crx cooling tips

C

Chris Sawatsky

New member
My crx Si is constantly running hot, and I'm looking to sort it out.
First, is it a good idea to have a rad fan in place? It seems to me that the air coming through the bumper is moving faster than a fan could pull it, but maybe I'm wrong on this
Second, should the thermostat be removed? I've heard conflicting stories on this, one that it helps coolant flow and cools better, another that the water moves too fast to transfer heat properly.
Thirdly, are all aluminum rads like a fluidyne or koyo necessary for ITA cars? Would a double thickness brass rad like the one offered by CSF be sufficient?

Any other tips are much appreciated. I run water/water wetter for my coolant mixture right now, usually with my heater on full to attempt to keep the engine temps down.
 
Something is wrong with your car.

How old is the radiator? You might want to change that.

I run a thermostat and have the heater core blocked off and don't run warm at all.

I used to run a rad fan for while the car is sitting, but never ran it while on track.

I have since removed the fan and still have no problems.

Next, how do you know it is running hot? Do you have the stock gauge and an additional one?

It may be just the gauge.

Jamie
 
"constantly running hot" might be an exageration, but when ambient temperatures are up, the stock temp gauge is definitely up. I don't have an aftermarket gauge installed at this point, as I misplaced the sending unit before I could install it. I'm pretty sure the stock gauge is correct, as when it shows as hot, it is definitely hot (coolant boiling in expansion tank)
It's been going on with two different engines, and the radiator is a custom dual core that I had built from some stock-fit brass end tanks a couple of years ago, and it is regularly flushed and serviced.
 
I had a similar problem with my ITC Civic last year when my 'good' radiator got damaged in a crash and I started the season with an old junkyard radiator. Car ran fine as long as ambient was below 70. Once above 70 the car ran hot (190-195).

Put in a new Modine stock radiator and temps dropped to normal 180. It's amazing how effective a radiator works when it's nice and clean and the fins aren't smashed flat and it's not full of dead bugs and tire worms.

I run a stock thermostat, plain water + water wetter. I have my fan hooked up to a rocker switch so that I can control it. I turn it off when I'm at speed, and I turn it on on my cool off lap and while driving thru the paddock. I also turn it on if I'm running in a tight race with lots of drafting when there is no air thru the radiator i.e. glued to the guys bumper.

Car ran 180 degrees all day long at Indy during 90-95 degree weather. A friend of mine tried running a blanking sleeve instead of a thermostat and he had problems with the temps running too cold and jumping all over the place. Stick with the stock thermostat. A new unit should run trouble free. Part of my morning warm-up ritual is to warm up the engine and feel the hoses to make sure the thermostat is not stuck closed, before I go out for practice.
 
Brass is excellent for a radiator--even better than aluminum. It may weigh more, however.

Sounds like a dirty old rad is your problem.

Cheers.
 
chris, try this quick fix before anything. Replace your radiator cap with another OEM one. if it was not totally working properly, it would cause slight overheating as you describe. real cheap fix. otherwise, the stock system should be sufficient to keep the temps at normaloperating temps.
 
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