Overheating - solved... You'd never guess how
#1
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Overheating - solved... You'd never guess how
Here's my story about the overheating problem.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-external-engine/375528-overheating-question.html
Anyway, 4 weeks ago I took my heads off because I thought I had blown head gasket(s). I didn't, they were perfect. But what I did find was burnt oil built up on every piston from my completely shot valve seals. It was so bad that some of the valve reliefs were completely filled in. I cleaned them like new.
I installed the new heads and then realized a crack in my radiator, so I pulled it out to replace it. In doing this I looked at my A/C condensor, it was packed so heavy with debris that almost no air could pass through about 50% of the surface fins. The **** wouldn't come out with a spray of water from my hose so I figured I'd just say screw it and buy a new condensor. The next day after it was dry I got mad and grabbed it and slammed it against the frame of the car and everything fell out of it. There was a pile of little rocks, grass and other crap all over the ground under it. I banged it hard against the frame about 50 times and it was pretty much like new. Amazing fix, eh?
Now I can blast the A/C in heavy traffic, like I did the past three HOT *** days in Lauderdale and in Orlando. It never detonates anymore and it doesn't even get hot. The detonation was obviously from all the burnt oil build-up on my pistons and causing hot spots and pre-ignition. Also, from what I've been told, the condensor got hotter than normal and that hot air went right through the radiator. And the radiator was also being deprived of alot of air because the condensor was so clogged up. I guess when I turned the A/C on it was just too much and put it over the edge.
I guess after 8 years a condensor will get clogged up with crap.
Oh well, thought this may help someone else find the little gremlin that is causing an overheat condition, when everything else checks out fine.
Later,
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-external-engine/375528-overheating-question.html
Anyway, 4 weeks ago I took my heads off because I thought I had blown head gasket(s). I didn't, they were perfect. But what I did find was burnt oil built up on every piston from my completely shot valve seals. It was so bad that some of the valve reliefs were completely filled in. I cleaned them like new.
I installed the new heads and then realized a crack in my radiator, so I pulled it out to replace it. In doing this I looked at my A/C condensor, it was packed so heavy with debris that almost no air could pass through about 50% of the surface fins. The **** wouldn't come out with a spray of water from my hose so I figured I'd just say screw it and buy a new condensor. The next day after it was dry I got mad and grabbed it and slammed it against the frame of the car and everything fell out of it. There was a pile of little rocks, grass and other crap all over the ground under it. I banged it hard against the frame about 50 times and it was pretty much like new. Amazing fix, eh?
Now I can blast the A/C in heavy traffic, like I did the past three HOT *** days in Lauderdale and in Orlando. It never detonates anymore and it doesn't even get hot. The detonation was obviously from all the burnt oil build-up on my pistons and causing hot spots and pre-ignition. Also, from what I've been told, the condensor got hotter than normal and that hot air went right through the radiator. And the radiator was also being deprived of alot of air because the condensor was so clogged up. I guess when I turned the A/C on it was just too much and put it over the edge.
I guess after 8 years a condensor will get clogged up with crap.
Oh well, thought this may help someone else find the little gremlin that is causing an overheat condition, when everything else checks out fine.
Later,
#3
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No it's actually quite easy to get a bunch of crap between the condenser and radiator
I had an IROC, that would suck up plastic bags, leaves, and other assorted crap, it became part of my yearly spring maintenace to clean out the crap trapped between the condenser and radiator
And no it never went off road
I had an IROC, that would suck up plastic bags, leaves, and other assorted crap, it became part of my yearly spring maintenace to clean out the crap trapped between the condenser and radiator
And no it never went off road
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Originally Posted by Roarin_8
So you had bad valve seats and a dirty condensor. Do you go offroading with that much debris in your condensor?
Maybe someone that has gone through every single troubleshooting item and still can't figure it out will also have a clogged condensor. Because noone ever brought that up.
I think the burnt oil build-up on the pistons contributed to the overheating. I think when I turned my A/C on it will normally make the engine hotter, but mine started to detonate way before it should have, so maybe it helped heat the heads up.
#6
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Quicken, good work mate, I like the condensor clearing procedure.
Roarin, even on clean roads there are tiny small rocks designed to wedge in between the radiator fins.
Roarin, even on clean roads there are tiny small rocks designed to wedge in between the radiator fins.
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#10
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I had a similar issue with my formula, while it was ultimately the Thermostat sticking we also noticed that there was a **** ton of **** crammed in the radiator. After spending a good amount of time getting the fans and stuff out of the way and blasting it with the hose (as well as a new t-stat of course) my overheating issues were solved
#12
I also solved my overheating problem with a similiar solution..
I had some kind of plastic melted to the radiator..
The tech told me it was a bitch to clean but it did solve the overheating issue last summer..
Congrats and thanks for posting this for others..to have an easier time of it..
I had some kind of plastic melted to the radiator..
The tech told me it was a bitch to clean but it did solve the overheating issue last summer..
Congrats and thanks for posting this for others..to have an easier time of it..
#13
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Originally Posted by Roarin_8
The rocks I know about but the grass, unless he went driving when people were cutting their lawns.
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Actually, I just realized that when they cut the lawns in my neighborhood the guys go around with leafblowers and thats obviously how all the grass got in there. It was all old, dead and brown. There were handfulls of it as I ran my fingers across the front of the condensor to get it off when I first started to clean it off.
.
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#17
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When you're a homeowner you soon learn that you need to take a hose (and preferrably an air hose too) and wash/blo out the A/C condenser on the house once or twice a year. It's pretty incredible what gets packed into those things, so it only makes sense that it needs to be done on the car. Great catch.
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This happens to all cars. It's something you wouldn't think about and a good yearly maint. check like 2k2ws6ta said. I've found it in my little SUV too. I usually get a long 1/4" tube (alum./brass) with a small bend to it and with top rad. bracket off stick it down and blow XXit back out to thru front.
Glad you found the prob.
Glad you found the prob.