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Best ways to keep my truck cool?

CherryK5

1/2 ton status
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Austin Texas
obviously a 4 core rad. That's going in this weekend.
But other than that what can I throw on to keep it cool? I run around 200 to 210 driving around town and I'm aiming to get it 20° cooler.

I'm running a 350ci GM performance zz4 crate engine.
All components except AC.
 
New 180* thermostat with the 4 core and a radiator flush is about all i can think to do unless the water pump isnt working or you have a leak in the system :dunno: . Is it overheating or running poorly in the low 200* range? whats the motivation to bring down the temp?
 
just trying to get it cooler. I brought it down 5 degrees with electric fans. There just isn't any reason to have it running that hot.
 
what if I run a 160° thermostat? I live in texas and it's hot as hell all the time. And when the cold hits I can put the 192 back in.

would running 160 do any harm?
 
that 4 core radiator will do it for you, unless you have a major issue in the motor.

I'm running a factory style 4 row rad with a heavy duty fan clutch and full shroud, with a 195 t-stat, it rides at or just under all the time, even while i was towing a heavy trailer out of Arizona, up through the mountains i never got hotter than 220.
 
what if I run a 160° thermostat? I live in texas and it's hot as hell all the time. And when the cold hits I can put the 192 back in.

would running 160 do any harm?

what year was your truck? what motor? i if carb'd, i really wouldn't go any lower than the 180, if TBI, keep the 195 in it.
 
what year was your truck? what motor? i if carb'd, i really wouldn't go any lower than the 180, if TBI, keep the 195 in it.

obviously a 4 core rad. That's going in this weekend.
But other than that what can I throw on to keep it cool? I run around 200 to 210 driving around town and I'm aiming to get it 20° cooler.

I'm running a 350ci GM performance zz4 crate engine.
All components except AC.

Original Post^

1984
Carb'd
And im in texas, mid to high 90's all day every day.

And i can feel a major power drop off once i get up near the 200's
 
just trying to get it cooler. I brought it down 5 degrees with electric fans. There just isn't any reason to have it running that hot.

It might make for easier combustion and its not really hurting anything from what you've told us i wouldnt go with the 160 thermostat for that same reason. With a Carb its out of the question imo. I know it might sound a little silly but the ''power drop off'' your mentioning might just be the choke disengaging :dunno:
 
It might make for easier combustion and its not really hurting anything from what you've told us i wouldnt go with the 160 thermostat for that same reason. You could probably get away with it if you have some sort of injection but not a good idea imo.

Good enough for me. I'll go with the 180 and a 4core.
 
Good enough for me. I'll go with the 180 and a 4core.

kk, Keep us updated on the results personally i ran my 76 k5 with a stock 170k mile 6.6l and a 180* thermostat 4 core radiator up to summit at hollister hills. Steep uphill for 30 minutes or so in 4 HIGH (i was having transfer case issues) 100* degrees out motor chuggin along the whole way temp gauge moved maybe 1/16 :thumb:
 
kk, Keep us updated on the results personally i ran my 76 k5 with a stock 170k mile 6.6l and a 180* thermostat 4 core radiator up to summit at hollister hills. Steep uphill for 30 minutes or so in 4 HIGH (i was having transfer case issues) 100* degrees out motor chuggin along the whole way temp gauge moved maybe 1/16 :thumb:

Damn.. That's some transfer case hell right there.

My main issue is when im out wheelin and theres no air being forced through the rad. Or when im in stop n go traffic. sometimes i'll get a 220-230 spike.

What would the cons of running the 160 be? (Just so i know.)
Besides warm up time obviously.
 
Damn.. That's some transfer case hell right there.

My main issue is when im out wheelin and theres no air being forced through the rad. Or when im in stop n go traffic. sometimes i'll get a 220-230 spike.

What would the cons of running the 160 be? (Just so i know.)
Besides warm up time obviously.

Well im just a nub and thanks to ck5 im turnin into a web wheeler i havent been offroad in over a month :doah:ive been talked to by cops twice in the last month for driving over curbs because im having withdrawl from 4 wheelin each time i explain that i start crawling curbs if i dont get enough wheelin time and they laugh and take off :popcorn:. One of the cops who pulled me over told me hes got a bronco he wheels i thought id get a ticket for sure :D.

more on topic sounds like the radiator just isnt up to the job or you have a failing water pump. Update us once you swap to the 4 core.
 
Well im just a nub and thanks to ck5 im turnin into a web wheeler i havent been offroad in over a month :doah:ive been talked to by cops twice in the last month for driving over curbs because im having withdrawl from 4 wheelin each time i explain that i start crawling curbs if i dont get enough wheelin time and they laugh and take off :popcorn:. One of the cops who pulled me over told me hes got a bronco he wheels i thought id get a ticket for sure :D.

more on topic sounds like the radiator just isnt up to the job or you have a failing water pump. Update us once you swap to the 4 core.

