Help! Twin Turbo TA heating issues
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Utah
Help! Twin Turbo TA heating issues Not sure if this is the right place to post this?
Im no newbie to the LS1 engine but I am a bit of one when it comes to boosted LS1's. I have a 2002 TA with the APS twin turbo system. Both the turbo's and the intercooler have been upgraded.
My question is this: what type of coolant temperatures are you guys seeing out of normal everyday driving with twins? I'm not sure how accurate my temp gauge is but I hover right at 210. Would meth help? Or would meth not even help under normal stop and go driving. The car is not my daily but i do take it out occasionally. I have several Aeroforce Interceptor gauges that should be here in a few days. Hopefully they will give me better temperature readings. Any and all suggestions on how to keep temps down would be much appreciated! Thanks
Im no newbie to the LS1 engine but I am a bit of one when it comes to boosted LS1's. I have a 2002 TA with the APS twin turbo system. Both the turbo's and the intercooler have been upgraded.
My question is this: what type of coolant temperatures are you guys seeing out of normal everyday driving with twins? I'm not sure how accurate my temp gauge is but I hover right at 210. Would meth help? Or would meth not even help under normal stop and go driving. The car is not my daily but i do take it out occasionally. I have several Aeroforce Interceptor gauges that should be here in a few days. Hopefully they will give me better temperature readings. Any and all suggestions on how to keep temps down would be much appreciated! Thanks
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,916
Likes: 8
From: Statesville, NC
The stock temp gauge on mine would be in the middle (210) from 180ish till around 230 before it starts going any higher. They are not very accurate. I monitored with a scan tool on mine when testing to get exact reading. Do you have a stock radiator? I ran stock on my single s475 setup with pusher fans and it ran around 217 normal driving so I switched to a smaller but thicker aftermarket radiator and temps never seen over 190s after that even on a hot day. I had thermostat removed also. Meth is not gonna help over heating. You wouldn't be using it anyway unless you in the throttle.
Correct, the stock coolant temp gauges are typically quite far off from the actual reading. I would recommend hooking up to it with a scan tool, HPTuners, etc to monitor an actual reading and/or see how your gauge likes to read when the coolant temp is actually X for example.
__________________
Featuring 6 different turbo kits for your F-body!
Check us out on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/HuronSpeed
Featuring 6 different turbo kits for your F-body!
Check us out on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/HuronSpeed
Yeah hp tuners, or even cheap live scan tools will read and give you the correct ECTs. Something similar to this:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp9550/overview/
Also, what thermostat do you have in the car? I had a little bit of an issue when I had the APS twins on my car, because not only have you put a huge intercooler in front of the radiator to hinder airflow, but also, the turbos are water cooled, so that is another load on the stock cooling system that was not exactly designed for that. So inevitably the car will run hotter than usual.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp9550/overview/
Also, what thermostat do you have in the car? I had a little bit of an issue when I had the APS twins on my car, because not only have you put a huge intercooler in front of the radiator to hinder airflow, but also, the turbos are water cooled, so that is another load on the stock cooling system that was not exactly designed for that. So inevitably the car will run hotter than usual.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Utah
The stock temp gauge on mine would be in the middle (210) from 180ish till around 230 before it starts going any higher. They are not very accurate. I monitored with a scan tool on mine when testing to get exact reading. Do you have a stock radiator? I ran stock on my single s475 setup with pusher fans and it ran around 217 normal driving so I switched to a smaller but thicker aftermarket radiator and temps never seen over 190s after that even on a hot day. I had thermostat removed also. Meth is not gonna help over heating. You wouldn't be using it anyway unless you in the throttle.
Correct, the stock coolant temp gauges are typically quite far off from the actual reading. I would recommend hooking up to it with a scan tool, HPTuners, etc to monitor an actual reading and/or see how your gauge likes to read when the coolant temp is actually X for example.
Yeah hp tuners, or even cheap live scan tools will read and give you the correct ECTs. Something similar to this:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp9550/overview/
Also, what thermostat do you have in the car? I had a little bit of an issue when I had the APS twins on my car, because not only have you put a huge intercooler in front of the radiator to hinder airflow, but also, the turbos are water cooled, so that is another load on the stock cooling system that was not exactly designed for that. So inevitably the car will run hotter than usual.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/anm-cp9550/overview/
Also, what thermostat do you have in the car? I had a little bit of an issue when I had the APS twins on my car, because not only have you put a huge intercooler in front of the radiator to hinder airflow, but also, the turbos are water cooled, so that is another load on the stock cooling system that was not exactly designed for that. So inevitably the car will run hotter than usual.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Utah
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,916
Likes: 8
From: Statesville, NC
I got a cheap champion radiator. It was like 3 inches shorter in height and about 3 inch more narrow but was thicker. Had my stock fans as pushers just switched the wires on the plugins. Running no thermostat just makes it hard for the engine ever to heat up. Some will argue that without a restricted area to hold the coolant in the radiator longer it will be less effective cooling but it wasn't in my case. The equal number of ppl say the more times you can pass coolant thru the heat exchanger the better meaning more opportunities to get heat out of it. So no thermostat would be better looking at it that way. I took mine out and even on 90 degree sitting in traffic never got to 200.
