xxwhiteneonxx

going to try to move the steam lines to the upper hose and see what that does. If that helps but doesnt solve it im thinking of moving to a 180 degree t stat. in my honest opinion, if i move to a higher thermostat that should make the temperature lower because the radiator will have more time to cool the existing coolant before transferring it to the motor.


-Cody

yenkomike

iTrader: (2)

your steam vent needs to be in the upper hose it should keep the engine from getting a air pocket in the heads above the water pump ports. by dumping it back in like that you are not letting the air purge out. and if your radiator is lower than the engine you need to fill the engine thru the upper radiator hose then you will have the system full. a lot of gm trucks and vans need filled that way or they are 1/2 gallon low.

MIAmotorsports

THIS, and try a thermostat if you haven't. They are like alternators and you can get a bad one even if they are brand new. My understanding is these OEM motors are made to run 200-210 at least..for emissions control. So, don't get to bent on a 200 temps.

MIAmotorsports

It takes longer to open yes and can cool what is in the radiator at the beginning when it is closed.But once it opens, with the temps you are running it will REMAIN open and there will be no increased time for cooling because it will be a constant flow.

xxwhiteneonxx

so your saying pull the upper hose at the radiator or at the water pump?
Ill move that steam vent as well to the upper hose and see how that effects our setup.

if you were to try a new setup, number one would be, would you drill a hole in it? And what temp would you try? I have the 160 now.


It does take awhile to get there however. Like stated with my 2013 silverado above. throughout the heat cycle the lower hose was 100 degrees colder in which case the thermostat should be closed.

MIAmotorsports

I have drilled two holes without problems one on each side of the valve on the flat part. It help bit. If you are going to drill the holes, get a new thermostat while it is out.

xxwhiteneonxx

1/8" holes?

try another 160?

MIAmotorsports

1/8 holes are fine and yes get a new thermostat since it is out. Again this hole mod doesn't do alot

3 window

iTrader: (1)

It allows the coolant to flow past the tstat while filling and the stat is closed. Also allows a little bit of coolant to circulate constantly.

MIAmotorsports

Agreed, but isn't will not magically fix your overheating problems. I also thing he needs to put a piece of aluminum or something over the gap between the radiator and intercooler to keep the air going through the radiator and not over it.

3 window

iTrader: (1)

Nope! No magic at all just easier to fill and bleed the air really. Agreed on the aluminum duct work. Ram all the air through the radiator you can. Especially with the pushers in the way. The air is going to take the path of least resistence, which right now is up and over the radiator.

xxwhiteneonxx

I had made a cardboard shroud for the top to direct all the air into the radiator that didn't seem to help my situation at all.

I moved the steam vent to the upper hose, and drilled holes in the new 180 degree thermostat. Tried putting it all back together. This p.o.s f***ing thermostat housing is leaking everywhere. ( good thing I air checked it first). Its done this once before and I had filed it down to remove high spots and it sealed. This time I cannot get it for the life of me. Im about to smash the car with a hammer honestly.

Somebody please direct me to mr gasket so I can tell them what **** they make.

3 window

iTrader: (1)

Walk away from it for a couple days. You've been working your nads off trying to figure it out. You need to recoup. We've all been there and it's a pain. You'll figure it out. I was going to respond by saying "if you're gonna beat it with a hammer, be sure it's an axe and start at the front bumper" but I didn't think you'd be in the mood for a smart *** comment! Keep us posted, you'll figure it out, you're not the first one that's done it.

xxwhiteneonxx

lol I took a trip to summit yesterday and picked up a 180 degree hypertech t stat along with some fittings.

I drilled holes in the thermostat and also finally got the housing to seal. Not sure how, but it sealed now.

I also moved the front steam tubes from the thermostat housing where it would dump hot coolant back into the motor, to the upper hose. Hopefully thatll help a lot. Ill keep you guys updated tonight after I test it.

-Cody

xxwhiteneonxx

Okay so before i go on about that, heres what i changed and how it effected the setup. Like i said previously i want to keep tons of info in here so this question hopefully wont get brought up as much later down the road. i for one know there was not much straight forward info on this topic other than the typical steam vent crap.


So now, onto what i did. First i replaced the thermostat with a hypertech 180 ( previously 160 degree) I drilled 3 1/8" holes in it. I also moved the front crossovers from the lower hose to the upper hose .

Now, with the car idling for a half hour, it got to 215 and kept going, ( shut it off).

Now, before i go onto the fans, What should spark advance be at idle? Ive been told 18 and ive also been told 34. Right now im at 19 spark advance at idle and previously ( budddys tune) was 34 degrees. Both times, the car idled great and such. Had these issues with both degree settings as well which leads me to believe it has nothing to do with timing but i may be wrong.

So now, finally onto the fans.. Ive been trying to figure out how to get the rad forward and also how to diagnose this issue without getting too involved until i know for sure whats causing this issue.

So, im thinking of unbolting the radiator, taking the fan off of the drivers side, and mounting it as a puller directly behind the passenger pusher.


This will give me a pusher and a puller in the same location to help air air getting through the rad. I think this may also help driving down the road as well because the whole front of the rad on the drivers side will remain open and allow for more air flow while highway driving.

My next thought is if this works, but still doesnt get it where id like, i can still toss a pusher back on the drivers front of the rad. ( 3 total at that point)


Let me know what you guys thoughts are on my ideas and questions. You guys have been a big help so far and i appreciate it.


-Cody

dirty_old_chevy

Is it possible you have a head gasket in upside down?

xxwhiteneonxx

i highly doubt it but i guess anything is possible. Any way to tell?

98Camarod

iTrader: (43)

If it were upside down you couldn't install the lifters. On the GM MLS gaskets they clearly label them with the words FRONT on the front side.

badhombre

iTrader: (4)

may be a silly question, but simple enough to test/try.
How have you capped off the heater hose outputs from the water pump? I had a similar issue on my 99 trans am after I bypassed the heater core. I took a short piece of hose and looped the 2 together. the hose was short so it kinked. I didn't pay much attention to it. But after weeks of chasing a heating issue, I finally took that hose off and replaced it with a longer one that made a smooth flowing loop. Then my heating issue went away.

mobythevan

iTrader: (6)

In post #53 he says the heater ports are blocked. I'm just re-reading a bunch of this thread. It is easy to find overheating threads where the heater ports have been blocked off(EDIT: meaning that blocking the heater ports is the cause of the overheating).