What can I buy to help my LT1 run cooler? I've already got a 160* thermostat & PCM reprogram, as well as a manual fan switch. What else is there? Is a Mezeire Heavy Duty water pump more efficient @ cooling than the stock water pump? What kind of materials is the OE radiator made of? Would I be wasting money if I spent $500 on a "Sparco" or "BeCool" aluminum radiator? How about cooling fans? Is it possible to upgrade to better cooling fans? If so, what brand(s) / model(s)?

 

Does your car run hot? What temp?


Tried Water Wetter? Run it during the summer with water and Water Wetter for maximum heat transfer. Add anti-freeze before winter.

http://www.redlineoil.com/products_c...coolantFlash=1

 

Yeah, that's something I wanna try, but I'd like to know what materials the radiator is made from- if it's brass & copper, or if it's aluminum. I don't want to spend $500 on a aluminum race radiator if it comes OE'd with one. Also, I'm hoping some people with experiences from the Mezeire HD water pump can chime in and let me know if it's worth the trouble...

I'm running about 180* in city, but if I take it on the highway, it gets up there 200-230ish. I know why it's getting hot- I don't have an air deflector. I know that adding one "would" solve my problem, however, that's just not gonna work with how much it's lowered, along with the 2" front valance. I'm hoping to compensate in other areas of cooling so I can get away without running an air deflector...

 

Solve all your problems by running the air dam. No radiator is going to work without proper air flow. Stock radiators are aluminum with plastic tanks.

 

What good is the stock air dam if it doesn't clear the Wings West ground effects piece that's blocking it? Yes, I know the kit came with an "extended" air dam, but that broke off years ago, from dips, road flaws, and speed bumps. I even tried reinforcing it @ one point, but it didn't stand up any better. Would it even be worth it to try and channel the air through the "holes" in the front valance, or is that not enough air to help? I'm open to suggestions...

Also, would changing the radiator to an aftermarket race radiator help? I know ours is already aluminum, but BeCool GUARANTEES at least a 20*F drop in temperature, which is all I really want to see. I mean, if I could drop it lower, great, but I'd like to at least drop it 20*F. Would I see ANY difference with Water Wetter and an 80/20 coolant ratio? What about adding other fluid coolers (oil, power steering)? Would that even make a difference? How about a Meziere HD water pump? I see that it flows @ 50 gpm , as opposed to the regular Meziere, which flows @ 42 gpm. Would this aid in cooling at all?

 

IMO you are wasting your time thinking of ways to circumvent not using an air dam. A radiator the size of Kansas is not going to cool without air flow (a bigger water pump won't help, either). I did not say to run a stock air dam. You either need to raise the car, remove the effects or run a lower air dam (and replace/repair it as needed). That's the downside of the setup you have.

 

So you don't think routing the ports in the front valance to flow into a stock height air dam would work? I'm not raising my car, nor will I get rid of the front valance. It's not like my car is overheating. It just runs hotter than what I'm used to. Used to never get over 140* in the winter and 160* in summer. Now its 140* city / 200* highway (winter) and 180* city / 220* highway (summer), and this is WITHOUT the front air dam. So, if my radiator isn't getting any air flow, how is it that I'm keeping within operating temperatures? I thought you said that supplemental mods are ineffective if there is no air dam...??

Oh, and just FYI, I've been successfully running my car within operating temperature WITHOUT an air dam for 5 years now...

Also, what exactly is a "pusher fan"? I've seen this mentioned on several other cooling threads. Is it just a fan that mounts on the front of the radiator (as opposed to the rear)?

 

I do apologize if I'm coming off as stubborn or bull-headed, but I'm just trying to find answers to my questions...

 

My experiences with this:
when I bought my '94, it would get hot sitting in traffic and such, this graduated to getting hot at low speeds, etc. I finally took the radiator out, had it rodded, that fixed it for one year, then the same problems started coming back.
The next year I spent, I think 190.00 for a brand new radiator, it has not even considered getting hot for 3 years now.

short version: I think these radiators have fairly small flow passages, and they plug up semi easy.

So if your going to be stubborn and not run your air damn, a new radiator might at least put a dent in the problem.

 

Thanks for your help!