hey guys, im stumped. i put on my rksport front bumper today to fit it, and then took it for a drive... the bodykit is making my engine run about 35 degrees higher than normal
usually it runs at about 185 and now its running about 220(F)
any ideas as to why this is happening?
do you think an open air hood would help increase cooling (like an SS style with a functional scoop)
what else could be the problem?
thanks
could be blockin air from getting to the engine bay...
thats what i thought, but the only space that is blocked, is the space between the front bumper and the hood (from oem) its only about 1" tall and 10" wide though, that couldnt change it by that much... could it?
Might it have changed the velocity of the airflow through the radiator?
--------------------------------------
04 Cavalier LS Sport- Red with factory silver stripes.
16.186 @ 86.98mph
touche' it could have done that.... any way i can correct that? im thinking the scoop would be the most functional way of doing that without cutting the bodykit
i got the hood your talking about (rk sport ss) and it hasn't made my engine cooler. the opening under the hood isn't large enough to let the amount of air in to actually cool it.
alright then i guess i need a bigger scoop...
the sunfires OEM front bumper blocks so much air i dont see how your new bumper raised it that much?!?
As long as you have the black plastic strip that hangs below the radiator then there shouldn't be a problem with airflow. Like someone else mentioned, the older Sunfire OEM bumpers blocked a lot of airflow, hence why GM added the strip under the radiator.
cavy freak.
i have the same kit you have... i took out most of the impact bumper, and modified nothing else for this bodykit.
i guess i need to look into a coolant flush. i would be due in about 10K miles anyway, but doing it early may solve the problem.
and i doubt my license plate can diffuse it that much...
take it off anyway put it on your dashboard
do you have the inner fenders in ?
mine ran hotter with them removed and a stock bumper
a bodykit with a giant gaping hole in front of the radiator isn't going to hurt airflow.
you have another mechanical issue. check your thermostat
alright heres what im doing for this situation...
tomorrow*
tranny flush and fill
radiator flush and fill
check thermostat
move license plate*** maybe
i have not removed anything from the vehicle except for cutting the impact absorber to accomodate the kit.
and i drive plenty fast enough... but ive been varying it to see where i get the best overall temperature...
today its running a little cooler (around 215) rather than 225+
but hopefully after the tranny and radiator are taken care of this problem will disapate(sp>
thanks for the help guys. any other suggestions?
i could only think of two things...thermostat or the plastic under the bumper...its there from factory to direct air a certain way....like stated above start cheap....lol
MIne does run a tad warmer now with the type J, but nothing that extreme.
Cavie Freak wrote:Herb Wilson wrote:alright heres what im doing for this situation...
tomorrow*
tranny flush and fill
radiator flush and fill
check thermostat
move license plate*** maybe
i have not removed anything from the vehicle except for cutting the impact absorber to accomodate the kit.
and i drive plenty fast enough... but ive been varying it to see where i get the best overall temperature...
today its running a little cooler (around 215) rather than 225+
but hopefully after the tranny and radiator are taken care of this problem will disapate(sp>
thanks for the help guys. any other suggestions?
I would start cheap and jsut move the license plate and see if that helps. That plate blocks a lot of air flow. Couldn't hurt to do the others but I would start with those 3 and see whats up then move to the thermostat.
ive got friends at the monroe muffler brake shop around here... they do really good work and they are going to do my tranny and radiator at cost.. (70$) total, so thats still plenty cheap, and like i said, it needs done soon anyway
i like my plate where it is...
i dont wanna move it... haha i guess i could offset it to the far right or left...
I wouldn't worry about the license plate. If all else fails check the relay for the cooling fan. I had cooling issues before and replaced the water pump and thermostat only to find it still ran hot. Only after replacing the relay did things go back to normal. Just a thought.
um... that black plastic strip thingie does something on Cavs? I live in Texas, and I haven't had that thing on for months, I have no probs. overheating (in 95+* weather), but I have a stock bumper.
also, if you're looking for a hood to increase cooling, a scooped hood won't help at all. the air flowing around your engine doesn't make remove any significant amount of heat; that's why it's called a water-cooled engine, not an air-cooled engine. however, if you can find an extractor hood, it might give the hot air from the rad. somewhere to go... pulling air out of the engine bay, rather than pushing it in.
Otherwise, what everyone else said... start cheap, etc.
i guess that does make more sense. the extractor would increase ability of the air to flow throw the radiator and out of my engine bay.
i was looking at two of those style hoods, the evo, and another similar one. anybody have these? notice anything ?
