Car is Running HOT!

thrown_hammer · 05-27-2003, 01:26 PM

With the new scoop, ductwork and fan my car is running scary hot. If I let it sit in the driveway idling with the fan on it will hit 250!!! What can I do? The cooler is clean and free of debris. The thermostat is working as both oil lines to and from the cooler are hot to the touch. Please HELP!

Silveresrty911S · Silveresrty911S's Garage

Wow!!!
Mine gets to about 230-240 pushing it on a warm (80-90deg.) day, also no external cooler yet and they are the same engine. Maybe some one with more knowledge will chime in, are the vitals right and she's running strong? (dme running it lean?). Seems awfully hot just idleing, does she cool down when you take her for a run?

Jim Sims · 05-27-2003, 01:41 PM

Have you taken care of air management issues in the engine compartment? Is the top of the engine sealed from the bottom? Is the air from the engine fan being properly ducted over the engine? Are the air ducts in the back hatch clear so air can enter the engine compartment? Is the engine clean including the engine mounted air cooler? Is the engine mounted oil thermostat working? Cheers, Jim

masraum · 05-27-2003, 01:45 PM

Hmm, my car just sitting and idling in the heat will heat up, but if I turn on the fan the temp will come down. I would suspect that you either have a mismatched sender/gauge (I assume you've probably checked that already) or some other problem. Common problems are timing or fuel besides the obvious issues of a clean engine and properly functioning thermostats.

On a related note does anyone know for sure if the engine mounted thermostat is closed then is there anyway for oil to get to the fender mounted cooler?

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

I would check to verify that the temp is actually what your gauge says.....there was an earlier thread on this BTW......

Get a pyrometer and read the oil at the dip stick and the oil lines and the cooler.

724doorE · 05-27-2003, 03:11 PM

Also make sure you don't have any bubbles in the system.

Thats only if you had to open it up, it needs to burp!

Didn't you have the cooler hooked up without a fan before?

If both lines are hot, you may have a blockage somewhere downstream of the cooler. or maybe the thermostat is only partially opening and allowing most oil to bypass the flow restriction of the long piping and oil cooler.

If your getting the same feel on both sides of the cooler it means either no flow of oil or no flow of air. You seem to have the air.

Good luck

04:22 PM

Are you sure the temp. sender & guage combo is correctly matched & accurate? I initially though I was getting very high temps on my SC, but replacing these proved it was ok- its never gone above 200.

Cerbin · 05-27-2003, 10:07 PM

Maybe your cylinders were installed upside down. Scary thought. Or maybe a family of squirrels has established a home behind your cooling fan.

Just some thoughts

Early_S_Man · 05-27-2003, 10:17 PM

Steve,

Yes, positively ... the scavenge pump provides the external thermostat with an endless supply of hot oil, regardless ... no matter what the engine thermostat and pressure circuit oil cooler are up to ...

thrown_hammer · 05-28-2003, 03:38 AM

The engine is freshly rebuilt and clean.(no squirrels

) I added a second fan and completelyisolated the cooler so ALL the air moving thru the front spoiler HAS to go thru the cooler. Last night I let it idle in the garage. She got up to 210 and I turned on both fans. I verified they were working and MASSIVE air was coming thru the cooler. Came out ten minutes later and it showed about 230. I don't know if the gauge and sender match. How would I verify that? Maybe they didn't change it out when they switched out engines. It doesn't get hot moving down the freeway. Both sides of the oil cooler lines are hot when the thermostat opens. A thought I had was could the fan belt be slipping? Would that make enough of a difference? I had some $ saved up for new tires but I may have to take it in and have someone look at it.

724doorE · 05-28-2003, 04:38 AM

Hey Thrown,

Do you have access to a thermocouple from your work? If so use one of those to assess the temps of the lines and such.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I'm pretty sure the pre-78 911's had the numerical oil gauge instrument, while most 3.2's had the non-numerical ones. If you didn't match the sensor to the gauge, you will get inaccurate readings. Spring for the $25 and get a numerical temp sensor - or one to match whichever gauge you have.

thrown_hammer · 05-28-2003, 06:09 AM

Dennis,
You read my mind. I am gonna do a temp profile at lunch. I have the numerical gauge. And I assume whatever sender came in a 1986 3.2 engine. If the temp profile is off I will spring for a numerical sensor. If the temps are right I have to come up with a plan B.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

You can safely assume your '86 3.2 DOES NOT have the numerical sensor in it, unless the PO can verify otherwise for you. You need to get one.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

The stock temp gauges hide the numbers W A Y over in the corner under the interior bezel....put your noggin at the level of the radio, look left with a flashlight. You should see them.

Looks as if the consensus is to check temps via an outside measuring device.

thrown_hammer · 05-28-2003, 09:02 AM

Well I checked the oil tank, oil lines and front cooler with a type K thermocouple. The gauge read 210 deg. The readings were 140-145 degs. I guess I just need a numerical sender? I placed the thermocouple on the outside of the tank lines and cooler. So the findings would indicate that when the gauge shows 250 I am about 210ish. I feel better already. I will e-mail the PO to see if they changed the oil temp sender But I am pretty confident this is my problem.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but even if the PO DID give you the right sender, it could have gone bad. I bought the numerical upgrade kit from North Hollywood, remembered to swap everything out when I installed my new 3.2 about 6 mos. later and the sender died at that time, giving me no readings on the new engine. Six mos. is not satisfactory, but for $25 and accurate temp. readings, I was happy to just get another one and be done with it.

thrown_hammer · 05-28-2003, 09:13 AM

I have the numerical gauge so all I will need is the correct sending unit correct?

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Quote:

Originally posted by thrown_hammer
I have the numerical gauge so all I will need is the correct sending unit correct?

Correct. I think Pelican lists it as for 73-77 911's or something liek that. But it'll work in your 3.2.

thrown_hammer · 05-28-2003, 10:51 AM

The only thing that bothers me is the thermostat opened when the thermocouple was reading 140-145 degs. but the gauge was reading 180. The thermostat is supposed to open at 180 deg? The thermocouple is calibrated. WTF???