It's The Radiator, Stupid!!
Thread Starter
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Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Nashua, NH
It's The Radiator, Stupid!!
Well, after all the burping and farting around, bitching about the temp gauge, screwing up the thermostat test, and generally whining about my car running hot, guess what, It's the @$%$## radiator!!
Flow testing shows about a 25% drop in flow.
It's new radiator time!!
Flow testing shows about a 25% drop in flow.
It's new radiator time!!
Last edited by ErnestSw; Jul 24, 2003 at 08:07 PM.
Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Nashua, NH
I bought the new Devek for $779.00 plus shipping. I think it's the best bang for the buck. No end tanks, ALL radiator! I figure I'm gonna have to buy a block heater just to get up to operating temperature. 
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Joined: Jul 2001
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From: New York
Unique
Ernest: You certainly are getting your money's worth out of that new IR temp gauge 
, but then I guess these issues are why you bought it, eh?
Since people here are into polls, someone should survey the unique uses of the IR gauge.
, but then I guess these issues are why you bought it, eh?Since people here are into polls, someone should survey the unique uses of the IR gauge.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 743
Likes: 1
From: Northern New Jersey
Ernest, you are making the right decision. A few years back I had a BMW and the car kept driving hot. I changed everything, then finally changed the radiator. You could not believe the difference in weight, there must have been alot of deposits in the old radiator. My assumption is if the car is more than 10 yrs old you are going to have some type of deposits in the radiator which would make the radiator less efficent. Reno
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Thread Starter
Rennlist Member
Joined: Mar 2003
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From: Nashua, NH
Here's a picture of the insides of the end caps and the radiator itself. I used a chisel and my hand as a hammer on the handle of the chisel to open up the tabs. None broke off and I'm sure I could replace the end caps without a problem.
The end caps and gaskets were like new. They are supple and not brittle.
My observations are:
There is a white deposit that you can see in the end caps that I'm sure extends into the radiator.
Pieces of the rear thermostat seal were lodged in the radiator trying to come out of the ends of some of the water channels. THESE were responsible for the reduction in flow.
The water channels all apear to be open except for those obstructed by the rear seal pieces.
There was still a significant amount of dirt on the outside of the radiator AFTER I flushed it with water while it was in the car.
Conclusions:
You MUST change the rear thermostat seal once a year when you service your cooling system.
There's not much "head room" in the cooling system, especially in the later cars. Improper maintenence WILL cause the car to run hot.
There IS a fair amount of "head room" in the cars temperature management system. It will tolerate a significant reduction in cooling before it becomes critical. This will be at the risk of damage and increased wear and reduced performance as the brain compensates for the higher operating temperature.
WITH the radiator out of the car AND the end caps off it would have been possible to "restore" a significant percentage of the radiator's lost cooling capacity.
I'm glad I'm getting a Devek!
The end caps and gaskets were like new. They are supple and not brittle.
My observations are:
There is a white deposit that you can see in the end caps that I'm sure extends into the radiator.
Pieces of the rear thermostat seal were lodged in the radiator trying to come out of the ends of some of the water channels. THESE were responsible for the reduction in flow.
The water channels all apear to be open except for those obstructed by the rear seal pieces.
There was still a significant amount of dirt on the outside of the radiator AFTER I flushed it with water while it was in the car.
Conclusions:
You MUST change the rear thermostat seal once a year when you service your cooling system.
There's not much "head room" in the cooling system, especially in the later cars. Improper maintenence WILL cause the car to run hot.
There IS a fair amount of "head room" in the cars temperature management system. It will tolerate a significant reduction in cooling before it becomes critical. This will be at the risk of damage and increased wear and reduced performance as the brain compensates for the higher operating temperature.
WITH the radiator out of the car AND the end caps off it would have been possible to "restore" a significant percentage of the radiator's lost cooling capacity.
I'm glad I'm getting a Devek!
Last edited by ErnestSw; Jul 25, 2003 at 05:02 PM.