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Why not just pull the motor and get ready for the rebuild. Looks like everything is functioning for the most part at this point.
Im broke...lol
I can still move forward with the project as is.
i really dont want to pull the motor until i have funds to do it and confidence in a timeline to do it in.
But mostly im Broke.lol.
I forgot to mention that during the xmas break (before I took the radiator out) I studied arghx tuning with the compensation tables (fuel/air - temp related) along with Chucks notes from the google chat and uploaded the recommended settings using FC Tweak.
I drove it exactly the same way but much different response from the car. All driving done at 7psi boost. 1st gear, slowly brought it up to about 4k rpm and then floored it and for the first time the wheels just spun. It did it for the next 2 times I repeated it. 2nd gear felt much better, 3rd gear pull on the freeway felt smooth as hell through the transition. I am super happy with the way the car is running. I am also curious if the bubbles I saw while filling the coolant last time was do to my radiator being clogged. I also want to add that while idling at 7/13 psi I do have a little coolant seepage but still none has dropped on the ground. I do believe I have slowed it down enough to use a 7psi cap and evans safely.
I can tell you at 40F, evans is very slimy. When I was pulling the thermostat out to flush the engine, some coolant leaked out and it was thicker then normal, equivalent to brake fluid. When the evans is fully warmed up it is alot thinner, not to far off from a 50/50 mix.
I should have everything back together this weekend - well see how it goes.
Is it still weeping coolant w/o the pressurized system? Sounds like tuning is going well. What sort of operating temps are you seeing w/ the NPG?
Yeah bro - tuning - FC Tweak Pro is the shiet. I have not even logged anything or performed autotune, but the cars runs ****.
I can't wait to load the new updates that allow you to choose a symmetrical LIM like the xecessive I have. I will also select the heatshield option and I think there is something else too.
Next weekend should be some good results if I can get everything done that I want to.
No weeping at 0 psi while running
7/13 psi I see a little coolant on the bottom of the subframe after a 30 minute drive. But while idling up on the lift for 20 minutes with the 7/13 psi I have no dripping whatsoever.
I was going over 100C after 15 minutes of driving with the NPG at 0 psi.
I was maintaining roughly 94C on a 20 minute drive with the 7/13 psi cap which makes sense since my rad was clogged up.
All my previous findings are based off of a clogged radiator and can not be used for accurate data for how my car runs in it's configuration.
It almost raises the question.
1. On initial start up, did all the crap clog the radiator and then the back pressure caused the external o'ring to leak???
2. Once I clear the obstruction, will it slow down the weeping through the external o'ring?
Also.
I have 2 very distinct colors of corrosion, rusty color and milky color. I believe the rusty color was in the heater core while the cars sat for approx 8 years while I made vm kits on it, while the milky color is the new stuff.
Is the new milky stuff possible from running 100% Sierra, or was this was in the motor as it sat for 2 years?
It appears there are also calcium deposits that is coming out when I flush the radiator.
There is stuff that smears like paste and stuff that feels like fine grit sand at the beach, looks just like it too.
Last edited by rotaryextreme; Jan 4, 2022 at 06:06 PM.
I got the radiator all welded up and pressure tested. Tomorrow I will flush the radiator again with the prestone while I install the new Mazmart RE-medy water pump. I do not think I need it but I will run it since I plan to run EVAN's at 7psi. If the thermowax operates like it should then I know the 7psi is ok.
Basically I am looking for the thermowax to stay in its warmed up position and not drop when I restart the car when it is already warmed up. As the car warms up the higher rpm's were able to get the coolant flowing, but at lower idle rpm I believe the hot coolant was unable to circulate properly at 0 psi. I hope this helps my heater core as well.
Part 01 - Test Fit Radiator For Lower Pipe
Part 02 - Welding The Lower Pipe At The Right Angle
Part 03 - Welding A Small Wedge
Part 04 - Welding The Lower Top Pipe
Part 01 - Test Fit Radiator For Lower Pipe
I don't think anybody likes to work in the rain. Well. my pop-up tents meet up right in front of the car so when it rains I get rained on. With some quick thinking and I big garbage bag I made a gutter to protect me from the rain.. lol. I finally received the RE-medy water pump with the modified impeller. I hope it helps at idle with the 7psi cap while running EVAN's. I used my round roll around shop chair to help hold the radiator while I bolt it in place, I was also much easier to install without the old water necks. I put the fans on and then test fit the pipe and drew a line marking the angle. I did not install the A/C condenser so I guessed where that pipe would be in relation to the radiator pipe going over the fans.
Part 02 - Welding The Lower Pipe At The Right Angle
Make sure to remove any rubber related piece on the end tank side your welding on. I removed the drain plug just to be safe. I need to cut out a little over a half circle and first I drilled a pilot hole and then I used a step drill until I had the hole mostly cut out. I used a dremel to cut the final edges off. I used a channel lock to hold the pipe in place to tac it and then I welded it from the inside, praying that it will hold once it is all sealed up because if it does not I will have to cut it off and do it again.
