Ken's Engine Project... Part IV - 2004

[ErnieN85]

Ken, how fast was the car moveing?

you need to be going 40mph to get enough air flow from motion. if it's stop & go and your going over 2000rpm or so
the fans even if they are on won't pull enough air unless there is a sealing between the radiator and the cooler. it looks to me like there is quite a bit of room there for the air to just go around the cooler. now that said I'm using an adapter with a builtin thermostat and when I put it on the passages looked quite small to me. so probably that's not your problem. a fan is used by one of the cooler makers mounted right on the unit. if your in stop & go and reving it between stoplights that migh be the only cure.

 

[Ken]

Actually Ernie, it runs cooler in traffic and slow cruising. With my Be Cool radiator it doesn't heat up as much at all, unlike the old L-98. I usually run around 210° all the time, once up to operating temperature. :cool

I just had an idea cross my mind though...

I'm not using the check valve (in the cooler return line) option that Earl's offers. I wonder if I could possibly be pushing so much oil through there at higher rpms, that I might be shutting the cooler bypass valve, then when the rpms come down again, the bypass valve re-opens. It's a thought I guess.

 

[kenwa]

Ken, let me offer a theory. At the higher rpm's, more oil is pumped upstairs into the valve covers, where, if it stays there a while, will absorb heat from your aluminum heads. This would relieve the load on the cooling system, thus your water temp is normal, while elevating your oil temp.

Do you have a high-volume oil pump? Is there sufficient oil drain passages in your heads? Any seeping of your valve cover gaskets?

This would be easy and free to check I think, by opening the oil fill cap and looking inside the valve covers while holding 4000 rpm for about a minute. If oil builds up excessively, this might be the problem. Probably outta get some ear plugs first?

I wouldn't expect the oil temp to rise a lot doing this, since the engine would have no load. But oil circulation depends only on rpm.

What do you think guys? Could that be it?

Ken

 

[Ken]

Do you have a high-volume oil pump?

Yes.

Is there sufficient oil drain passages in your heads?

Yes.

Any seeping of your valve cover gaskets?

No.

 

[kenwa]

Okay.

 

[ErnieN85]

Well here is some more info. I don't know how much power your demanding, but I just spent the weekend at Pocono raceway. and when I run hard at &above 4000 rpms my oil would go as high as 270 if i ran slower or used less power even the temps would drop to 230 or so (oil) so with your high power levels if your running fairly hard that wouldn't be unusual, that said I really don't think you could be hitting her that hard on the street!

 

[rrubel]

A stab in the dark... how much heat is the cooler kit supposed to dissipate? Is it possible that at higher RPMs you're simply overdriving it? Oil is flowing too FAST through the radiator and not even having a chance to cool down?
[RICHR]

 

[Ken]

I rarely see anything below four grand or so anymore Ernie - it's hard to hold back sometimes.

 

[Ken]

A stab in the dark... how much heat is the cooler kit supposed to dissipate? Is it possible that at higher RPMs you're simply overdriving it? Oil is flowing too FAST through the radiator and not even having a chance to cool down?
[RICHR]

Maybe? I'm not even sure they make a bigger one though.

 

[Ken]

Continued in Ken's Engine Project... Part V - 2004