keeping a turbo 3l cool thread

[Dobby]

hey guys first actual post so hello

Now I know this has been discussed more times than most topics but all the threads have no definitive fix or actual data provided.

I have a 3l 2.8 hilux

mods
ct20 turbo
ford xr5 intercooler front mounted with 2 inch piping '
intake pipe from air box is also 2 inch.
thermo fan wired to run all the time
brand new 62mm 3 core aluminium radiator
82 degree thermostat
full reco motor all new cooling system
currenttly a weak mix of coolant.... :rolleyes:
15psi boost

all temps quoted are brisbanes current temp around 25-30 degrees

around town im seeing around 86-92 degrees
highway 100kph and under up to around 96 degrees
above 100kph im seeing upwards of 100 degrees before backing off this takes approx 5 mins on highway to get these temps

my stock gauge didnt budge with these temps how ever i replaced the factory one with an aftermarket one to see what is actually happening

now considering the stock thermostat is 92 degrees whats the upmost temp i should see before being worried


to bring temps down
I have turned fuel down more (currentle seeing arounmd 280-320* egt at 110 kph max ive seen is 520*
raised rear of bonnet to expel more air ( no change)
plus stuff listed in my mods

turbo is oil cooled only
I have also been to 2 radiator specialists and both are baffled as my cooling system is tip top however one told me 98 degrees is practically over heating so that leaves 6 degrees of movement with the stock thermostat

so what have poeple done to keep your little 3l cool and what temps do you run at so we can compile some factual data for others that go down this path in ther future

sorry for the long post

cheers dobby

[boxhead55]

I always thought 110 was the higher most temp before time to get worried

[boxhead55]

As you stated 92 is the normal thermostat. So 10% is nothing that makes it 101 deg.
You are adding more fuel and higher compression thanks to the turbo then the motor was designed for. So it will run hotter then normal.
Sounds like. You have done all you can to keep it cool.

I know 110 on the 1kd is getting up towards the hot end but see 100 deg all the time when loaded and towing.

[Hellbound]

tried an oem toyota radiator ? they are very well designed despite plastic end tanks, one from a d4d would be a decent upgrade i rekon

[Dobby]

Yeah more fuel more air = more heat problem with different radiators is the space for it with inter cooler plumbing etc in the way then rad support would need chopping

Problem I'm finding with my temps is I'm unloaded with these temps

I've ordered a larger thermo fan to incorporate into a custom shroud this should allow more flow when up at high speeds

Secondly I've been thinking about an external engine oil cooler ...

Getting peoples first hand info on the operating temps in the real world is what I'm trying to gather and what people have done to help..I have a new more efficient inter cooler ready to install but new plumbing will be required for this


I have also thought about putting my stock radiator back in to see what temps I get with that as the issue seems to be heat soak rather than an actual issue ...secondly I'm probably being over cautious after spending Round 5k for engine rebuild and goodies to be reliable this is the last thing bugging me

[y0d1]

Every 2psi of pressure increases coolant boiling point by 1*. If your radiator cap is a 13psi jobby, like many are, this raises the boiling point of the coolant to 106.5*c. How about dropping the boost pressure to a more stock amount, say 6-12psi?? Or maybe rig up an oil cooler?? Or a bigger core'd radiator??

[Dobby]

62mm 3 core alloy rad installed not long ago... Engine temp on original gauge never went above halfway even towing a car trailer up tamborine mountain (qld) and loaded on way home with out it budging over half

Changing boost levels and fuel supply has had no effect in any tests I've done over the past week this seems it be purely a heat soak issue ...

Radiator boiling point is 120 degrees at 14psi with a 50/50 mix of coolant this raises the boiling point to 128 degrees at 14psi

Cheers

[john253a]

What's the water circulation like out of top hose once hot?

To start idd drill a 1/8 hole in thermostat or if it has the pin in it remove it,
Fit a remote oil filter kit and cooler (idd run 2x z9 housings in parrell)
http://www.speco.com.au/acccoolers.html
http://www.daviescraig.com.au/Oil_Coole ... tails.aspx
Fit a heat shield to turbo
http://www.aclperformance.com.au/prod_heatshield.htm

Do you have passes welded into the new radiator or is it a single pass?
What is the gap between the inter cooler and radiator?
Inter cooler is it air to air or water to air?
What temp is the inter cooler when the engine in at 90* + (I would assume 70*+ most of the time)
Oil return from ct20 is it plumbed into alt line or have you drilled a separate line into sump

A good resion most td engines don't have front mount cooler, is heat transfer, a td is always in boost (atleast 2-3 psi) compaired to a petrol so the cooler never get time to cool itself down adding more heat to the radiator
So you'll need to romove that heat as well,
That's why idd start with cooling the oil and fitting heat shielding

to prove this bypass the cooler and see what temp you get under same condishion a

[ChrisD]

You might want to try this... the boys on mighty car mods did it a while ago with amazing success

[Dobby]

Some updates..

