overheating is back

[IndianaVX]

Agree with Scott, you can have new radiator, shiney new cap, the prettiest new hoses, ect..... But if the thermostat isnt working right, none of that new stuff will cure your problem. Maybe it's just me, but I always start with the little (read cheap) stuff first. And these cheap things probably needed replaced anyway. Are you Loosing coolant? Also check the firewall between brake booster and fender for coolant. I've seen my truck spray coolant thru the resivour cap.

[VX crazy]

Mine does it too, and so did my other vx in the Texas heat with ac on in stop and go traffic, I just turn ac off and sweat til I start moving. Funny thing is the temp gauge in the truck says normal or tad over half when scan gauge says 210 , but after it gets just 6 degrees warmer the needle shoots way over, I have let it get to 222, too hot for me, no leaking coolant, coolant new in last yr and half and royalmpurple wetter always used too.

[eternal21]

Mine does it too, and so did my other vx in the Texas heat with ac on in stop and go traffic, I just turn ac off and sweat til I start moving. Funny thing is the temp gauge in the truck says normal or tad over half when scan gauge says 210 , but after it gets just 6 degrees warmer the needle shoots way over, I have let it get to 222, too hot for me, no leaking coolant, coolant new in last yr and half and royalmpurple wetter always used too.

Started happening to me, as well, even w/the upgraded fan. So I stuck on another 10" fan in front of the radiator. No dice. I think too much heat is getting trapped under the hood. To test my theory, I'm going to remove the hood insert, and drive around on Mon & Tues of next week when the temp is going to be over 100 degrees again. We'll see what she does. I saw another member had ordered a heat extractor and put it on his hood, and it looked pretty good, so I ordered the same one for $95 on eBay. If removal of the hood insert does alleviate the situation, I'll be putting on the heat extractor in short order.

http://vehicross.info/forums/showpos...2&postcount=17

[VX KAT]

Started happening to me, as well, even w/the upgraded fan. So I stuck on another 10" fan in front of the radiator. No dice. I think too much heat is getting trapped under the hood. To test my theory, I'm going to remove the hood insert, and drive around on Mon & Tues of next week when the temp is going to be over 100 degrees again. We'll see what she does. I saw another member had ordered a heat extractor and put it on his hood, and it looked pretty good, so I ordered the same one for $95 on eBay. If removal of the hood insert does alleviate the situation, I'll be putting on the heat extractor in short order.

http://vehicross.info/forums/showpos...2&postcount=17

"Bill" from Ron Davis racing also told me this the other day:

If you put a

2nd fan on the front side of the radiator, it blocks airflow and probably only about 30 percent of the airflow makes it through the radiator. Not a good choice.

[eternal21]

"Bill" from Ron Davis racing also told me this the other day:

If you put a 2nd fan on the front side of the radiator, it blocks airflow and probably only about 30 percent of the airflow makes it through the radiator. Not a good choice.

I've heard differing opinions on that one, Sue. We have members on this forum who have alleviated their overheating symptoms by installing a 2nd fan. My truck doesn't overheat at all with the fans on, so I'd be hard pressed to believe the add'l fan is causing an issue w/blockage. It only overheats when the a/c is on.

Unless something has been modified, that won't do anything - the hood is solid metal underneath the insert.

Good to know. Guess I'll take the entire hood off

[VX KAT]

Would a person have to account for some flex in the blades when they're turning? Taking their orientation into account, and the fact that they're plastic, it seems to me that once they start spinning, the act of cutting through the air would have them flexing "inward" toward the radiator. Do they appear to stick out of the shroud the same distance when the engine is running as they do when it's not?

I can see your point, when it's spinning it's pretty hard to estimate how far out those blades are.

I've heard differing opinions on that one, Sue. We have members on this forum who have alleviated their overheating symptoms by installing a 2nd fan. My truck doesn't overheat at all with the fans on, so I'd be hard pressed to believe the add'l fan is causing an issue w/blockage. It only overheats when the a/c is on.

...yeah, certainly adds to the confusion in trying to pinpoint a cause doesn't it...oh joy, sounds like fun times ahead....

[Paul_A]

Just Power washed my rad.... couldn't believe how much crud came out!

[RickOKC]

Trying to find out if my fan blades are positioned more forward into the shroud than other VXs.

I didn't take any measurements, but the position of my fan looks the same. Hah, purple yardstick!

To test my theory, I'm going to remove the hood insert, and drive around on Mon & Tues of next week when the temp is going to be over 100 degrees again.

Unless something has been modified, that won't do anything - the hood is solid metal underneath the insert.

[Triathlete]

Unless something has been modified, that won't do anything - the hood is solid metal underneath the insert.

[VX KAT]

OK, gonna look into details of the Ron Davis radiator...gulp...and see what kind of moula I'd be talkin' here...gulp....also asked newthings for detail$.

After I faint, and dave revives me, I know I'll have to have my mechanic explore some of the "other" possible culprits.

Agree with Scott, you can have new radiator, shiney new cap, the prettiest new hoses, ect..... But if the thermostat isnt working right, none of that new stuff will cure your problem. Maybe it's just me, but I always start with the little (read cheap) stuff first. And these cheap things probably needed replaced anyway. .

Yeah, absolutely, going to have mechanic start next week picking off the possibilities (based on his eval and what he suspects). I'll also discuss various options with him re: radiator flush, alum radiator, etc...


1) Drove it for last 2 days up the big hill, with A/C, NO overheating at all... but AIR temp was at least 6-8 degrees cooler....can that small of an air temp variation 6-8 degrees (91 vs. 98-99) really make a big difference??

2) Talked to "Bill" today at Ron Davis Racing Radiators. He wanted to ask about some things about my VX before he finishes the design updates (from "newthings") on the aluminum unit.
He had me try some stuff:

• evaluating how far the fan blades protrude beyond the shroud (toward the rear of truck). The top of the shroud is a little deeper, for finger protection, but the sides are a little shallower.
  My fan blades BARELY break the plane of the shroud.....meaning, my fan blades are set well INTO the shroud. Bill said that set up moves LESS AIR.
  WHAT DOES EVERYBODY ELSES VX LOOK LIKE IN THIS REGARD??
  COULD THIS BE YET ANOTHER "HAND MADE" VARIANCE??

• moving the OEM main fan blades manually, feeling for resistance, when cold and when hot.
  We found it spun pretty well, even easier when engine was warm
  

• We checked to see if all bolts holding the radiator were tight and flush, with no spaces - checked ok.

• Dave and I already confirmed the A/C fan comes on appropriately.

• He asked if everything appeared to be OEM...he STRONGLY recommends ONLY OEM parts such as the blades, shroud, etc... He feels they're properly engineered for the vehicle, have certain tolerances, and are more durable in general.

• [*He advised the OEM mechanical fan can move MORE AIR than a twin electrical fan set up can, so he recommends we keep the OEM....and make sure it's functioning optimally.
  Is there a spec on the fan blade placement?.....gotta look that one up in the big manual.

Any comments, input????
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