Overheating in Vegas!

[DChan415]

I went to Vegas last weekend in the Viper and drove around the strip in traffic with the A/C on and 105 degrees outside. After about 20 minutes of driving, the temp gauge started climbing and when I shut off the car, the coolant boiled and overflowed out of the bottle in the bumper. The temps stayed normal as long as the car was moving fast enough to have sufficient airflow through the radiator. Once I stopped in traffic, the fan didnt seem to flow enough air to keep the a/c condensor and radiator cool.

I have a 96 GTS with a Fluidyne radiator, Roe hoses, and a 99 radiator fan, with a stock thermostat.

Anyone else have these problems in hot weather?
Is there a known cure for it?

I sure dont want that to be my last trip to Vegas.

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[Sean Roe]

Hi Danny,

Assuming the coolant condition was proper (in age and mix ratio), you should check to make sure that both fan speeds are working. Low speed comes on at 207 (just a needle width past the last heavy mark over 190). High speed comes on at 217 (or when you turn the A/C on). You should be able to hear / feel the difference. Both are relay controlled.


If everything is normal, the fan should be able to hold the temperature down with the A/C on and in hot weather with that big radiator. Burp the air out of the system (from the boil over) and make sure there's nothing blocking your radiator (trash, leaves between the condenser and radiator, etc). It's possible that the water pump and / or thermostat need to be looked at also, but only after the other items have been checked.

Regards,
Sean

PS. Get a fan kit to turn the fan on after the engine is shut off to prevent that boil over if shut off hot.

 

[DChan415]

Thanks for the Reply Sean... I'll be calling you for the fan kit and a thermostat.

Oh, forgot to mention, I was running 30/70 Dex-Cool/Water

 

[95Viper]

Other items known to cause problems for others here..radiator cap, connections to facia bottle needing spring clamps

 

[Ivory]

Re: Overheating in Vegas! NOT!

Danny,

We just left Vegas last week in our 93 Gen I car with 50K on the odo and stock cooling system. Yes it was 105 degrees out! Our car ran a little hotter (190) than normal which is 180 degrees, but never boiled over. We found that keeping the vehicle moving is key to cooling it! Prior to going on the trip from Wisconsin to CA via the dessert, we had our coolant changed, hoses inspected, and radiator flushed. Other than that no special items were added.

Good luck.