Off Road SHO
Moderator
Come on....enquiring minds want to know. I saw you driving away after you brought the trailer back but couldn't catch you.
Tom
Tom
So...How did you do at the races, Eric?
- Thread starter Off Road SHO
- Start date
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F-22 Raptor SHO
New Member
running away with:
a: tail between legs?
b: tail ridin' high and waggin hard?
a: tail between legs?
b: tail ridin' high and waggin hard?
Shoaz
Studly dood
Kind of a bizarre day. Since it was a track I'd never driven before I was mostly in learning mode, but set a reasonable time in the first session, although I thought I could have done better. Second session was two seconds slower, even though everybody else got faster, I got about a second back in the third session, but still slow. Coming off the track after the third session it started boiling, and puked a ton of water out of the overflow bottle while I was waiting on grid for Time Attack. I got booted off grid (rightly so), and packed up.
As far as I can tell (official results not posted yet) I was the only TTD car in attendance, so I'm pretty much guaranteed the track record even with a pretty mediocre showing. The track is a riot to drive, I was enjoying it immensely, but something was not right with the car.
There was a lot of automotive carnage. A buddy ventilated the block on his ITR during the first practice session for the race group, a Focus popped an oil cooler line and blew oil from T1 all the way down the front straight. I was waiting on TT grid during the first race and saw two or three cars get pulled/pushed/dragged off track. Somebody else detonated a Honda block as well.
I haven't downloaded the vid yet but will post once I've had a chance to edit it, etc.
I need to figure out why this car overheats so easily.
As far as I can tell (official results not posted yet) I was the only TTD car in attendance, so I'm pretty much guaranteed the track record even with a pretty mediocre showing. The track is a riot to drive, I was enjoying it immensely, but something was not right with the car.
There was a lot of automotive carnage. A buddy ventilated the block on his ITR during the first practice session for the race group, a Focus popped an oil cooler line and blew oil from T1 all the way down the front straight. I was waiting on TT grid during the first race and saw two or three cars get pulled/pushed/dragged off track. Somebody else detonated a Honda block as well.
I haven't downloaded the vid yet but will post once I've had a chance to edit it, etc.
I need to figure out why this car overheats so easily.
Off Road SHO
Moderator
The thermostat might be stuck fully open; not giving the water enough time in the heads and block to absorb enough heat. Water can transfer heat quickly through the thin walls of the radiator, but can't absorb it quickly from the thick walls of the heads and block.
Or, You might have a very small leak that allows air into the system, but not coolant out unless the pressure reaches 15 psi or greater.
Tom
Shoaz
Studly dood
I have changed the t-stat along the way, to a 180F unit, and it didn't seem to make any noticable difference. I still suspect that maybe mixing green and orange coolant plugged some passages in the block and/or heads. I did a couple of partial chemical flushes but that didn't seem to do much, either.
Off Road SHO
Moderator
I don't know if you can still get it, but there was a great radiator flush sold at the chevron stations that worked better than any of the other consumer versions.
Tom
Tom
93rev2sev
SHO Member
Is it possible your cam timing is off a couple of degrees? That might be the cause of the overheating?
If they are stage(x) cams, did you index them when you installed them?
If they are stage(x) cams, did you index them when you installed them?
Shoaz
Studly dood
The motor is bone stock. 3.2L with ATX cams. There's no reason at all that this car should be overheating, so something is just wrong somewhere.
Suspects at this point:
1. Aero. The tranny cooler and oil cooler (which is small) both sit in front of the rad. The tranny cooler is the stock ATX tranny cooler. I'm going to try putting a flat piece (like a splitter) that fills in the bottom of the valence, and also try shrouding the rad a bit. That bugs me a bit, since with a stock motor that shouldn't be necessary.
2. Water pump. The motor only has <9k miles on it since new, so I don't know why the pump would not be up to *****, but if it isn't it would help explain the problems.
3. Plugged block/heads. When we first pulled the motor there was the usual green/grey sludge in the rad hoses and other low spots. It had orange coolant in it when I got it, and clearly it had had green for a long time prior to that. There's no telling whether this is an issue, but, again, it would help explain things.
4. T-stat. Already been replaced once, didn't make much difference, and the symptom is definitely correlated with ambient temperature rather than how hard the motor is getting hammered. I'll pull it again just to make sure.
Other than that I'm out of ideas.
Since the problem does correlate very strongly to ambient temp (this event was the first one over 80F since last fall), it's something that's just marginal. Either that or the 'puter is doing something stupid due to the sensed temp. One of the temp sensors is just hanging in front of the rad mount right now.
Suspects at this point:
1. Aero. The tranny cooler and oil cooler (which is small) both sit in front of the rad. The tranny cooler is the stock ATX tranny cooler. I'm going to try putting a flat piece (like a splitter) that fills in the bottom of the valence, and also try shrouding the rad a bit. That bugs me a bit, since with a stock motor that shouldn't be necessary.
2. Water pump. The motor only has <9k miles on it since new, so I don't know why the pump would not be up to *****, but if it isn't it would help explain the problems.
3. Plugged block/heads. When we first pulled the motor there was the usual green/grey sludge in the rad hoses and other low spots. It had orange coolant in it when I got it, and clearly it had had green for a long time prior to that. There's no telling whether this is an issue, but, again, it would help explain things.
4. T-stat. Already been replaced once, didn't make much difference, and the symptom is definitely correlated with ambient temperature rather than how hard the motor is getting hammered. I'll pull it again just to make sure.
Other than that I'm out of ideas.
Since the problem does correlate very strongly to ambient temp (this event was the first one over 80F since last fall), it's something that's just marginal. Either that or the 'puter is doing something stupid due to the sensed temp. One of the temp sensors is just hanging in front of the rad mount right now.
Off Road SHO
Moderator
Eric,
I think that one is for the AC circuit and shouldn't affect the coolant in any way.
If I remember right, you even had a dual row radiator installed. And you're using water wetter?
Tom
I think that one is for the AC circuit and shouldn't affect the coolant in any way.
If I remember right, you even had a dual row radiator installed. And you're using water wetter?
Tom
Shoaz
Studly dood
That'd be good.
Yup, dual-core rad, took out the stock fans for freer air flow, and water wetter. There's an aux aftermarket fan that's on all the time when the ignition is on. Right now it's pushing through the rad, but I'm going to swap it to suck through.
I may even put the stock rad back in with the stock fans (which don't seem to fit with the dual core), just to see what happens.
St Louis SHO
Rollin' coal
Eric, stupid suggestion, but I've seen it a few times. Dirt/lint built up between the coolers and the radiator by chance?
Shoaz
Studly dood
No, it's pretty clean in there. The rad isn't very old, and I usually inspect around there between events. It's easy to clean crap out when it does get in there, but around here that's very seldom.
SHOspazz92
Banned
What track was thi Eric?
-Sam
-Sam
Shoaz
Studly dood
Firebird East.
BTW, I just posted the vid:
http://www.shoforum.com/showthread.php?p=885340#post885340
SHOspazz92
Banned
Oh cool stuff. My cousin is always running that track in his white 2004 GT (It looks like a White 00' Cobra R). He know's your car and I'm sure he'll let me know if see you out there in the near future.
-Sam
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