sr20 radiator

[hkssupratt1994]

i've got a flex a lite fan kit on the stock radiator and it still overheats but if i have my heater on the second notch not matter how hard i drive it.It doesnt overheat,only when i have the heater off. Is that because the stock radiator isn't cooling it enough?i have a koyo on the way if that doesnt help it i'll get a nismo stat. next

thanks for any help

[IanS]

What is all done to the motor, Im running a stock radiator and a stock thermostat. With minor bolt ons I only need to turn on my fans when Im stuck in traffic when its 100 degrees out.

[homeslicej2]

^

Plus, could be a number of things, thermostat stuck/not working, inaccurate gauge, air bubbles in system, water pump going bad, improper ducting, etc.

[IanS]

hahahahahha, did you remember to replace your temp sender, the gauge temp sender for the red top does not work with the S14 gauge, you need to use the KA temp sender. If you use the red top sender it thinks normal operating temp is just below hot on the gauge.

[homeslicej2]

My shop originally forgot to replace the temp sender on my redtop with a KADE one, so the stock gauge didn't read at all.

[hkssupratt1994]

i have an S13,but it will not overheat if i drive it all day and drive it real easy.

front mount

walboro

hks adjustable wastegate 14 PSI

stock radiator and stat with flex a lite single fan kit

[carbully]

Your heater core is like a small radiator, and it is dissipating a small ammount of heat when it's on into the ambient air. Ether your stock KA radiator is getting a little clogged, or something elsed is causing your engine to generate more heat than the radiator can dissipate on it's own.

It would help to know if it seems more likely to overheat at freeway speeds or if speed/load does not seem to matter. My guess is that if the water pump is pumping enough coolant to cool the engine when you have the heater on, it should be up to snuff. My guess is radator needs flushing or replacement.

I would strongly suggest that you replace the T-Stat along with that, though. The thermostat has a little wax pellet in it that expands when it reaches the target temp. If the t-stat experiences temps a lot higher than that (like in an overheating engine) it can damage that wax pellet, making the t-stat slow to open or not open all the way. So, if I ever overheat a car I replace the t-stat once I have the problem fixed. It's just cheap insurance that one day it won't fail to open and cost you a motor! Easy to do while you have the rad out, too.

[hkssupratt1994]

the koyo fixed it