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***Callaway ZR-1 Overheating Hi Temp***

Re: About Time

I thought I was in your will to get your CR1.:confused [/B]

No way dood, you snooze, you lose! It's me! I'm adopted! :L
 
Hi Guys

To Eric: Mike Zoner finally opened the master clutch reservoir cap after the other Callaway mechanics gave up because the hi heat appeared to have fused the plastic cap to the body of the reservoir and they were afraid it would break- which would have put a damper on my ride home.

The clutch fluid was BLACK, VERY THIN,and BURNT smelling.Mike explained that under intense heat air bubbles in the clutch fluid would expand and there would be so much empty play in the throw that I could no longer engage or disengage the clutch.

The fix is to replace the regular clutch fluid carefully as you have recommended with, a high temp. fluid.

To All: What is the best hi temp clutch fluid to use? DOT 4, DOT 5,or Silicone. Is the silicone the same as the blue stuuff with a bp of 536 degrees mentioned in a previous post?

Of course this doesn't get to the heart of the problem- the overheating within the engine compartment. I am convinced that the tremendous heat buildup is directly responsible for the loss of clutch as discussed above. I never have had a problem with clutch feel or engagement unless the heat has built up and the water temp gague has pinned.

I'll get into what knowledge and tricks I have assembled from Mike Zoner, the guys at Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, and all of the ZR-1 and Callaway owners I have talked to in another post.

To Tony C.: Our cars run hot, but some run hotter, and some ONLY MORE SO (sound familiar?) I guess 500HPCR1 is a SuperNat ONLY MORE SO, and so it needs some extra help.
Sorry about cutting you out of the will, but the Don hasn't made me an offer I couldn't refuse and as you know, the Family comes first.

Thanks again for all your help and keep the ideas and suggestions flowing. :)
 
The clutch fluid being black is more than likely due to a deteriorated seal on the slave cylinders, which would explain the loss of fluid. There's no reason for that area to be that hot *under* normal* driving* conditions*. These cars unfortunately are not like most passenger cars which allow for the A/C while being parked for prolong periods of time in some hot weather. Even driving at slow speeds ( 25 or less) will cause the temperture to rise out of control on a hot day. A 160 stat will go a long way in helping out, but even with one, I would not recommend letting the car idle or to be driven at low speeds during hot weather. Once the system sees temperatures over 220, and if the vehicle is not moving at or at least 35 mph the heat ends up overwhelming the coolant system. Once the engine compartment becomes heat soaked due to the above, you will smell all kinds of plastic as they start to melt. Usually the 1st things to melt are the black conduits that cover the wires.
 
rkreigh said:
the zr1s can run hot in traffic. it's mostly because even with the fans running, they just don't provide enough airflow to keep the temp from creeping up. FYI, 230 is hot, but not at all unusual and certainly not overheating!!!

couple things you can do.

- run the fan from a 96, they are a bit more efficient
- use a "volt booster" (kenne bell) to spin the fans a bit faster.

what I really recommend is a better fan assembly from spal.

another option I'm looking into is the Viper fan.

I've also seen a single "nascar" fan. don't get rid of the callaway, get rid of the heat!!!

because of the "bottom breather" design of the c4, cooling in traffic can be a challenge.

good luck, keep us posted.


Hi Guys:Steer

Today I ordered part# 10147953 Master/Reservoir (list $142.51-trade discount $93.41) and Slave Cylinder (list $224.74- trade discount $147.80) Hydraulic Clutch Assemblies. I figure the best way to insure the seals/caps have not been damaged by all that heat or time is to rebuild.
Does anyone know how much Brake/Clutch fluid I should buy to both totally flush the system and completely refill it with a little to spare? I'm not yet sure which fluid to buy- it will be one of the three Chris (89x2) recommended in his previous post. I'm also going to place heat shielding around the Slave. Any recommendations as to the best heat shield material to use? The Slave is VERY close to the Callaway Header/Cat and needs extra protection.
I'm going to start working on the overheating problem next. I've been searching the ZR1Net archives, plus talked with Callaway/LPE and other owners to formulate a plan.

RKreigh:Can you provide more info/details re other fan alternatives, such as the SPAL fan, the Viper fan, and the single Nascar fan you mentioned in your post? LPE is researching the Kenne Bell 18Volt Booster System they fabricated for Brian Sherwin's ZR-1, but they have lost some of their records and some of the part #'s have changed. They had to add a variable time delay relay to that system to delay the surge to 18volts for a few minutes because it kept blowing fuses without a delayed switch-over

I'm also drilling 4 1/8" holes in a new thermostat and changing the coolant mix to more dsitilled water plus RedLine Water Wetter.