Part 03 - Welding A Small Wedge
I cut a small wedge to make up for the angled lower pipe. This will make it easier to weld the top cover pipe. I was brainstorming on how to hold the wedge in place and I realized I could use Ariel's Comb !! I was surprised at how well it worked, looks like I'll be using this trick more often. Again I welded it on the inside and realized the hole was getting smaller. I cut a section out with the dremel and re-welded that section and I still was not happy. I took a grinder and enlarged it a little more and re-welded it to something acceptable. I also put a metal flat bar inside to protect the tubes from any overheating or accidents. Yes the welds are nasty as hell but I laid them on thick because I didn't want to have any leaks. Try to do it right the first time.
Part 04 - Welding The Lower Top Pipe
After I got the top pipe welded on I cut another small wedge to cover the last open section. All the welds are nasty looking but it'll work. Normally I will pay a professional welder for customers jobs but I am able to at least make my own stuff for me. Doing this again I would make the angled pipe out of a 45 degree elbow and that will look much cleaner and will only need the top pipe to seal it up. I know I will have to cut some of the air guide to clear the near lower pipe and I think the fog light trim will fit - I hope. I pressure tested the new set-up and checked with the bubble solution. The top section was all good, the lower pipe section was another story. The lower pipe had a burn through from the inside that was leaking but luckily I was able to cover it up on the outside. I had several very tiny leaks in the outer wedge weld so I just re-flowed the top and bottom section and all was good. Time for bed.
I would go back to 0psi and see if unclogging everything fixes the issue. If the thermo wax doesn't work then increase it back up.
I totally get that but I am also concerned more about the turbos since they are water/oil cooled. I am basically using the thermowax to let me know if I have good circulation for the turbos as well.
Two things to watch, which can be 3 issues
1. thermowax
2. heater core temp (on the foot selector)
3 - are the turbos getting enough coolant flow?
I will try it anyways just because it will be good to have the results, I just have to find the old cap where I removed the bottom seal .. lol
Now that the engine and radiator has been flushed separately it’s time to put them together. I hope while doing the final flushes no more crap breaks free and clogs the radiator again.
Part 1 – RE-medy Water Pump
Part 2 – Flushing The Re-worked Radiator
Part 3 – Mount Radiator Top Pipe
Part 4 – Lower Radiator Pipe
Part 5 – Install Intercooler And Set Car Configuration
Part 6 – First Flush With Water At 0 psi And 13 psi
Part 7 - Second Flush Sierra With 1 Prestone
Part 1 – RE-medy Water Pump
I got the RE-medy water pump to see if it would help with the high temp issue I was having BEFORE I discovered my clogged radiator. I will still use it in hopes that it has more flow at 0 psi especially at idle. When I first installed my Pineapple idler pulley, I used all the provided hardware which had allen heads. I decided to swap out one of the bolts for a hex head bolt that was longer and had a better bite. Thankfully if you loosen the side nut for the alternator bracket that goes into the PS bracket, you can get enough wiggle room to pull the bracket out of the way to remove the water pump.
Looking at the RE-medy water pump next to the stock one you can see the blade design also the fact that the RE-medy water pump has a solid disc on the bottom as opposed to the stock star pattern. The dealer water pump gasket is thicker than the one I received from Atkins as well. I removed the old water pump and lightly scuffed the mating surface with some scotch bright to clean it up. I put the RE-medy water pump on an it had better fitment since the holes where the bolts go through had less slop, I guess that’s the difference between a OEM water pump versus an aftermarket water pump.
Time to get everything back together so I can install the radiator. Make sure you use the right hardware that is meant to be used, like serrated flanged nuts. It is important to use this on adjustment pieces like the alternator bracket. I installed the thermostat housing, AST, and the secondary turbo BOV back in place. I got the idea for my bracket/BOV combo for the second turbo from STARWARS, the AT-ST.
Part 2 – Flushing The Re-worked Radiator
While working on everything else I had the radiator being flushed in the background. I flushed it normal flow and reverse flow as well as fan side up and fan side down to get the most out as I can. The flush did remove a little more stuff, mostly aluminum dust from cutting it open. I also let it sit with flush fluid in it for a few hours and drained it, not much came out so I feel it is safe enough to put it on the car.
Part 3 – Mount Radiator Top Pipe
I installed the radiator and luckily, I only had to make one small cut to the fog light backing bracket. Going dual pass makes it easier to install with both pipes on top since a lot of VM kits put the radiator so close to the ground. I am liking this change a lot more since I can use the radiator in its original design, and it is easier for the customer to replicate if the radiator gets damaged and needs replacing. This new set-up will also work with the N-Flow design now. I am sure KOYO has flow tested it with computer aided tech so I know it should work. This will be an update to my VM kits.
