Radiator mounting

[desertspeed]

OK, I need some help with mounting a new radiator. I just bought a new Griffin radiator that is rated for a much bigger engine than I have, so I know it is large enough. I had to make a custom mount for it so I could run electric puller fans (I had been running pusher fans but wanted to switch as puller fans are supposed to be more efficient). After getting it installed I went on a test drive- it ran fine for 20-30 miles on the highway but then it started overheating. I thought I had some air bubbles trapped somewhere in the system but I removed the thermostat housing and filled it up there, as well as near the heater core. I am getting hot air through my heater vents and I don't have any gurgling so I am pretty sure I got all of the air out. I have tried everything I could think of, including flushing the system and refilling it, testing my thermostat, running without a thermostat, and testing my water pump, and I still have the same results. It will run fine for a while but then it will start overheating.

The only other thing that I can think of is the mounting location- the way it is mounted now the radiator filler is below the level of the thermostat housing. Does anyone know if the filler neck HAS to be the highest point in the cooling system? I can't think of anything else that it could be. Thanks!!!

I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead...

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[Tyson]

I'm sure you looked into this but just in case:
Are your new sucker fans rated the same if not more then your previous pusher fans? If so then are you sure that wherever you bought them gave you the corresct fans?

Just a thought, simple things.

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[desertspeed]

They should be much better- I was using Flex-A-Lite dual pushers rated at 2500 cfm, but I never really built a good shroud so I lost a lot of air around the sides- I didn't really have any problems overheating so I diddn't worry about that. I switched to 2 Spal 10" fans at 1070 cfm each, but I built a good shroud for them. I would think that they would be fine- we run them on our class 10 car. I guess that is a possibility, but I am experiencing overheating at freeway speeds where the fans are not really doing too much.

I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead...

[partybarge_pilot]

Are your fans actually moving the air the right direction. Some fans can run both ways. Not that i have had this problem.......

[desertspeed]

yeah- they just about suck my hand through the radiator if I am not carefull...

I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead...

[WFODAN]

I put a Griffin Radiator in my old Ranger . The first problem I had was that I mounted it too low . It did the same thing as the problems you are having . I later found out that the filler neck does have to be the highest point of the cooling system . The thermostat housing was my highest point and I found out that water doesn't like to run uphill . Instead it kept an air pocket up there that no matter what I did , it wouldn't come out . Once I remounted my radiator a little higher with the filler neck now being the highest point of the system it fixed the problem . The only other problem I had was that the truck ( once it was warmed up ) would run about 15 degrees hotter than it did with the stock radiator . I'm not sure which radiator or truck you have but I put the Griffin Radiator out of Summit that was made for Fords in my Ranger . It has about 25% more capacity than the stock one , and I was told it should run alot cooler than the stock one also . Like I stated above , this was never the case and eventually I took the Griffin back out and put the stock one back in . Better luck with yours , but I would mount it higher to fix the first problem .



Dan Vance

[drtdevil93]

what kind of motor is it on? water pump could be turning at a less than ideal rpm on the freeway. might consider underdrive pulleys.

erik

[ntsqd]

Haven't seen the 'desertspeed' tag since the ORC yota list days......

B4 you go to all of the trouble to move the radiator up, try this simple trick: Drill and tap some 1/8" NPT threads in at the highest point of the system. Then put a 1/8" NPT to -4 or -6 straight adapter in the hole. Put an AN screw-on cap over that. Burp the system of air by loosening the cap. I've had to do that on several road race cars. On one we had to fill the last little bit of coolant thru the fitting so it got bumped to a -10.
An alternative to that is I have seen radiator necks that bolt onto a flat surface with a gasket. Check throttle body injected Nissan truck V6's in the JY's for those. They have a nice little one on the t-stat housing.



TS

I used swerve around my halucinations, now I drive right thru them.

[Kritter]

AN fitting on the radiator and then have a separate fill reservoir with cap that you can mount anywhere you would like

Kris
"Buy American before it's too late"

[desertspeed]

Haven't seen the 'desertspeed' tag since the ORC yota list days......

Yeah- I have been too busy working on my truck and the race car to do anything else lately!!

The t-stat housing already has a bleeder screw in it. I tried to bleed the system that way but it didn't help. I think that I was still getting air into the system through the overflow bottle. I think I am going to raise the radiator up above the t-stat and go from there.

Thanks to everyone for their responses.

I'll get all the sleep I need when I'm dead...