Any body ditch the OEM cooling system on the diesels???

[53 willys]

I'm really not digging on these stupid coolant reservoir style cooling systems the VW's use.....any body ever swap in a regular radiator with a radiator cap and overflow tank??

I'm thinking about fitting a FULL aluminum radiator on my car and ditching the VW plumbing...

thoughts? anybody else done this??

thanks

[tSoG-84bit]

VW has a non overflow tank setup, basically just a res built into the rad... find a VW with a cap on the radiator, and you have your system :-D

[53 willys]

VW has a non overflow tank setup, basically just a res built into the rad... find a VW with a cap on the radiator, and you have your system :-D

well I I'm trying to eliminate the VW res.....I guess I could just put the bigger radiator in and see how it runs....
these VW cooling systems don't seem very efficient...?

[53 willys]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-95-vw-corrado-vr6-godspeed-aluminum-radiator+12%22-fan_W0QQitemZ130332998564QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxZ20090924?IMSfp=TL0909241810002r7285

wonder if this could work?? how does the top hose mount on this style VW??


anybody know of a factory style aluminum radiator?

[mystery3]

I'm thinking about one of these:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GRI-2-28185-X/

[53 willys]

I'm thinking about one of these:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GRI-2-28185-X/

lol yeah I was just looking at those a few minutes ago....would also need this..
http://hasport.com/store/index.php/accessories/cooling-system/egkha-fsts.html
tap it out to 22mm and you are good to go....

you could also use the universal  ones that are slightly cheaper if you wanted to play with the top and bottom hoes a bit...

[Jay]

My cooling system seems to be fine, standard set-up.
It stays @ 1/4 on most journeys when I'm driving normal, it only goes to 1/2 when sitting on the motorway @ 80mph+ or when stuck in slow/stopped traffic.

But yes I would love to get rid of the old browny ugly tank and hoses, to make the engine bay cleaner.

[macka]

I'm thinking about one of these:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GRI-2-28185-X/

lol yeah I was just looking at those a few minutes ago....would also need this..
http://hasport.com/store/index.php/accessories/cooling-system/egkha-fsts.html
tap it out to 22mm and you are good to go....

you could also use the universal  ones that are slightly cheaper if you wanted to play with the top and bottom hoes a bit...

As long as the sensors have the right amount of wires, you can source them from other vehicles with the same pitch. Its not like the "computer" knows if they are VW OEM or not. 

[53 willys]

well I just dont think my car can hang with the stock radiator.....it runs a little warm since the big turbo and 11mm pump install....
if I go 60mph it will stay about 1/2 on the stock gauge...but if I run for an extend amount of time it gets heat soaked and starts to really climb..our temps here have been really mild. I wont last one utah summer if I dont do something...and the way it is now I could never run my AC..lol
wonder if my header is making it run warmer?

[Rabbit on Roids]

my VW radiator has no problem with my engine. and i dont run an E fan either. you sure you got a copacetic radiator? does it flow good? how bout the water pump? good flow? i just dont see how your engine heats up so much. when im just cruisin, my engine goes from 180* to about 165*. then if i get on a big long hill where im deep into the boost, it climbs to 195* maybe 205* sometimes on long ones. but then it settles right back down in less than a mile once you crest the hill.

[smutts]

The VW cooling system has been one of the better ones I have come across. But there are some quirks.
1, the temperature guage should stay nailed to where it chooses to be once warmed up. Both my GTD's stay at 5/8 ths of the gauge, just past halfway.
2, Thermostats get tired as they age, so the gauge is steady until you ask lots of the engine, and the thermostat can't open that last extra bit, temperature climbs, ease off and the temp nails back to its "normal" place. This is what my Red GTD does, with the ancient thermostat.
3, Some of the VW thermostats had a rubber grommet type seal to the thermostat valve. The seal was vulcanised to the metal with a dozen 3mm holes in the metal to anchor it. Rubber perishes and so did the temperature control, crap design, remove and throw at your enemy, along with the self adjusting cluch cable.
4, Dont be tempted to run without a thermostat, except in an emergency, the VW sytem is a bypass design, as the thermostat warms up, it opens the radiator flow whilst closing the radiator BYPASS flow. With no themostat, the hot engine coolant will mostly bypass the radiator. Not good.
5, How much antifreeze are you using? antifreeze doesn't move heat as well as water.
6, The coolant level light which works from the coolant bottle has saved me both engines, as it shouted out that my coolant had boiled off before I cooked the engines to oblivion.
7, Then again Utah gets bloody hot!

[smutts]

 8)Aha! just seen the 700 odd posts, so you probably knew lots more than me on that!

[53 willys]

I dont even wanna post this..but I'm beginning to think my HG might be leaking slightly???
my cooling system had FULL PSI after sitting all night...thats not normal right?

I tried the run it with the cap on for 1 min and see if there was pressure...but there was not..last time my HG blew I had lots of psi after running for only 55 seconds.



I feel the single pass radiator is NOT up to task....?..it is a diesel WITH AC radiator..but it's not that big or well built IMHO.

I should also probably note that my oil cooler has not been hooked up so maybe thats the whole problem?
it seems to get hot after driving for a while...the longer I drive the more the gauge SLOWLY rises...my after market gauge was reading 205*-just short of 210*...seems a little warm to me?

this turbo I'm running is a damn lagger...it dont start to build boost until 2k...so maybe I'm just plain over revving it??

if thats the case I wonder if a different radiator would help??

[53 willys]

my VW radiator has no problem with my engine. and i dont run an E fan either. you sure you got a copacetic radiator? does it flow good? how bout the water pump? good flow? i just dont see how your engine heats up so much. when im just cruisin, my engine goes from 180* to about 165*. then if i get on a big long hill where im deep into the boost, it climbs to 195* maybe 205* sometimes on long ones. but then it settles right back down in less than a mile once you crest the hill.

are you at sea level?

[kaneb]

I believe some of the old scirocco had the overflow built with the rad and will work.  Im not sure if the size is the same though.

kane