Another trick LPE strongly recommended was to remove the plenum gasket that seals the engine compartment just below the wiper assemblies to allow superheated air a better path to escape. LPE felt that this is one of the best things to do to help out with the problem.

Any of yopu heat wrap or Jet Coat or do anything to your Callaway Header/Cats to deflect some of the enormous heat they throw? Chris seems to be an advocate of this approach:w

I'm also ordering new fan blades with an improved pitch for better airflow, but I seem to have an incorrect part# (15-8486.) Anyone know the correct part #?

Anyone know anything about Air Force Fans that were around a few years ago that mounted in the front wheelwells and directed air out that way? Tony C. mentioned these.

Thanks for all your help!
 
500HPCR1 said:
Any of yopu heat wrap or Jet Coat or do anything to your Callaway Header/Cats to deflect some of the enormous heat they throw? Chris seems to be an advocate of this approach:w

Anyone know anything about Air Force Fans that were around a few years ago that mounted in the front wheelwells and directed air out that way? Tony C. mentioned these.

Thanks for all your help!

Sounds like you are on the right track - Good info, all of it!

I would do the Jet Hot process on the headers and use shield / wrap on other lines close to the exhaust - Reason is, the headers if wrapped WILL break apart over time from the inside out :eek
Jet Hot is put in and out and the test I saw showed to make a difference in surface temps by keeping the heat in - makes for a more efficient engine too ;)

I remember the air force fans - they were like 3 per side - near the fenderwells up front, right...

Who made those???????
 
Check with DEI for a heat wrap for the clutch hydraulic line. I picture using something like a spark plug wire protector. In order to install the sleeve, you'd have to disconnect the line from the slave cylinder, but it sounds as if you're going to do that anyway.

One quart of fluid is enough to fill and properly bleed the clutch hydraulics. There isn't much at all in there!

When the slave and master cylinders are out it's easy to see if there has been any leakage from the seals. If the master was leaking you'll see a crud build-up where the plunger of the pedal actuator makes contact with the cylinder. The slave? Well, the inside of that cylinder should be absolutely smooth to the touch and any fluid leakage is easily exhibited by drips appearing on the outer casing.
 
You have two separate problems, here, and while you may believe they are related, they probably are not.

The first problem is exhaust heat boiling the clutch fluid. The solution to this is reduce the amount of heat that's absorbed by the clutch hydraulics. You can best do this by relocating the hydraulic lines a greater distance from the exhaust parts. This may require making new lines. Shielding also may help but bear in mind that shielding often just delays the onset of the problem rather than eliminating it. If the problem is caused by brief spikes in clutch fluid temperature, shielding may help. If the problem is caused by sustained clutch fluid temp, shielding might not help a lot.

This engine also may or may not have a problem with coolant temperature. Note that the car is a 90 and 90s do not have digital display of coolant temp on the IP as do the later cars. If you are seeing what you think is 230 deg. on the analog coolant temp gauge, it might be less or even more than that. In fact 230 deg is not beyond the range of an LT5 in traffic on a warm day.

There are lots of urban legends as to what can be done to reduce coolant temperature. Here's what works.

1) Make sure the stock front air dam is in good condition
2) Verify both fans are working using the procedure in the service manual
3) Remove the top of the cooling stack and inspect the spaces between the radiator and the engine oil cooler for debris. Remove anything you find. Do the same in the front of the cooling stack. Access that area from the cooling intake.
4) Reduce antifreeze to 20-25% and add one bottle of Red Line Water Wetter. DO NOT do this if temperatures where you park or store the car during winter drops below 16 deg. F.
5) Buy an aftermarket calibration which has lower fan-on temps. Z-Industries in Temecula CA has the best cals for LT5s.
6) Install a Fluidyne aluminum radiator

Thermostats...while a lower temperature thermostat may lower coolant temps at cruise speeds and, thus, are a desireable modification, when it comes to traffic on warm days, a low-temp 'stat will not change anything.
 
With my new (to me) 368 c.i. '92 CR1, I was at Carlisle this year during the same heat spell that cooked Steve's clutch fluid. While sitting in traffic on the hottest day, my car went to 208 on the digital gauge and looked like it would continue climbing at a couple of degrees per minute. Per the original owner's recommendation, I turned off the A/C and the temperature slowly stabilized back down to 197 degrees. So I was a happy camper, as this is the coolest running C4 Corvette that I have ever owned.

