Engine that's been sitting

[RunninWild]

That was just a spare tire. I knew it was bad, I was only using it for the test drive and I was going to get my main tire repaired (leaking at the rim). Wasn't expecting it to blow up though. It didn't look THAT bad...

The truck is actually in good shape I've just been having bad luck with it. Never had any issues with it in the 2 years I daily drove it with the stock engine, other then it running rich anyways. It's definitely not a hazard for the road other then that tire lol

Just grabbed a 180f tstat will update later. Might have to go with that custom tstat that was suggested earlier.

[libbydiesel]

That was just a spare tire. I knew it was bad, I was only using it for the test drive and I was going to get my main tire repaired (leaking at the rim).

WTF??  You knew that it was bad and went for a drive with it anyway?  If you'd been killed, you would have deserved it.  However, the other people on the road you could have killed DON'T deserve to die because you lack self-control and 'need' the instant gratification of a test drive.  JEEZ.  Maybe you should take it as a lesson and realize that next time you won't be so lucky.  Get the crap fixed BEFORE the test drive...   Learn the meaning of RESPONSIBILITY!

[RunninWild]

I knew the tread was low. There was no indication it would have blown like that. I have seen people driving much worse tires then that for much longer periods of time. I'm usually the first to tell people their tires need to be replaced. These still had tread they were just at the bars. It's not like the steel was poking through and they were completely half.

So it runs alot better with the 180f t stat. Temp usually hovers between 180-190f. Still gets pretty hot ripping up long steep hills and the rad gets heat soaked. Think I need to upgrade my fans and I should be gold.

[theman53]

You could have taken out a guy on a bike with that real easy, don't be an idiot.

Does your temp sending unit match your gauge and where is it located? If you don't have it in a stock VW location all info it records isn't all that helpful as it could be hotter or colder than what VW wanted. Rad fans are not usually needed at all with VW if the cooling system is working.

[air-cooled or diesel]

have you changed the belt setup? with that old v-belt setup you showed you may, like the alt, getting slippage, where its turning the water pump, and seemingly keeping it from over-heating, but like that air bubble you purged out of the system, that may be caused by the v-belt setup also. switching the thermo may be the key, its trail and error, but i think the water pump also is turning too slow and your not getting full water flow, so keep your eyes on that temp and dont let her over heat.

[RunninWild]

It's a lot better with the 180f t stat, never really gets above 180f- 190f except for long steep pulls on the highway. I currently have 2 of the old style 1 wire temp sensors on both flanges coming out of the head. My dash gauge reads high but my digital displays the same temp from both sensors so I feel it's fairly accurate.

I don't think the belt is slipping anymore as my alternator isn't cutting out at all. I don't think it's really related to flow as my rad is just getting heat soaked. At the top of the long hills where it was getting hot I pulled over and the rad was very hot to the touch, and the heat coming off the fans was baking hot. If it was due to coolant flow id expect the rad to stay cooler as the water would spend more time in it?

I've been having an issue with my gauge stops responding above 220f for water and 1400f for egt. The manufacturer of it is from south Africa and said they only use metric and it might be an issue with the conversion so I'm going to try and see if it's any different with metric.

Keep in mind my truck is about as aerodynamic as a brick wall so the engine is running a lot harder to pull it up a hill at 100km/h then it would be in a jetta or golf. I'm also learning to drive this engine better as well. Like it has the power to pull the hill in 5th but if I drop it to 4th the egt temps are quite a bit lower and it's working a lot easier.

I really think it is just related to my cheap ebay "1800cfm" slim rad fans. They move a decent amount of air but it's not near the amount of flow of a typical rad fan. I might try removing my shroud as well as it doesn't seem to have cooling issues in traffic, only long high speed pulls.

[ORCoaster]

I wouldn't be for pulling the shroud.  It acts like an adapter from the back of the radiator to the edge of the fan.  It helps the fan pull air through the radiator and stops air from just sucking in from the sides and blowing out the back. 

Could the fins of the radiator be damaged and closed off in some places?  Sometimes junk gets lodged inbetween those thin fins and air can't get through em.  Try spraying the radiator from the back with a good jet of water.  Any black crap blowing out.  That would be a good reason for pulling the shroud though.  So you could back flush the whole thing.

Does your Samurai use the Dasher set up for a radiator?  The one offset towards the drivers side of the engine bay? 

I would say do drop is down a gear and run it a little faster RPM uphills.  You don't want to bog it down too much and pour fuel to it that will just end up going out the exhaust and heating up.

 

[RunninWild]

 I have a 26" rad from a vw quantum I think. It is practically new however the very top and bottom of the fins were damaged but the majority of it is in really good shape. I don't think the damage would be substantial enough to affect its performance substantially. I made my shroud. I know they help funnel the air but isn't that mainly in low speed situations like sitting in traffic? Cruising the highway at 100 I would think it would impede flow if anything? Thinking of upgrading to something like these
http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/sum-g4850/overview/
I was playing with my digital gauge and it has 2 options for the coolant sensor. The one makes it read low (around 160f when operating) and the other around 190f. I guess I need to find a heat gun and make sure I'm on the right setting. But 160f seems a bit low to me, probably wishful thinking)

[RunninWild]

I just bought a cheap ryobi infrared thermometer. No idea how accurate it is but according to it my gauge reads a little high. I was pulling 180f off the hose directly in front of my sensor (main line from side of head) while the gauge was reading around 190/192f. Don't have any long hills nearby to test it when it's running hot but I'll keep the gun handy and pull it out as necessary. Hopefully my gauge just reads 10-15f hot as that would keep me in a fairly decent range for temperature.

What temp is considered the point when I should shut the engine off and let it cool down? Or at least remove as much load as possible.

[ORCoaster]

What kind of antifreeze you running and what is its boil over point.  Depending on mix of water to freeze you may be well above 240.  Mine is a 265 boil point.  But if I was running 220 on my gauge I would be getting the load off or pulling over and letting the electric fans work a bit through the rad.

[RunninWild]

Didn't exactly measure but I got a gallon of the green stuff mixed with water. My system holds around 8l so it's pretty close to 50/50. Not sure what the pressure rating on my resevior cap is but it's from a vw as well.

So 220f is the point where I need to start being worried. That's good to know. So as long as I try and keep it below 210f on big hills I should be alright?

[air-cooled or diesel]

190 seems a little too hot though, 180 is safer.

[vanbcguy]

190 is pretty cool really. The rad fan won't turn on till more like 200. The "middle" position on most VW temperature gauges is 195F.

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[RunninWild]

I have a digital fan controller. Any suggestions what temps I should have my fans turn on and off at vanbcguy? If 195f is operating temp I think I might be running a little cold if anything. According to the thermometer I'm running around 180f.

Going to upgrade my grounds today and hopefully get my temperature reading a bit more stable. Right now the reading spikes with a load on the electrical system.

[ORCoaster]

Whatever temp thermo I throw in any of my engines I see a swing in temps that goes from plus to minus of about 10 degrees on my gauges.  So if I was running with that 180 degree one I might see 190 on the gauge just before the thermo opened up.  My sensor is on the top of the engine and thermostat being below gets hot later not sooner. 

I don't worry much until I start seeing plus 30 over the stat temperature rating. I figure that is fair for extended hills, hot pavement and hard pulls.  I saw that kind of increase as I was pulling a trailer across the State of Washington in 105 degree temps on those extended grades on the eastside of the state with A/C on.  Once I got over the top, took my toes out of the engine bay, all cooled down to the stat range or even below in some cases.