Water temp Good or Bad..??

[rn240sx]

In my previous S14 my water temps would be between 180-185 while steadily cruising on the highway. On really cold days, it would drop to about 175-180....

In this S14, same motor, the water temps are between 195-200. I also noticed that while comming off a stop and going into boost (8 psi) i notice that the water temp would rise pretty quick to 205, then the fans would kick on and drop it back down to 195 ish b4 they shut down...

My probe for the thermostat is mounted inside the upper radiator hose comming OFF the radiator, it was like this also in the other S14...

Keep in mind this is the 2nd ka motor to be in this s14.. The previous ka motor did the same and this ka motor is also doing the same... Different water pumps, different thermostats...

The 195-200... is that a bit on the high side for steady highway cruising..??And why would the temp rise so fast comming into boost of the line..??

Bad radiator..??

[FliMSiCaL]

if i'm not mistaken, there were 2 different thermostats for 240's 185 and 195. This could be the result of having the higher temp one in there...if you want to make sure, go get a 185 and drop it in there and see if it helps. Since your boosting, i would recommend a radiator upgrade if you havn't done so already..240 cooling systems are hideously undersized. 205 isn't overheating, just on the higher end of normal operating temp. It jumps up so fast on boost because you are suddenly shoving much more air+fuel into the cylinders which equates to much more heat+power production which equates to a spike in water temps. i'd consider it normal. Note: anyone who notices any incorrect info in here, please correct me, all this is from memory.

[rn240sx]

I dont think its thermostat related cause BOTH motors are 98's and both motors have seen the 195-200 temps...Meanwhile ONE of those 98 motors that came FROM my last S14 never saw past 190 while it was in that other S14....Then when that motor was dropped into this s14... the temps went up... which has me concerned...

[fiznat]

I dont think those temps are abnormally high. I'm averaging around 200 as well, and I have a dual row koyo radiator. The turbo just puts out a ton of heat, everything tends to feel the effects of it.

One thing you can do if you are really worried about it (which I dont think you need to be) is get a higher pressure radiator cap. A liquid under pressure requires a higher temperature to boil, so a higher pressure cap will keep your coolant that much farther away from boiling. The stock S13 rad cap is .9 bar, but a Z32 rad cap is 1.3 bar, and it fits.

[DammitBobby]

I am considering going with a vented hood. If you look at the EVO`s, WRX both have vented hoods.

[FliMSiCaL]

is there any year difference in the s14's? maybe the ecu(if a different year) turns the fans on a bit higher up, or maybe the radiator in ur current s14 isn't as good as the one in ur last one, got dirt in it or something, i don't know. I wouldn't worry about 200, its well within normal operating temps. If you really want to get it down, try some of that racing coolant that several parts stores sell, i've heard good things about it bringing temps down by 10-20 degrees, but make sure you use as directed, it doesn't mix with antifreeze well.

[MarkEmark]

When I take my car out in ~30-40 degree weather my temps barely budge past 160 or so...with a 50/50 anti-freeze/water mix...but when I really get on it it'll go up to 200 or so no problem in the same weather. I also have the 2.1" thick all aluminum koyo radiator.

I've also noticed that my oil cooler does QUITE a bit at keeping temperatures down (maybe not specifically the water temperature), especially considering how hot the return oil from the turbo gets. If you think about how much oil there is in the engine and the large area it circulates through, an oil cooler makes a lot of sense.

Also, a quick, cheap fix is just using more water in your radiator, and mixing in Redline Water Wetter...maybe do a 70/30 water/anti-freeze mix, add in some Redline Water Wetter, and your temps should drop. Keep in mind though that even after completely draining your radiator and your hoses, you will still have a lot of coolant left in the engine that is the same mix as your old mix, so you may want to add an even more water-heavy mix. Even after I drained the two heater lines underneath the fire-wall side of the intake manifold to remove my engine, there was still quite a bit of coolant in the engine.

[Jookmasta]

so then for us ka-t out there, would the nismo thermostat be a worthwhile upgrade? i see em on ebay for like thirty or so and they say that it opens up at 165. Granted with the turbo, things are gonna heat up, would this still make any sense or be worth the trouble? (BTW, im in south florida......)

[s13sr20chris]

my sr regularly saw 200. thats with water wetter and 70%water. not too bad i dont think. i have noticed most cars that come into my shop will see 200 if i am watching the temp. this leads me to think gauges that dont go over 190 are incorrect. would like to know for sure though.