Stroker engine hwy temp

[bartlett]

Its not a problem,only a question. Idling,cruising,trafffic my car will run 180-210  all day long never gets to hot.... Now Running down the highway it seems to run 200-210-215 .....never over heats but runs on the warm side.   

setup

180 thermostat,new 4 core alum raid, clutch fan,shroud,5 blade ac fan blade, 370 gears ,tci 3,500stall, trans cooled through raid and aftermarket cooler infront of raid.  Front of raid / grill area is wide open and Way free to moving air (imo)   timing is 38 total ...

My question, My thoughts are that I think it should be cooling down on the highway and heating up sitting. It likes to run on the warm side when running down the freeway. Do you think this is the converter heating things up?  or ? 

p.s. this motor only has maybe 2,000 miles on it.... Its wierd, from dead cold it will goto 180 in less than 5 mins running time. it warms to temp very fast IMO. never over heats but gets to temp very fast. 

p.s. air fuels are right on, plugs are perfect. car runs an pulls perfect....just think it should run cooler on the highway...Imo ...

[65er]

I'm no expert, but I've been studying cooling systems quite a bit in preparation for my upgrade.  From what I've seen, a 4 tube aluminum radiator is a bit of an oddity.  Are you certain that's what you have?  The big majority of aluminum radiators available use two 1" tubes.  Seems that as more tubes are added, subsequent rows become less effective, and as the core gets thicker it becomes harder to push the air through it.  If you are in fact running a super thick core and have additional coolers in front of that, it sounds like you're having an airflow problem.  I don't know if there's a fix for that other than going to a two row radiator.

[bartlett]

Yea its for sure a 4 core raid, I got the biggest I could buy for my setup..  I have been staring at it and also wonder if its a air flow problem. From the front it would seem unlikely to be a flow problem,But my thought its where does the hot air go ?  The engine is so tight in there and there is no big gaps to be seen. I just dont see where the hot air can go.  I do have a hood scoop but it faces forward.    
I guess I never even thought of where the air goes ....lol ....

2nd thought ... would not a flow problem show up at idle more than highway speeds? ... p.s. I never hear my clutch fan lock up. I put my hand behind it and it is blowing like crazy. I have done the spin test and it seems all good. Its still very clean so its not leaking. I just never hear it fully lock up like my old durango use to ...

[jayb]

I agree that going down the highway your water temp should be sitting right on the thermostat temperature.  There are some thermostats that restrict water flow more than others; did you get a high flow thermostat or a standard one?  One experiment you could try would be to take the thermostat out completely, and see how the engine cools that way.  If it runs cooler down the highway, you have identified the problem.

I'm also with Wade on the radiator; a four core aluminum radiator is a strange one.  Where did you get that?

[machoneman]

I agree that going down the highway your water temp should be sitting right on the thermostat temperature.  There are some thermostats that restrict water flow more than others; did you get a high flow thermostat or a standard one?  One experiment you could try would be to take the thermostat out completely, and see how the engine cools that way.  If it runs cooler down the highway, you have identified the problem.

I'm also with Wade on the radiator; a four core aluminum radiator is a strange one.  Where did you get that?

2X to what Jay said but.....make a simple coolant restrictor like the Moroso unit from sheet metal or a beer can (!) and cut the center hole a tad larger than the current thermostat's i.d.  This may resolve the question and get you through the summer without yanking the puke tank again! 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-63440/overview/

[bartlett]

Im 99% sure the stat is a standard 180 stant thermostat.   

Here is some pics of whats going on ..lol ..

[bartlett]

Being I got nothing better to do today..lol ,...Im off to go drain the fluid and pull the stat out. I Have a ton of washers so I will see what I can make up ...

[machoneman]

Wow, knew the 4" rad was thick but the pics prove.....it really is thick!

One other easy or at least cheap temporary test trick to try. Loosen the 4 bolts on the hood (may need a pal to help here) and stack 2-3 washers under the L-R rearmost bolts. Idea here is to tilt the rear of the hood up and open enough to allow more hot air to escape from under the hood.

Can't see the front/bottom of the rad and the body structure. Sometimes adding  a 3" - 4" tall 'spoiler' the width of the radiator's shell frame, underneath the front edge of the shell, will direct airflow now passing under the car upwards into the radiator itself. Again a cheap chunk of aluminum or sheet steel can be added to test how this may work w/o a lot of effort.

[rcodecj]

I would try a Mr Gasket High-Flow 180 thermostat. It will flow more water but still warm it up correctly.
I think a two row aluminum radiator with 1" cores would work better for you.
It looks like you do not have a rubber seal on top running the length of the radiator core support.
I have found them to help cooling somewhat.
Overall just take a close look to see if there are any areas around the radiator
that will allow air to go around the radiator instead of through it.

[My427stang]

What do you run for a timing curve?

I would think that you'd well into the curve at highway speeds, but you never know.  Delayed vacuum advance or an as delivered MSD curve would put advance pretty late and add some heat to the motor at steady cruise.

[bartlett]

Well testing done .... I failed     I built the washer and drilled out a 7/8 hole ....refilled the system and we went cruising... results , temp took longer to reach 210/215 ....after that the gauge stuck there like glue ... it would move alittle +- 5 degrees ect .... So this is worse than it was.. I looked in and the flow was kicking real well !  Im thinkin of jumping upto a 195 highflow stat...

Im leaning hard on the fan being the problem, Im never hearing it kick in hard, only spinning at a normal rate. Im just going to buy a new clutch fan to cure my gut.

My timing is all in at 3,000 rpm ....38 .... cruise is 3,200 rpm 62mph or so .....

[fe66comet]

Maybe a fan cooled oil cooler would help? I use them on out tow vehicles. It helps a lot with running A/C and an automatic on the highway for sure.

[My427stang]

215 isn't that hot, maybe don't do anything?  COuld even be within the tolerance of the gauge

As a rule of thumb, boiling point is increased by about 3 degrees for every pound of pressure.

So at 7 psi, straight water goes from 212 to about 233, and if you went with a 15 lb cap 250-ish

If you are running a 50% mix, boiling goes from 225 at zero standard atmospheric pressure, to 250 at 7 psi and 265 or so at 15 lbs

[jayb]

IMO, if you are driving down the highway with the thermostat removed and you are still running at 215, you have a problem with airflow through the radiator.  The fan isn't going to have much effect at highway speeds, when you've got 60 MPH of air blowing through the radiator.  Somehow the air is not getting through, either from bypassing around the radiator or nowhere to go once it get through into the engine compartment.  Although I suppose it is possible that if the clutch fan isn't spinning, it might serve as the block to the airflow.

Another potential test:  remove the clutch fan altogether and see if the cooling improves on the highway.  But I really think that the radiator may be the problem.  On the other hand, as Ross says, 215 isn't bad...

[sixty9cobra]

Is that a champion radiator ? I have the same issue.