Cooling Issues... I'm tired of it!!!

[Treachery]

How about some help on this one.

A Vortech SQ-Trim supercharger was installed in my '93 GT about a year ago. I've been very happy with the results except for the fact the car like to overheat in city driving. I had the 7year old head gaskets replaced shortly after the Vortech was installed. So the gaskets are not the issue. I also don't believe that the temperature guage is the issue either. The overheating is obvious just by lifting the hood... HOT!

On the freeway, the temperture where it should be- between 1/4 and the 1/2 way point. When i come off the freeway and start city driving... up goes the temperature. Then back on the freeway, the temperature cools down.

I began with the FMS aluminum radiator and a slimline Flexalite fan. I then bought a Ramcharger dual-fan but the thing does NOT fit. I don't know how people with supercharged Mustangs can make the Ramcharger fit when clearance is slim. Ok.. I then buy a Fluidyne radiator... one of the best. The Ramcharger fan still did not fit even after "modifying" it. There goes $140!!! So back goes the Flexalite which is about the only type of fan that will fit.

Even with the new Fluidyne radiator and the Flexalite fan, the damn car STILL overheats in city driving!!! You can feel the heat from the engine when lifting the hood.

10% coolant- 90% water+ Redline WaterWetter ; 20% coolant - 80% water+ Redline WaterWetter; Mr Gasket 180 degree thermostat; it doesn't matter! The engine overheats! WHY! WHY!

I was thinking of the Vortech Aftercooler but i'm sure that other Vortech supercharged Mustangs are running cool without it.

What else do i need to do to get Vortech'ed Mustang to run cool in city driving??? What's the secret? I'm sick and tired of this cooling issue and i want resolution once and for all!

Suggestions!! Please!

[PKRWUD]

You need a better fan. Simply put, the one you've got can't cut it. If I were you, I'd ditch the electric all together and install a flex fan and a shroud. That would cool it down nicely.

[Hozer 88GTConv]

This has been discussed a lot before and I like the SN95 fan.
It has two speeds and I wired only the high-speed option and it cools.
So much that I had to put a 195* thermostat back in my car just so it would heat up to bring the 02's on line and not run too rich.

I would consider the SN95 just b/c it moves so much more air than the flex fan.

FMS sells it for $225. That and the electronics from NAPA set me back maybe $30. The hardest part was finding a high-amp switch. The draw wasn't bad either, but I have a 140-amp Powermaster too.

That's if you want the electric option. The bolt-on fan/clutch would work too.

Good luck.

[Fox Body]

Yeah, I agree also.... fan.

For the fact that it does fine on the hwy. Only purpose of the fan is to cool the radiator water (and engine) while the car is not moving. Any other time it serves no purpose. Since the car is overheating in stop and go, it can't do the job.

One other thing, if I had a car with a blower on it, I'd put on one of those high flow water pumps if at all possible....

[tireburner163]

Linclon Mark 8 fan. It flows more than ANY fan on the market.

But you'll need a 130amp alt.


btw, Flex-a-lite fans SUCK.....BIG time


-Josh, aka the tireburner

[PKRWUD]

Originally posted by tireburner163
btw, Flex-a-lite fans SUCK.....BIG time

What he said.

[buddha]

OK, I'll be the one to disagree with everyone else. I ran a brass FMS 3 core with a Flex-a-lite with no problems. As a matter of fact I could turn the fan off on the highway and it would stick at 180 all day long. This was on a Procharger setup, and a NOVI 2000 setup.

I think you problem may lie somewhere else. The fact that the car is supercharged makes little or no difference while driving under normal conditions. Does the radiator put fluid in the overflow when it heats up? What about your t-stat.....how old is it?

Also, about your fan.....does it push or pull? You want it to pull, and it can easily be wired to do either without even realizing that you've done it. Check and make sure that it is drawing air from the front of the car and not the engine. I'd check this first since it's the easiest. Hopefully that's what the problem is.....easy fix.

