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Getting hot at highway speeds -Solved?

If the coolant move through rad to quickly no cooling will be done.

To me there is a very simple way to approach this thought:

If you double the size of the radiator, will it cool a specific engine better/easier? If you run a pump that doubles the flow through the radiator, that is exactly what you have done.

There is much more to it than that, but with anything we have access to, there is no concern with moving coolant too fast in even a halfway modern automotive cooling system.

You REALLY want the thermostat to have to do its job all the time. If its having to work to keep the engine temp at it's set temperature, your cooling system has excess capacity. When the thermostat exceeds its rated temp (within production tolerarance) the cooling system is unable to cope with the load.

Edit: late edit, I really don't want to rehash this. But I like facts and science. Science paper here showing heat dissipation based on volume of liquid pushed through a radiator (PG5): https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304364356_Radiator_Heat_Dissipation_Performance BLUF: more coolant flow equals more heat shedding.

Calculating heat absorption: https://sciencing.com/calculate-heat-absorption-6641786.html Play around with the formula, you'll see two gallons of water (7.58kg BTW...Glycol will change the numbers, but not the physics) takes more energy to heat the colder it starts....in other words, the colder the coolant coming out of the radiator, the better it will absorb heat in the engine. The warmer the coolant is, the less heat it absorbs...so it takes longer to absorb less heat. Cold coolant absorbs more heat, faster, than hot coolant does.

"...as velocity of water increases heat transfer rate increases (Q)..." Page 6

"...for a given heat load and coolant flow rate, the coolant temperature drop through the radiator will be constant, and nothing anyone can do to the design of the radiator can change that. Adding rows or fins or face area or whatever will not change the temperature drop through the radiator. As a general rule, cooling systems are designed to operate with a coolant temperature of about 190 degrees F at the radiator inlet and have about a 10 degree F temperature drop through the radiator at rated power and rated coolant flow. This will result in a bottom tank temperature of 180 degrees F." https://www.enginebasics.com/Engine Basics Root Folder/Engine Cooling Pg2.html

Under no circumstances is slowing the coolant down a good idea when it comes to cooling an engine down. (again, ignoring pump cavitation, fluid movement in the block, etc) The longer coolant stays in the block, the hotter it gets, and the LESS heat it absorbs. But as linked above (numerous times), if the coolant speed is changed, so is the amount of heat shed.
 
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Radiator is a 4 core, taller design. Fan is a Flex-A-Lite 4600 cfm fan which flows more than the Windstar.
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Everything anymore is marketing it seems. But much of what I've read says that anything over two core is ineffective. Basically, due to airflow issues and capacity, two core is efficient. More than that airflow efficiency and coolant capacity is lost. 1-2 wider tubes ("cores" I suppose) are all the rage today.
 
This is the 2nd thermostat. Other one did the same thing but that was before cooling fan upgrade. I can try the boiling water test. I might take a look at my water pump closer. I believe it was a Weiand or Mr Gasket alum.

I have to disagree a little on the thermostat controlling heat. IF the radiator and fan(s) was keeping the coolant at a lower temp, the thermostat is regulating how much cooling the engine gets. If I have a 160, I'd expect temps closer to 170-180. If I had a 200 thermostat, then it should see temps in the 210-220. This is with a adequate cooling system of course. I realize there's so many factors but just my .02.

From Stant's site-
The thermostat has two important jobs:
  • Accelerate engine warm-up: By blocking the circulation of coolant between the engine and radiator until the engine has reached its predetermined temperature
  • Regulate the engine's operating temperature: By opening and closing in response to specific changes in coolant temperature to keep the engine's temperature within the desired operating range

Stant is right, but only if your cooling system is designed to keep the operating temperature at the same temp as the thermostat.

A thermostat is just a valve that opens when it gets hot. Once it gets above the set temperature, it stays open and lets all the water into the radiator to cool it it down as much (or as little) as it can.

A way to test the logic...If you put in a 10F thermostat on an engine and cooling system that is designed to operate at 200F, you wouldn’t expect the engine to run at 20-30F would you?

I guesss my point is that you can take the thermostat out and run the engine, then put it back in and run it again. Unless you’re in the Arctic, you’ll get the same operating temp result. Technically, you might get a bit lower temperature without the thermostat if it lets more water flow through.
 
Some parts stores offer a "heavy duty" water pump as an option. I always get the heavy duty option if available. There is a possibility that your fan clutch (if equipped) is cutting out at high speeds even though it works at low speeds. OEM GM fan clutches for a big block heavy duty truck are the ones I use. Kinda pricey but last a long time and work perfect. Yeh, it creates more fan noise but at least you know it's working!
 

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