My CR1 has Jet Hot (inside and out) coated Watson headers on a Doug Rippie-modified 368 motor (about 525/443 flywheel horsepower/torque), so it makes equal or more heat compared to the Callaway SNAT mods. As Chris says, the ceramic coating seems to make a big difference in minimizing the engine compartment heat. If the headers can be pulled out/re-installed without yanking the motor, then I would certainly remove them and get the inside and out ceramic coating treatment. If you have "no longer available" headers (like the Watsons), it is probably cost effective to do the coating even if the extra cost of engine removal (about $700-$1K) is factored in.

I have another car with a slightly modified L98 motor in it. That car has custom headers with the inside/out Jet Hot coating treatment on them. It is amazing how much cooler the engine compartment is in that car compared to a 91 L98 Corvette with stock cast iron manifolds on it. Bottom line, coated exhaust components can really reduce engine compartment (and probably engine) temperatures in a Corvette. If I can find my digital pyrometer, I will take some engine compartment and header/manifold measurements and report them back to the group.

My CR1 currently has a full race (5+ inches thick) radiator in it. It is a Krieger unit from Canal Fulton, Ohio. This type of radiator, while great for extending running on the road at high speeds, actually hurts the in-traffic cooling. According to the original owner, the car's original Ron Davis radiator operated a fair amount cooler than the Krieger when in traffic. However, the Krieger absolutely cured an overheating problem when racing at speeds over 130 mph.

The reason for the worse performance on the Krieger radiator in traffic is that the electric fans simply cannot move enough air through the thicker race radiator core.

As far as I know, the remainder of my CR1's cooling system is stock. I don't know what the ignition timing at idle/creep speeds is on Steve's CR1, but retarded timing will cause overheating. Timing from the ECM should not be in error, but it is easy to check to verify that it is within spec and not retarded for some reason.

If the heat wrapping of your clutch hydraulics is not feasible due to insufficient clearances, you might consider the use of silicone brake fluid in the separate hydraulic clutch system. The silcone fluid is a ***** to bleed air out of, but it has a much higher boiling point than other brake fluids, even when they are new. Since the silicone fluid does not absorb water, its boiling point advantages over regular fluids will be even greater in operational use and it does not need to be periodically changed. Is anyone out there using silicone brake fluid in their Corvette clutch components?
 
mangusta1969 said:

I don't know what the ignition timing at idle/creep speeds is on Steve's CR1, but retarded timing will cause overheating. Timing from the ECM should not be in error, but it is easy to check to verify that it is within spec and not retarded for some reason.

Very good point! We have been assuming that in today's computer age that the timing is being controlled within basic factory parameters. But, it is possible with an aftermarket "tune" that the timing may be waay off at idle thereby causing major heat related issues. It's easy enough to verify even with a hand held scanner.
 
RKreigh:Can you provide more info/details re other fan alternatives, such as the SPAL fan, the Viper fan, and the single Nascar fan you mentioned in your post?

>>> all of these alternatives requires some fabrication and brackets and checking for clearances. SPAL makes some really nice dual fan units that will cover more of the rad core and help with low speed flow which is the big problem. Rick Minson had a single large fan "the nascar fan" option, not sure who makes it.

not too sure about the viper fan being able to fit, but they flow a ton of air!!



LPE is researching the Kenne Bell 18Volt Booster System they fabricated for Brian Sherwin's ZR-1, but they have lost some of their records and some of the part #'s have changed. They had to add a variable time delay relay to that system to delay the surge to 18volts for a few minutes because it kept blowing fuses without a delayed switch-over


>>> I would not do this option as it's an over complicated band aid and I talked to brian at carlisle this year and it still didn't cure the problem. he sees temps creep up to 235 with the ac on and still seeking a solution.

for sure the ron davis rad, thermo (180) with 4 holes drilled, and all the other recommendations will help. I have also thought of mounting a "pusher" fan in front of the cooling stack (not much room) to also help with the flow at low speed.

my LPE 390 zr1 runs very cool with a ron davis, but in temps over 90 in 30 min or more of traffic will creep up to 230. but that's ok, it doesn't go over that, and with just a bit of moving above 25 mph quickly comes back down.

