WTF Water Temperature!?

[nosebleedZ]

If you haven't had any luck with the other suggestions, I would bet you have a radiator that has some age on it. Severe electrolosis and corrosion at the end tanks (inside the rad) will cause the agony you describe. I've had it happen many times over the years. Brass, aluminum rad makes no difference! Copper is actually the best a thermal disipation. It's a $35.00 fix.....remove rad, take to rad shop, have "boiled", & reinstall. Your 230 degrees will magically become 170 again. If you want further cooling (if you live where it is miserable in the summer) buy a 150 degree t-stat from NAPA. They are the only ones that carry them. They will not be able to look it up though. Have them pull up the part# of the stock Z t-stat and transpose the heat range digit to a 5. It's about $9.00. My temps never come above 170-ish in traffic, or 160-ish at full boost. Hope this helps you before you contemplate suicide or torch your Z investment!

[Guest toadnz]

cheapo testing

 

try this, find a bottle which lip fits nicely over the inside lip where the radiator cap sits, fill 2/3 with water, mark water height with tape or pen, place upside down where the radiator cap sits - after removing cap,

 

start engine, let it warm up, watch for air entering bottle -

water level will drop if air enters the bottle. Wait till your sure the temp gauge has come up,and thermostat opened, wait a couple of minutes, any air ? give a rev see if BIG air bubbles enters bottle. There should be no change to water in bottle on a well functioning closed cooling system. only a tiny trail of very fine bubbles from hose leak or something, if there is air, then further tests to see if its from the head or fresh is needed. Big bubles usually from head some how - might be crack in block not gasket

 

if air enters the bottle, leave bottle, stop engine, if hazey or filmy looking air in bottle, when cold remove bottle still upside down, careful like, then turn over still covering the hole, then lift finger off slowly, if very petrol rich smelling or hazey looking then its not fresh air.

 

well thats what someone told me... Or simply pay to get the coolant system preasure and seal tested

[Nismo280zEd]

that's an interesting test but on my rondavis the filler neck is off to the side at a 45deg angle... so there will always be some air.

-Ed

[Twizted]

Certain auto parts stores rent coolant pressure testers. Just leave a deposit which I think is $20. Very simple for anyone to use, just pump it up like a bicycle pump and watch the gauge.

[JMortensen]

Coolant pressure testers will help you find a leak. If your system isn't leaking but is running hot a pressure tester won't help diagnose it.

[rags]

Ed,

 

Do you get water movement in the rad when the thermostat opens? It would be the first thing I looked for. It'll tell you if the stat is opening and if the pump is moving water.

 

One other note. The first picture you posted is useless with the hottie in the picture right above it!

 

Joe

[Nismo280zEd]

lol yeah that's just the way the pics happend to lay out. I'm currently driving the car and as long as i'm moving it's fine, just sitting at redlights and such it creeps up quick. Yes the thermostat is fully functioning and i can see fluid flow through the core.

 

I've been sourcing the net the last two days to try and find a table i once had. It showed the minimum cfm needing to cool engine by liters. I'd be very interested in this if anybody has it. Doing more research I don't feel so confident that my fans put out the cfm i previously quoted. I have a feeling they put out around 1500 cfm combined from everything i've gathered.

 

-Ed