Firstly I run no bull bar atm just a factory bar.. I moved the number plate and cut in some vents on the bar above where the # plate mounts this helped a lot with cooling

I've now fitted a 2750cfm 16 inch thermo fan which is fully shrouded on the radiator

Now I have reduced boost and fuel max 12 psi 10 psi @ 110kph after a run the hot and cold side pipes are the same temp no noticeable difference by feel.... This would mean I'm suffering a large amount of heat soak in the intercooler because this is happening I'm getting hot induction air possibly around 100*c at 110kph. After the air has been "heated" by travelling through the cooler the air is actually heating the radiator causing this to heat soak...

I have an aftermarket cooler to install which I think may help this issue as I will be getting cooler charge air and less heat soak onto the radiator...

What are peoples thoughts on this...

Cheers

[Hellbound]

What about a water to air intercooler to cool the incoming intake charge

[Dobby]

I personally don't trust water to air coolers the chance of an internal leak is just to risky for me

[john253a]

Ditch the front mount and go top mount
Or move the rad to rear of car

Another option is twin intercoolers
In the wheel archers

Have you tryed bypassing the intercoolers as I susgested in my last post to prove if it is heat transfer,
Just watch the exhaust temp and keep under 500

[Dobby]

I've put the new intercooler on now egts have dropped by around 30 degrees the new cooler is much more efficient the old ic was hot both side new one is cool to touch hot side is quite warm.

I've also now backed boost to 10psi and wound the fuel back from a heap of research the ct20 is really only good for 10psi before becoming inefficient so that coupled with a 12psi cruising boost it was never going to stay cool. And with 15psi max before the waste gate wasn't opening up meaning there was a lot of back pressure and and heat build up at cruise

[jplozza]

Have you replaced radiator fan clutch.

I turboed my 2.8 3L and it got hotter and it was the viscous fan clutch. fixed that and all good.

[dan9245]

Put a big bonnet scoop on, so it can ram cool air into your engine bay and expel hot air out of it. Might help not sure, just a suggestion. Also you havent changed your exhaust, a bigger exhaust 3" or 2.75" will help let the engine exhaust better and therefore work less harder and less heat

[fooman]

The 3L on my old LN106 did run hot after the turbo went in.
I added an additional electric fan to the radiator which helped some, but I'm pretty sure I could cook stuff in the engine bay.

A snokel helped with incoming rather than drawing air from the hot engine bay.

I like the big bonnet scoop idea above but I never did it before selling it.

[Chappy78]

Hot air rises and a scoop would mean your trying to push it back down I no a bloke who put a scoop on backwards with a thermo fan so he could suck the hot air out when in soft sand , towing up hills or heavy traffic

[andy666]

You could always do the old street racers trick and put a few washers between the bonnet and the hinges, to raise the back of the bonnet. Also remove the rear bonnet seal. Greatly increases airflow through the engine bay.

[Talktheroo]

What's the water circulation like out of top hose once hot?

To start idd drill a 1/8 hole in thermostat or if it has the pin in it remove it,
Fit a remote oil filter kit and cooler (idd run 2x z9 housings in parrell)
http://www.speco.com.au/acccoolers.html
http://www.daviescraig.com.au/Oil_Coole ... tails.aspx
Fit a heat shield to turbo
http://www.aclperformance.com.au/prod_heatshield.htm

Do you have passes welded into the new radiator or is it a single pass?
What is the gap between the inter cooler and radiator?
Inter cooler is it air to air or water to air?
What temp is the inter cooler when the engine in at 90* + (I would assume 70*+ most of the time)
Oil return from ct20 is it plumbed into alt line or have you drilled a separate line into sump

A good resion most td engines don't have front mount cooler, is heat transfer, a td is always in boost (atleast 2-3 psi) compaired to a petrol so the cooler never get time to cool itself down adding more heat to the radiator
So you'll need to romove that heat as well,
That's why idd start with cooling the oil and fitting heat shielding

to prove this bypass the cooler and see what temp you get under same condishion a

That's what forums about, when it said right. Good one.
The Roo.