I will investigate some additional options, I think getting rid of the stock "tiny" fans is really the only fix for the slow speed cooling. I hate to modify the car, but when you make more HP, you need more cooling!!! even stock, the factory rad and fans are pretty marginal IMHO as I don't like seeing 240!!! not a problem really, I just don't like the huge temp swings and that temp is too close for comfort to me and hurts the HP I worked so hard to make.

hope this helps a bit.
 
Couple minor corrections to my posting

I have a couple of minor corrections to my earlier posting.

First, the radiator guys that I mentioned in Canal Fulton Ohio are actually KryderRacing, not Krieger. Looking at the summer 2000 receipts from KryderRacing, they indicate that the radiator is a custom Fluidyne unit. KryderRacing performed the complete installation of the radiator and oil cooler with -12 AN lines used for the oil lines.

I just measured the radiator thickness at the top of the radiator. It is slightly less than 5 inches thick, not the 5+ that I stated from memory earlier. The actual radiator thickness is 4 7/8 inches at the top.

As previously posted, the car did stabilize at 197 degrees (with the AC off) while stuck in traffic on the superhot Friday start of this year's Carlisle event. In recent freeway and city traffic driving around California, I see the following temperatures:

Outside Temp Digital Engine Coolant Temp
60 F 180 (rock steady, probably at the thermo opening level)
70 F 183
78 F 186

Oil Temps at all of these outside temps ran pretty steady at 195-197 F.

I am still looking for my digital pyrometer. I am blaming the wife for re-organizing my garage...
 
Re: Couple minor corrections to my posting

mangusta1969 said:
I have a couple of minor corrections to my earlier posting.


Steve, let's not let this happen again... or, we'll have to curtail the supply of Yuenglings! ;)
 
Re: Re: Couple minor corrections to my posting

EricVonHa said:
Steve, let's not let this happen again... or, we'll have to curtail the supply of Yuenglings! ;)

Hey Guys :Steer,

Sorry for the delay in updating you all, but in the last few weeks we've been to Palm Coast , FL, bought a house there (you're all invited),visited my daughter for Parents' Weekeng at U of Delaware, then closed on the new house. SO NOW I'LL REALLY NEED TO KEEP 500HPCR1 COOLER!!!!

So here's whatsup:

I've ordered master/ reservoir and slave clutch assemblies, DEI Heat Wrap and Wilwood 600+ Brake Fluid. The clutch system rebuild will be underway shortly.

A master mechanic friend went over the cooling system and found no problems with coolant flow or the temp and pressure changes you can manually feel on the outside of the hoses from cold start to warm-up. He feels, as is the general consensus, that the problems of overheating at idle/ slow crawl are do to not being able to evacuate enough heat out of the engine compartment.

In that regard, we are removing the weaterstrip "plenum gasket" that seals off the engine compartment just below the wiper assemblies.

Tony C. and I discussed the fact that his SuperNat seems to run cooler that Garl G's and 500HPCR1. One of the differences we noted was that both Carl's and my car have a dress finish mesh backing grill behind the front gills. A friend who is a pilot and engineer pointed out that even simple mesh disturbs airflow and probably stops the front gills from aiding in extracting HEAT from the engine compartment. SO OFF COME THE MESH BACKINGS FROM BEHIND THE FRONT GILL PANELS

LPE has failed to contact me after repeated phone calls on my part re the Kenne Bell Volt-Booster Fan Relay Setup- so that is on hold for now. I have ordered the newer fan blades to check their pitch and see if they are any different than the fans already in the car.

I called Mike Zoner at CALAWAY to find out if they or anyone they knew of has JET HOT coated their CALAWAY HEADER/CATS and how this could be done.



Have any of you done this? Can the Header/Cats be coated as one unit or must be separated? Can they be separated? Can the Header/Cats be removed from the car without having to pull the engine? These are the questions I have for Mike Zoner, but they had just come back from SEMA and have not yet returned my call.

I'll be away next week and will update you all soon.

Again, Thanks for all your help. :_rock
 
Yes, you can pull the headers / cats without having to remove the engine.

Have you thought about having some hood scoops or vents installed, similar to the Aero Twin Turbo cars ? This would be a bit more efficient than removing the weather strip and plenum gasket.
 
My Watson headers are Jet Hot coated inside and out. I am not sure about the Random Tech Cats that are attached to them. The headers are the most important part, since they are completely in the engine compartment. My car still has the center plenum gasket and does not overheat.

I would certainly remove that gasket as the cheapest/easiest first approach.
Good luck.

Stevej
 
I talked to Aaron Scott about ceramic coating and he said not to waste my money. What about putting heat wrap on the headers? Just a thought.
 

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