowing out the back.

and recheck that deal with the fan being in front. and its direction of flow because you might be sucking air from the engine through the radiator and trying to make it exit forward.. i realize you probably arent but .. you know check its something to check..

good luck

 

Tell me more about how your car over heats?
What driving conditons? Reg driving or drag racing or road racing?

If your over heating during normal driving or just a few pulls on the street then you have a bigger issue.

 

Update!

drove the car to IFO yesterday kinda beat on it all the way there...
it didnt over heat at all.. but i believe it did get hot bc i could tell the noticeable power difference from the first 15-20mins of driving comparing to the last 10-20 mins of driving...

i raced a few cars along the way ... one ttg35 with 400hp i kept up but didnt pull on him.. one stock gt 5.0 mustang i kept up but didnt pull on him and at the end i did a pull against a KA 240sx that made around 350 whp and i could tell my car was getting hot and didnt have the power like it did. same result i kept up but didnt pull on him.

i drove to the event with out my hood and this could be a proven statement that i wasnt getting good enough air flow. and without my hood i did get good air flow...

in the near future im going to heat wrap my down pipe+turbo blanket + a shroud for my fan and a better radiator..

ive also been looking at carbon fiber hoods or hoods with hood scoops for directing air to my radiator..

thanks for the input guys. just wanted to make sure i have every idea listed so i can pick the best suitable change for my build/car.

also going to do a leak down test and a compression test to ensure it is not a valve leaking which can cause over heating... i will do this befor going and buy radiator heat wrap and turbo blanket or a hood..