Trending Topics
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Utah
I got a cheap champion radiator. It was like 3 inches shorter in height and about 3 inch more narrow but was thicker. Had my stock fans as pushers just switched the wires on the plugins. Running no thermostat just makes it hard for the engine ever to heat up. Some will argue that without a restricted area to hold the coolant in the radiator longer it will be less effective cooling but it wasn't in my case. The equal number of ppl say the more times you can pass coolant thru the heat exchanger the better meaning more opportunities to get heat out of it. So no thermostat would be better looking at it that way. I took mine out and even on 90 degree sitting in traffic never got to 200.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 355
Likes: 19
I put a Champion rad in my chevelle, bought it with dual fans and shroud. No boost on it, but it has a 434 sb that's modded pretty good. Never gets over 180, even in 90+ weather. 160 thermostat, 4000 conv. Rad fit perfect, and was really cheap compared to any of the others.
I have an APS kit on my SS Camaro. I removed the whole piece that is molded to front bumper in front of my my intercooler. Even in 110* here, I have zero cooling issues now. I also have a 180 t-stat in the car.
Another guy with APS history! Im glad you responded. I need to ask the previous owner some more in depth questions on the car. I haven't had it long and we have been maintaining close contact. He has upgraded both the turbo's and the intercooler, but beyond that I'm not sure. The car has an SLP 160 thermostat also. Were you able to do anything to keep the temps down or did you just leave it be? Hopefully that's not why you changed your setup haha
I agree with the last poster, if you take off your bumper, and or maybe cut a hole in your front bumper, you can get alot more airflow. The only time I ever had a temp problem was when I first installed the kit, and forgot to connect the steam crossover tube. After that, I never had a problem with temps.
Nah I didn't sell it because of temps, mostly because I was on stock turbos, and I cranked it up to a whole 9psi @ about 605rwhp, and it blew the turbos. I was done with dumping money into the kit. I loved the fit and finish on the kit, but in the end, it wasn't going to support my power goals.
I agree with the last poster, if you take off your bumper, and or maybe cut a hole in your front bumper, you can get alot more airflow. The only time I ever had a temp problem was when I first installed the kit, and forgot to connect the steam crossover tube. After that, I never had a problem with temps.
I agree with the last poster, if you take off your bumper, and or maybe cut a hole in your front bumper, you can get alot more airflow. The only time I ever had a temp problem was when I first installed the kit, and forgot to connect the steam crossover tube. After that, I never had a problem with temps.
Last edited by SM105K; Aug 5, 2014 at 11:03 AM.
Throw a cheap 180 T stat on there and drill a 1/8" hole in it. We used to do this to the Race bikes (1/4") and it would keep them cool on 100 degree Race days. The last LS swap car I did for a friend had some cooling issues due to airflow restrictions. We did the same thing to the thermostat and it never got over 190. IMO this is better for street driving becuase it allows just the right amount of coolant to keep circulating and keep the engine cool. I'm not a believer in the thermostat "keeping coolant in the radiator longer to cool" the faster you can get it through the heat exchanger the better. For race/extended periods of time under heavy load I think no thermostat Is a good idea.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Utah
Nah I didn't sell it because of temps, mostly because I was on stock turbos, and I cranked it up to a whole 9psi @ about 605rwhp, and it blew the turbos. I was done with dumping money into the kit. I loved the fit and finish on the kit, but in the end, it wasn't going to support my power goals.
I agree with the last poster, if you take off your bumper, and or maybe cut a hole in your front bumper, you can get alot more airflow. The only time I ever had a temp problem was when I first installed the kit, and forgot to connect the steam crossover tube. After that, I never had a problem with temps.
I agree with the last poster, if you take off your bumper, and or maybe cut a hole in your front bumper, you can get alot more airflow. The only time I ever had a temp problem was when I first installed the kit, and forgot to connect the steam crossover tube. After that, I never had a problem with temps.
Does anyone have detailed, up-close picture of the cuts in the bumper? I have been thinking about going that route but am still unsure. I would obviously have to cut the metal sheet that the bottom of the bumper wraps around and attaches to? Then the air should have a straight shot in. I just wish that APS intercoolers weren't so dang ugly. Maybe I'll eventually get mine anodized silver if I go that route.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Utah
Throw a cheap 180 T stat on there and drill a 1/8" hole in it. We used to do this to the Race bikes (1/4") and it would keep them cool on 100 degree Race days. The last LS swap car I did for a friend had some cooling issues due to airflow restrictions. We did the same thing to the thermostat and it never got over 190. IMO this is better for street driving becuase it allows just the right amount of coolant to keep circulating and keep the engine cool. I'm not a believer in the thermostat "keeping coolant in the radiator longer to cool" the faster you can get it through the heat exchanger the better. For race/extended periods of time under heavy load I think no thermostat Is a good idea.