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temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!

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Old 11-09-09, 04:30 PM
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temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!

Guys, I am sorry if this issue has been mentioned. I just got my FC modified to a FMIC, however my mod is different than the usual, where the IC is placed behind the AC cooler, while the RAD placed at the VERY back, very very close to the pulleys.

The rad is a KOYO, but it was CUT and reweld due to the space limitation with this set up.

I got an after market fan that covers 75-80% of the rad with a flex-a-lite fan contoller (it turns on when the engine is about 81-82C).

Now the main issue is when the car is running with the FAN turned on, the temperature would not go down, and it will reach to the "H" on the gauge! I checked that my coolant level is topped, with new rad caps, and no coolant leaks.
What could be the problem? is having the rad at the very back a BAD idea? please give me some feedback. thanks.
Old 11-09-09, 04:51 PM
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prolly the modifying you did messed up the cooling system.. i dont see the point of having a fmic behind the a/c condensor?
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Old 11-09-09, 05:22 PM
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Pics of this modified radiator please.

I assume when it was rewelded that little coolant is actually flowing through it.
Old 11-09-09, 05:45 PM
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yea i didnt think the IC in front of the AC condensor is proper, I didn't want to cut the grill on my S5 bumper and I didn't want to go V-Mount, so the guy who did it say this is the ONLY way. leaving me with no choice. Please give more feedback, I just ran my Car a bit and it reads 113C!!!
Old 11-09-09, 11:01 PM
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Does your stock gauge max out after just starting the car w/ a cold block? Like seconds after you start it. Or do you have an aftermarket temp gauge hooked up?

If you are simply using the stock gauge and its pegging out every time make sure your coolant temp sensor on the block near the oil pressure sender unit is snapped on all the way and making a good contact. If its not on all the way it will peg out everytime.

I'm not sure if it would do it w/ just the ignition on or not. But thought I'd add that.
Old 11-10-09, 08:46 AM
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A little more info is needed on your setup. How exactly was the rad modified? Are you sure your fan is turning the correct direction? Have you bled the system of air?
Old 11-10-09, 04:15 PM
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You can get a temperature gun and check for cold spots, which would indicate that coolant isn't flowing in some parts. There must be a way for air to flow easily from the outside, through the radiator, and out the back, with little or no restriction, and alternate air flow paths blocked off. Posting pics might help people see what's going on better.
Old 11-10-09, 05:52 PM
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An intercooler gets hot. A radiator gets hot. (Obviously) You have them stacked behind the ac condenser which is blocking flow to both. Plus if I understand correctly the radiator is cut down to fit? Man, this does not sound like an efficient setup at all, cooling problems aside. We really need some pics of this. It sounds to me like the fan isn't doing anything cause it simply CAN'T.
Old 11-11-09, 01:33 AM
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^^ +2 on the pictures of the set up.
Old 11-11-09, 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by dmak
... I didn't want to cut the grill on my S5 bumper and I didn't want to go V-Mount, so the guy who did it say this is the ONLY way. leaving me with no choice. Please give more feedback, I just ran my Car a bit and it reads 113C!!!
This is what I did with my FMIC. No cutting required. The IC sits level with the front bumper when back on too. It works great and my coolant temps are excellent. Here is a link to the thread. Hope you get it worked out, overheating is bad mmmkay. https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/my-h-fmic-install-w-pics-866121/
Attached Thumbnails temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!-h-fmic.jpg  
Old 11-11-09, 02:49 PM
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yea i didnt think the setup was CORRECT. for sure the guy who mod my car did not know what he was doing. a crappy job done rather. I will post the pics up later tonight! I might now have to bring my FC to another shop and get it done properly sighhhh what a waste of cash.
Old 11-11-09, 03:21 PM
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I think you need to check the obvious things first. Is all the air out of the system? That can be tricky to get out. I use this tool: http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-22150-Sp.../dp/B0002SR6WK you leave coolant in there as the engine warms up, and you can see all the bubbles escaping the cooling system.

