F8i

iTrader: (10)

Hello again JDM Rides!

My B20vtec is over heating and I'm at a loss trying to figure it out.

Here's were I'm at:
Once being driven hard, temp stays around 244F
CNC Block guard (I don't remember if it's Closed or Semi)
Koyo double core Half Rad
Rad Flush, new prestone 50/50, bled.
New Gates 178 degree thermostat
All levels are perfect and don't move.
No air bubbles
no change in fluid colours (oil or coolant)
New 10" Mishumoto Fan - always on, wired that way.


Thoughts and suggestions
I don't have a block in the drives side to force air to go through the rad.
Switch to Honda Rad Coolant
Change Water Pump
Change Rad

Any help would appreciated

AEMLog to follow soon:
AEM Log

B

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

how long have you been running your current turbo/manifold setup?

also not very likely but possible air pocket trapped somewhere.

F8i

iTrader: (10)

Turbo and manifold have unknown miles. However, on the current engine, 1600km.

The rad has been bled. When changing rad fluid, I did bleed the system, but forgot to drain from the block itself. I only emptied the rad, and thermostat when I was changing it.

B

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

Just asking to cover all the bases some of these questions might seem obvious, but did you make sure the little bypass thing was in the right spot when you changed the t-stat?

When bleeding the system did you have the heater set to hot? you don't need the fan on (interior fan I mean) but it should be on hot to make sure you bleed that part of the system as well.

Are you sure the fan is spinning the correct direction? If mounted in the normal position pulling air thru the rad, if front mounted, pushing air thru.

How close is the turbo/manifold etc to the rad? I have seen cars run hot from heat soaking the rad from being close to a manifold.

I'm not sure what you mean about having a block for the drivers side. I also don't entirely wanna say take out the block guard, especially since you're boosting a B20 block, but I've heard from guys who build low budget junkyard builds all the way up to Bisimoto saying not to use them because they create hotspots and other issues that make them not really worth it.

F8i

iTrader: (10)

Thermostat was installed correctly.
Fan sucks.
Manifold is close to the rad, a concern of mine.

Gord bush made this block guard, but I'm not sure if its semi closed or full closed.

I ment make an air block in the front of the car. Forcing more air through the radiator. As wind will take the path of least resistant. The front of the car is open at the bottom, but the intercooler takes up a lot of the space in front radiator.

Recently installed a secondary water temp gauge, above the thermostat housing. It reads below 180. As it should, my thermostat is a gates 178 or 176. However, I'm not sure if the plumbing its into is from the cooled coolant. When I have time I'll check. The hose its plumbed into goes through the bottom passenger side of the intake manifold.

B

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

yeah starting to sound like a combo of heat from the manifold/turbo and not enough airflow thru the rad.

I'm not familiar with gates t-stats, if it's a fail safe design it's possible the first time you ran too hot you toasted it and it's basically stuck open now. Not sure just a guess tho

F8i

iTrader: (10)

I changed my Beautiful Koyo to a Skunk2 rad and flushed the block and everything with a garden hose. Hasn't overheated since.

Just to update haha.

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

Well glad to hear that the cars better, hopefully it was the rad and not just a blockage. I'll be in the market for a decent half rad soon for the CRX I'm building as well, for now I'm just using a stock civic half rad to get the thing running.

F8i

iTrader: (10)

I've got a cheap one you can have

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

I just might take you up on that. I drive sort near Kincardine on my way to my Cottage up in the Bruce peninsula near Tobermory and I live in London now so you wouldn't be that far outta reach. If you still have it in the summer and you're just giving it away I wouldn't mind giving it a try. I might even need a cheap aluminum rad like that to cut apart and make a slightly different one. Mines going into an 87 CRX, not exactly a direct plug and play option.

F8i

iTrader: (10)

This one was sitting in a brace, not in the stock location. it's longer and shorter than my skunk2. Should be able to fit. If not, gangster lean it haha.

Will you remember about it in the summer? if you take 21 to Tobermory, you'll be very close.

ol Dusty

iTrader: (2)

Yeah I'll remember it. I'll be out there early spring anyway. I have a 6 car garage at the cottage with projects I'll be wanting to get to waiting for me up there. We use it for Thanksgiving and then go up a couple weeks after to close it for the season, it's not a great area to be when the snow flies, you could get stuck there for a while if you did cause we're off the main road but we use it as much as we can the rest of the year.