Overheating

[DriftAddict]

Hey guys.

Just wanting to get a few opinions on a few things.

I own a r33 Series 2 Gts-t Skyline.

i have no problem with over heating when on the move because getting good air circulation.

the problem is when iam just putting around town or in traffic..

Now it only seems to get xtreamly hot when putting around town with the ac on, the ac evaporator sits between the thermal fan and the radiator. On the highway the temp is fine and the ac works great.

With the ac off it works even better.. and getting around town with the windows down and no ac is just silly.

Would putting in a second thermal fan make much difference or do i just need a better coolent ?

[Dorifta]

What have u checked, have u done any work on car recently

Would putting in a second thermal fan make much difference or do i just need a better coolent ? band aid

Does ur thermo fan even kick in, if so id try coolant flush

How long ago was the water pump done, impeller could rusted away

Edited January 6, 2010 by Dorifta

[DriftAddict]

Have no work do to lately, the water pump that will be another thing to check

Thermal fan does kick in .. i will change the coolent and see how i go ..

any recommendations on a good qualitt coolent ?

[gotRICE?]

I cant quite tell from your description, but do you have the factory clutch fan still on the car? Or an aftermarket electric one?

If you have an electric one, throw it away, and put the standard one back in place with the shroud.

Its really hard to make electric ones work properly, there are many threads around with issues regarding thermo setups. Most of them go back to stock because its not worth the hassle.

[DriftAddict]

Iam not tottally sure if its stock or not, will have to look into it

But i believe its a stock one

[gotRICE?]

Does it look like this:

Bolted to the engine, or is it like a fwd one bolted to the radiator?

[mad082]

i'd also check the thermostat. i've had similar issues in the past and found it to be the thermostat (but have also had another issue caused by a dodgy fan). the fact that it runs fine when going faster indicates 2 things to me, 1: the fan is dodgy, or 2: the thermostat is dodgy and restricting flow and the fan alone simply can't pump enough air to overcome the heat soak in the engine bay and also can't get enough air through the radiator to get all of the extra heat out of the radiator.

the best way to tell if the thermostat is the issue is by how long the car takes to warm up. with a working thermostat the car should be up to temp within about 5 mins of driving (not just sitting there letting it idle for 5 mins). if the car takes much longer than that, or the needle doesn't make it to the halfway mark, or sits lower than halfway when on the highway with the aircon off then the thermostat is the issue as it isn't opening when it should and isn't closing when it should.

[MrR33666]

another way to check thermostat is take it out and put it in boiling water and see if it opens

[GTR-N1]

If temp goes north sitting in traffic & at the lights, the fan clutch is suss; likewise, the temp goes down when you're on the move.

[BundyBear]

overheating at low speeds is usally caused by four things

Fans (bad clutch on mechanicals, lots with thermos. don't forget the shroud, its ugly but important

water pump loosing preasure

blocked radiator, you can try a flush in a bottle, they work soso, but a pro like natrad is better ( also bent fins on the core, they slow the air flow)

finally the old thermostat, they are usually cheep so just change em

if your motor has done a head gasket or similar in the past the water galleries in the block and such could also be a bit blocked, a flush take care of em

cheers

[mad082]

another way to check thermostat is take it out and put it in boiling water and see if it opens

it doesn't always show the problem vey well though. i've done the boiling water test before and it seemed fine, but once i put in the new thermostat it solved the issue

If temp goes north sitting in traffic & at the lights, the fan clutch is suss; likewise, the temp goes down when you're on the move.

it depends on how low the temp goes. if the temp only goes to normal when driving faster then it's likely to be the fan. the 2 cars i've had with thermostat issues would get hot when sitting in traffic, but when on the highway would drop down to about 1/4 temp

[Trackwork]

it doesn't always show the problem vey well though. i've done the boiling water test before and it seemed fine, but once i put in the new thermostat it solved the issue

it depends on how low the temp goes. if the temp only goes to normal when driving faster then it's likely to be the fan. the 2 cars i've had with thermostat issues would get hot when sitting in traffic, but when on the highway would drop down to about 1/4 temp

thanks guys might have to apply a few of these to my tow car which is starting to get hot very quickly when I'm not towing anything.