Another issue is “IF” corrosion or build up starts to happen it will hopefully be easier to clean since all you have is one end tank on the top and one on the bottom and you can reverse flow it easier. With the 2 pass I personally feel with 2 smaller end tanks on top will make it harder for water to flow through it if the inlet side has some corrosion and then it must make a U-Turn and then there might be build up on the bottom as it tries to flow back up and out the other end tank.
Doing everything with the bumper on is super tricky but I was able to do everything without taking it off. The A/C condenser brackets are hard to bolt in because the front screws are right next to the fog lights. I put the brackets on and folded them down, I put the condenser back in place, folded the A/C brackets back up and bolted everything down. There is also a radiator support bracket on the A/C condenser connection side that is also moved out of the way to slide the A/C condenser into place.
I put the top hose together with the pre-cut parts and it didn’t work because the hose clamp was resting against the lower PS return tube. I had one 45 degree silicon elbow left so it cut it to get the clamps past the tube and then I modified the 45 degree alumni pipe to fit the shorter distance. The upper hose clears everything – barely. I forgot to route the fan harness, so I had to loosen the upper radiator hose and the bracket on that side to get the connectors through. I re-routed the fan harness and re-tightened all the connections. Now it’s time to fabricate the lower hose.
Part 4 – Lower Radiator Pipe
The lower radiator pipe went as expected and I was able to make a support bracket to bolt it down from flapping around. The pipe sneaks past the anit-sway bar mount and the oil cooler lines, no rubbing at all. It makes a 45 degree then a 90 degree to the radiator. I got the 2 section in place and then cut a section to join them together. I lined it up, made some marks, tacked it in place and test fit it again before welding it all up. After the pipe was welded, I test fit it again to fit the angle bracket. I welded the bracket on and then pressure tested the pipe to make sure I had no leaks. Unfortunately, it leaked where I welded the bracket on the sides so I ended up welding the perimeter then it was fine.
I always test coolant components after a valuable lesson I learned which had me driving 500 miles to fix a leak because I trusted professional welds. I drilled a hole through the bracket on the pipe and then secured the pipe in place. I drilled through the aluminum bracket hole to make the hole in the steel anti-sway bar bracket and then bolted it on place. Lastly, I test fit the LRB VM undertray and everything clears as expected.
Part 5 – Install Intercooler And Set Car Configuration
Finally, all I had to do was install the intercooler and I can see if the car runs cooler and then start the last flushes. I installed the intercooler frame and ducts and then the intercooler using my nifty brackets that help line the IC and ducts on the IC frame. The primary turbo adapter I have uses an oring and I made sure it was clean and still in place. Again, make sure you use the right nuts for the job which are serrated flanged for the primary turbo outlet pipe. This area experiences high heat so you do not want to use your nylon locknut here. Next was the secondary turbo outlet pipe and intake, the Greddy elbow side piping, and then the strut tower bar. Last thing I did before starting the car was to upload the newest version of FC Tweak which has some new options especially the symmetric lower intake manifold. I have the xcessive lim and stock turbo heat shields.
Part 6 – First Flush With Water At 0 psi And 13 psi
No one likes a foamy beer!!!! I started out with a fresh batch of prestone and water to flush the cooling system at operating temperature. The first flush was 2 parts with the first one with the bucket to burp the system and the second with the 13 psi cap to try a blow through anything that might be stuck. Here’s how it went down.
First Flush Part 1
I poured 2 bottles of prestone flush and filled the rest with water. I was using the fill bucket to try and burp the system and it went from clear to pee color then to straight up beer foam. I brought it up to operating temperature I think I used to much prestone flush because there was so much foam. The car stayed steady at 85C and when the fans kicked on it went down to 82C. During this time, I also recharged my A/C which is blowing ice cold now. I was looking at the foam and it started to rise quickly like when you drop a mentos in some coca-cola. I went to grab my fluid suction pump and as I turned around it had already spilled out and there foam everywhere. I quicky sucked out the foam and used the mist feature on the water hose and sprayed everything else off hoping the IC piping paint does not get damaged. I had to turn off the car due to the oil temps getting hot due to lack of airflow. As the car was cooling down, I was still seeing bubbles come up in a rhythmic heartbeat. Eventually they stopped and it was time for the second heat cycle.
I noticed that the car took much longer to warm up and the warmup rpm was only around 1300rpm instead of the normal 1500rpm. The thermowax did not get hot enough to fully open, but I noticed at 70C the ISC took over and lowered the rpm to my set idle of 900 rpm. It also seems like the PFC is trying to relearn the idle again since I loaded a new file.