[PKRWUD]

Brass radiators actually cool better. You bring up a good point about making sure it's installed correctly, and I agree he may have multiple problems, but I'm convinced his fan is the problem this time. BTW, you should never have your fan on while on the highway. At speeds above 15 mph, the fan is just for decoration.

[buddha]

Your right PKRWUD, brass does dissipate heat better, but some of the other elements in making those radiators (epoxy and such) do make them less effecient.

Anyway, if the car is staying cool at highway speeds, it's is obvious that for whatever reason he's not moving enough air through the radiator. But the Flex-a-lite fan he's using flows more than enought CFM, so where does that leave you?

If you go strictly by the flow numbers, the Ramcharger fan pulls 2340 CFM, the Flex-a-lite pulls 2500 CFM, and the Be-Cool/Spal fans pull a whopping 2780 CFM.


Again, I say to check the wiring on the fan.

[PKRWUD]

My buddy and I built a 306 powered '64 Ranchero a few years back, and cooled it sufficiently with a flex-a-lite fan and the radiator out of a '72 Pinto, lol, so yeah, normally he should be okay with it. I never liked the flex-a-lite because I thought the quality was poor, but it did work. If he does have it wired it correctly, since it's apparently a low air flow issue, perhaps his fan is defective. I will be curious to see how he corrects this.

[420nitro]

See if this helps out. For me, using a electric fan as a pusher never did anything for me but cause problems. I now use every electric fan as a puller. Another important feature is the fan shrud. If you just have 1-2 electric fans hooked up as a puller or pusher with no shrud then don't expect anything. And yes the fan supposed to aid in cooling under 35 mph only. After that, the raditor is what does the job besides the incoming rushing air and water pump. So by you stating that the car runs fine on the expressway and not city driving tells me that its in your fan set-up with shrud...issue. As goes for how much cfm it pulls verses someone elses is pointless if you don't have some sort of shrud on it. If you have a shrud on it and it still doesn't work then look at your wiring. It should be easy though...hook it up and see if it pulls or pushes! I would recommend having it set-up for a puller (engine-side) and feel the air blow against the engine while the fan is running. I have a Flyidyne Raditor and Spal fans with a STOCK water pump and it has NEVER OVER HEATED! Runs at or lower then 190, even while idling in my garage for 20 mins! I have a big windsor with big parts too and alot of compression.
Good luck and hope this helps in som sort of way.

[buddha]

Originally posted by PKRWUD
I will be curious to see how he corrects this.

Ya, me too. I'd like to know what the problem ends up being.

[RoadWarrior]

I used to have cooling problems because my old electric fan just didnt move enough air. I went to try to figure out how to fix my problem and i had 2 choices, spend the money on anther electric which would have been over 100 easily, or swap in a nice flex fan. I went with the flex fan and love it. I used one before the electric and again now after. The car hits 165 and doesnt move past that. You can stand at the back of the car and still feel the air from the fan at idle.

[C&R Racing]

Spal fans are the best fans on the market. We sell them to NASCAR Nextel Cup teams, where Spal is the only fan that they'll use. Part number IX-30102036 is a 16" High Performance pull fan.
We are in the process of developing and building a new all aluminum radiator for 79-93 Fox Mustangs, with or without the trans cooler. Price TBA. There will be an optional Spal cooling packaging including the fan, mounting brackets and sending relay available with 185 degree or 195 degree relays. We hope to eventually have a radiator for every Mustang application. C&R Racing 317-293-4100, ask for Bill.

[Treachery]

My mechanic did his magic on it and got the Ramcharger to fit. Modifications has to be made to the plastic shroud though minor. Clearance between the fan and my Vortech's belt tensioner pulley is about 1/2 an inch. I may need to replace the stock engine mounts to prevent the engine from moving around too much.

The Ramcharger works great. It's a lot quieter than what i was expecting. The "low" setting brings the temperature down, nicely. The only time that i used the "High" setting on the switch was when it reached past 90 degress outside.