Wasn't able to find the answer to my question, at least not directly.

Teh 7's temperature has been creeping up higher and higher and will now reach 1\2 when sitting in traffic in the middle of the day with the AC on. It takes alot longer to bring down the temps than it should IMO (when I climb onto the highway, for ex).

Thermostat is good.
Fan Clutch is good.
Radiator is a Koyo.
All coolant system hoses replaced recently and no coolant is lost over the long term.

A clue...
Sometimes when I turn off the car I'll hear what sounds like cavitation or hushed rushing water coming from the engine bay. This is definitely a new development over the past 2 weeks.

Water Pump?

 

If it only happens in traffic then I would think it would be a problem with the clutch fan.

 

He said the fan clutch is good. Sounds like a coolant seal or air bubbles in the cooling system. Start the car with the radiator cap off and run it until it starts to overflow and then cap it. This will bleed the system. If this doesn't work check for a coolant seal failure.

 

From personal experience, but I'd suspect the clutch fan too given those conditions.

I had a bad clutch and everyone was telling me that it was still good based on the diagnostics in the haynes manuals and even the service manuals. It was driving me nuts so I had a new unit order and put in. I was willing to eat the 250 they asked if it wasn't the issue.

But you guessed it .. fixed my problems right away.

 

Could be water pump.
Still running the air pump (i.e., both belts still driving the WP)?

Be worth pulling the pump and checking the impellor anyway.
If that looks good- or even better, you just replace it- it's gotta be the fan clutch.

Given the expense of a new thermoclutch (and why mess around hoping that another used one will be any better?), you might consider swapping to an efan.
Even if you bought everything new, a properly set up Taurus fan is cheaper than a single thermoclutch.

 

I wouldn't really call that overheating. Mine sits just below the center of the guage or maybe just at 1/2 while sitting in traffic on a hot houston day.

 

I got one of these things at pep boys a while back, makes bleeding the coolant easy:

http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-24610-Sp.../dp/B001A4EAV0

 

Thanks for the answers mates.

My fanclutch is broken - but in the oddest way I bought it new ($180+shippping - e-fan conversion is so worth it) and boy did that sucker pull 10x as much air as my last busted one. Turns out the new one is on 100% at all times, as someone pointed out to me. It's louder than the engine (and I have an RB exhaust...). I sound like a huge vacuum cleaner from 800-3000rpm.

I will check for air in the system and review the impeller in the pump and post up the results for future searches.

Ed: I've got a stock setup, so air pump is still there.

 

1/2 has always been normal for me, until I went with the CF vented hood, now its about 1/4

the noise is not good, I get bubbles out by squeezing lines, kinda pump the hoses with your hands, the bubbles will make there way to the top of the system, at which point you can pop off the cap and add a little fluid to help things out