First Flush Part 2
I put the 13 psi cap on and started the car. Again, the car maintained 85C for a while, so I went to work on something else. I cam back and the car was at 86C. I went under the car to look for any leaks and I did not see anything and then both fans came on at full blast. I got up and saw the temps at 101C – damn, it must be the foam. This happened within like 3 minutes too. I shut the car off and I heard the 13 psi cap hissing as it was releasing pressure. I lift the lever and the foam shot out from the top of the overflow tank. I quickly opened my overflow tank drain valve to empty it into a bucket and saved it for later.
Again, I noticed that the car took much longer to warm up and the warmup rpm was only around 1300rpm instead of the normal 1500rpm. The thermowax did not get hot enough to fully open, but I noticed at 70C the ISC took over and lowered the rpm to my set idle of 900 rpm. It also seems like the PFC is trying to relearn the idle again since I loaded a new file. I had the heater on hi fan and heat and selected for the foot position, I felt no warm/hot air whatsoever. When I gave it a little gas the temp dropped from 85C to 82C and at one point I saw the thermowax extend to my fully warmed up position, but then retracted during idle.
I decided to let the prestone flush sit in the car over night to try and dissolve what ever I could. The next day I drained the radiator and the fluid that came out first was foamy and then later it cleared up. There was still a little bit of stuff coming out but nothing like before. I drained the engine side and just a little bit of rust colored debris came out.
Part 7 - Second Flush Sierra With 1 Prestone.
The second flush I decided to use 100% Sierra and 1 bottle of Prestone flush cleaner to get the system ready to put the EVAN's back in. I took off the top throttle body hose to let the air escape as I filled the system. I put nearly 2 gallons in and I have the bucket in use so I am doing this with 0 pressure.
At first start up the car would not start, then I gave it a little gas and it started but ran like **** and there was a lot of white smoke at first. I was worried if coolant got into the engine but the AFR was flashing 10.0 and I smelled a lot of gas. I gave it a little gas to clear it up and then it was fine. I guess the PFC is still doing a learn idle since I uploaded some changes made by FC Tweak, I'm not 100% sure though. The car did warm up a lot faster and higher 1300 rpm and as soon as the PFC hit 70C it kicked in the idle 900 RPM. I can tell it is using the ISC because my thermowax is still not fully extended. I did have alot of bubbles and I saw the PFC at 90c once before the fans kicked in. It went to 85c and the fans kicked on then it went to 82c. Again I shut it down due to the oil temps getting above 230F. I restarted the car and it started a little rough but it started on its own. When I revd the engine for a minute I started to feel warm air from the heater, finally some life. After about 10 minutes of the car being off I checked for leak and I did not see any. The lower radiator pipe was barely warm to the touch while the top of the radiator was hot to the touch - I think it's working.
Started the car up after sitting for 24hrs with the 100% sierra/prestone mix and the 13psi cap and the car started just fine - no issues whatsoever, no leaking after 1 hour of idling too. !!!!!!!!!
I noticed that when I turn the lights on the car runs a little rough and dips in RPM and recovers, however when I turn the A/C on the car jumps to its target of 1100rpm fine.
My setting were
idle - 900
load - 1000
a/c - 1100
I changed the load to 1100 also and now the ISC works like a charm.
idles good at 900
load only 1100
a/c only 1100
load to a/c maintains 1100
a/c to load maintains 1100
I also noticed the fans were on forever, the fans were set to 86 on off 84, the pfc was constant at 85. The top of the radiator tank was hot but the lower end take was cool, I **** you not - it was cool to the touch and so was the lower pipe going to the car. I just think at idle the engine could not get any cooler. I set the target to 88 on and 86 off for no load and load, I set 90 on 88 off for a/c. The fans come on when the pfc hit 87, it goes to 88 then drops to 86 and turns off. It stays off for like 5 minutes or maybe longer then turns on for a few minutes then back off. I think it is good at this temp for my car and regulates nicely at idle.
I rev'd the car at 3k for a minute and I finally felt some heat out of the heater core but I think there is still some blockage. I think I need to go out and drive the damn thing instead of letting it idle with the flush in it.
I definitely will make some oil cooler ducts for the stock bumper and another for the ab-flug gt7 front bumper. But right now I need some oil cooler fans so thats my next step, luckily I have a ron francis control that I can use to control the fans and I will power them off of the aux battery.
Another thing on the hit list is to find out what is causing the heart beat of the needles bouncing in unison for the 4 gauges in the dash gauge pod. I wonder if it is a bad pressure sender and it affects the others because the grounds are tied together. Maybe I will move the power and grounds to the main battery and see if it helps. I also wondered if its the VSR electronics doing this. I do know the hotter it gets the bigger the bounce.
Any-who I will check the coolant fluid level tomorrow and see how much I lost. After 1 hr idling, I did not see a single drop hit the ground from anywhere on the car.