Will do. i'll replace the thermostat in the morning and then the radiator will be saturday most likely.
 
Will do. i'll replace the thermostat in the morning and then the radiator will be saturday most likely.
I would do the thermostat after the radiator so you dont buy anything you dont need you should already have a 180* degree thermostat. Again see what happends after you swap the radiator

Is there such thing as a SIX COREEE? That would be amazing.
Thats a question for Fordum he knows more random chet than anyone i can think of on ck5
 
I would do the thermostat after the radiator so you dont buy anything you dont need you should already have a 180* degree thermostat. Again see what happends after you swap the radiator

Its only 8 bucks. I'll need a new one eventually anyways.
 
What are you running for an engine fan setup?

Just curious; my fan clutch was not up to the task of hill climbing when it was 100+ outside, no A/C. I could watch the temp gauge get up to 210 before letting off the throttle in 3rd.

Water Wetter from Red-Line works. Have you flushed the radiator, and given it nice mix of 50/50 antifreze & distilled water? Throw some of the Water Wetter in there; also I have replace my fan clutch with a "severe duty" clutch from Hayden (can be found at Kragen/ O'Reilly, etc.) and so far have been pleased with it. I personally would keep a stock temp t'stat in there, as everything was really designed to run at that temp. For my old Jeep Grand Wagoneer, there was a special Robertshaw high flow t'stat available, I have not looked yet but I wonder if there is one for the good ol' GM small block as well? That really helped that old beast from getting too hot.

On the more extreme side, again speaking from my old Jeep experience, there was a company called "Flo-Kooler" or something like that, they had a high flow water pump as well. The idea was to get coolant flowing through the radiator as fast as possible while also sucking air as much as you could when it got hot. And, let me tell you, the old AMC 360's did like to run hot!

I'm looking forward to seeing how well the Severe Duty clutch works today; I'm driving North to Fort Bragg (Nor-Cal) and there are several long hills on the highway.

Anyway, good luck, I hope you get it figured out. Let us know what works!

Clay
 
190-210 is normal, and completely acceptable.

a lower operating temp is not always a good thing. In winter, all this cooling power is going to lengthen warm up time, effect emissions, and fuel economy. The engine is designed to perform optimally around the temp range listed above. running it hotter is obviously bad, running it cooler also is not a great thing. cold oil dosnt flow as well as hot etc. etc. And if it is computer controlled, it will pi$$ it off if you get it to too low of an operating temp. I would only upgrade the cooling system as needed to prevent overheating in those punishing texas summers.
 
http://www.redlineoil.com/Products.aspx?pcid=10


don't laugh.....this stuff WORKS....

If you have never tried it....don't knock it.
easily dropped my Blown BBC, 15 - 20 degrees...:bow:



HEAT TRANSFER
Red Line WaterWetter® can reduce cooling system
temperatures compared to glycol solutions and even
plain water. Water has excellent heat transfer properties
in its liquid state, but very high surface tension
makes it difficult to release water vapor from the
metal surface. Under heavy load conditions, much of
the heat in the cylinder head is transferred by localized
boiling at hot spots, even though the bulk of the
cooling solution is below the boiling point. Red Line's
unique WaterWetter® reduces the surface tension of
water by a factor of two, which means that much
smaller vapor bubbles will be formed. Vapor bubbles
on the metal surface create an insulating layer which
impedes heat transfer. Releasing these vapor bubbles
from the metal surface can improve the heat
transfer properties in this localized boiling region by
as much as 15% as shown in Figure 2. This figure
demonstrates the removal of heat from an aluminum
bar at 304°F by quenching the bar in different
coolants at 214°F under 15 psi pressure. Compare
the time required to reduce the temperature of the
aluminum to 250°F, or the boiling point of water at 15
psi. Red Line with WaterWetter® required 3.2 seconds,
water alone 3.7 sec, 50/50 glycol in water
required 10.2 sec, and 100% glycol required 21 sec.
Water alone required 15% longer, 50/50 glycol 220%
longer, and 100% glycol required 550% longer.
DYNO TEST RESULTS
Dynomometer tests performed by Malcolm Garrett
Racing Engines showed significant improvements in
coolant temperatures using WaterWetter®. These
tests were performed with a Chevrolet 350 V-8 with a
cast iron block and aluminum cylinder heads. The
thermostat temperature was 160°F. The engine operated
at 7200 rpm for three hours and the stabilized
cooling system temperature was recorded and tabulated
below:
Cooling System Fluid Stabilized Temperature
50% Glycol/ 50% Water 228°F
50/50 with WaterWetter® 220°F
Water 220°F
Water with WaterWetter® 202°F
These numbers are similar to the temperatures
recorded in track use and heavy-duty street use.
 
you could always try and oil cooler. I had one on my little datsun that i took out to the track often. It dropped temps down like 5-10 and kept it at the perfect range. The 2nd gen Mazda Rx7's have a nice big aluminum oil coooler that you can find at junkyards.
 
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