Otherwise, fan shrouding is the most important thing. I presume you have an efan? Post a pic of it. I am using Aaron Cake's recommended GM Pontiac 6000 fan on my car and I've had no cooling problems with a Greddy 3 row FMIC in front of a Fluidyne rad.
Old 11-11-09, 10:11 PM
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The guy who did this certainly didn't know what he was doing..sighh i wasted money on this, and i'll have to pay for another person to fix this mess up. it was at the previous shop for 6months for this to get done!!! kind of ridiculous to me. I was glad enough to get the car back before it snows.
Old 11-11-09, 10:21 PM
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ok guys here are the pictures!
Attached Thumbnails temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!-dsc08772.jpg   temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!-dsc08776.jpg   temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!-dsc08773.jpg   temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!-dsc08778.jpg   temperature gauge reaches to HIGH!! please help!-dsc08777.jpg  

Old 11-11-09, 10:27 PM
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Your setup doesn't look that bad.
I'd imagine you need a much better fan than the one you have and probably a lot of attention to the shrouding from the nose intake to the intercooler.
Old 11-11-09, 11:16 PM
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It does have a I was told a 1850 CFM derale fan...also please remember there is a AC core sitting infront of the intercooler...i didn't think it was a good setup, but the guy said i was too picky for wanting to have the AC or to cut the grill. you can see that 1 side of the radiator was cut 5 columns of fins (what i was told) and was reweld. the height of the rad did not change...i also noticed that there is still a fan infront of my ac core..but i don't recall it spinning. should i take that out?

anymore ideas on this guys??
Old 11-12-09, 12:27 AM
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whats going on?

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ditch that setup, and revert back to stock.
Old 11-12-09, 12:40 AM
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if only i could...the guy who mod it took most of my precious FC parts, i do not have a stock radiator anymore. i'll have to stick with what i have now and try to make is work...
Old 11-12-09, 12:46 AM
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Don't give up! Take out the AC condenser if you have to. I would try to find a fan shroud that covers the whole side of the radiator and see if that helps, if not then I would try another fan such as the one Arghx suggested with an appropriate fan shroud.
Old 11-12-09, 12:58 AM
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at first my plan was to keep the AC going nice and cold for the next summer...i guess it'll have to go since I don't have a leak in the AC pipes anyway. Any other suggestions guys? like will the setup work at the stage I am in now?
Old 11-12-09, 01:15 AM
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The guy was right though..if you don't want v-mount, don't want to give up your a/c and don't want to cut anything at all, that was pretty much one of the few options you had for the setup..
Old 11-12-09, 01:22 AM
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well is it because my Rad is placed at the last place, thus it is not being able to cool? i mean even if it is at the back, with the efan, shouldn't I still be able to run the car normally without it being at the VERY HIGH temp? it is reasonable for it to run slightly hotter. correct me if i'm wrong. Coz from my winter beater civic...that radiator is SMALL with a little fan...and it runs great
Old 11-12-09, 06:43 AM
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I'm still leaning towards blocked radiator.

Look at the end tank towards the driver's side y'all. Like he said, someone cut it, removed several rows of the core, and rewelded it.


Here's my suggestion:
Buy, borrow, or beg for a stock, known good radiator just for testing purposes.

Remove your existing radiator and put the stocker in, just temporarily. Hang it up with zip ties, coat hangers, whatever, just so that it stays in the car.

Drive the car. (Not hard or anything, but try and duplicate the high temps.)

If your temps stay good, then it's not an air flow problem.

If your temps still spike, then you have too much stuff in front of the radiator and you need to rethink your setup.
Old 11-12-09, 07:58 AM
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Originally Posted by dmak
It does have a I was told a 1850 CFM derale fan...also please remember there is a AC core sitting infront of the intercooler...i didn't think it was a good setup, but the guy said i was too picky for wanting to have the AC or to cut the grill. you can see that 1 side of the radiator was cut 5 columns of fins (what i was told) and was reweld. the height of the rad did not change...i also noticed that there is still a fan infront of my ac core..but i don't recall it spinning. should i take that out?

anymore ideas on this guys??
Obviously your setup isn't ideal but it should be able to work.
I wasn't aware that your rad had been physically altered...so now you have a smaller matrix AND a lower-than-stock CFM fan.
A shrouded fan (like the Taurus two-speed) would help considerably and you may as well remove the small pusher fan in front of the AC core since it's doing nothing but restricting airflow (even if it worked).

Pele's idea makes a lot of sense too.
Old 11-12-09, 08:44 AM
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What shop did this (I have one in mind that would be crazy to attempt changing a bunch of **** - they're good guys, but sometimes reach a bit too far)? PM if you don't want to post. I think you didn't leave them many options, though, and they shouldn't have taken the job if it involved cutting the rad up. One of those deals where the customer and shop share the blame. Hope you get it worked out, though.


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