2001 RT RUNNING VERY HOT!! ANY RECOMENDATIONS?

[EXECMALIBU]

I HAVE ALREADY TRIED EVERYTHING OVER THE PAST 18 MONTHS!!...I HAVE SPENT $1,700+ (WITH THE CAR STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY) AND THE CAR HAS BEEN DOWN, IN THE SHOP FOR OVER 4+ MONTHS TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM...

I AM REALLY GETTING FED-UP TRYING TO COOL THIS CAR DOWN...I DO NOT ACCEPT THAT TEMPS UP TO 245+ DEGREES ARE NORMAL AND/OR ACCEPTIBLE!!


ARROW REBUILT THE ENGINE ....THE CAR STILL RAN VERY HOT...

THEN I TRIED......

1. THE ORANGE COOLANT THAT SHAWN ROE RECOMMENDED..
2. ADDED THE WATER WETTER...
3.80 THERMOSTAT...
4.NEW WATER PUMP...
5.TRIED 75% WATER..
6. ADDED THE THIRD ROW TO THE RADIATOR(STOCK HOUSING WITH UPGRADED 3 ROW CORE)...
7. CHECKED THE HIGH SPEED FANS ARE RUNNING..
8. THE GAUGE IS NEW...
9. BURPED THE SYSTEM..(20 TIMES)
10. REPLACED PCM...

I HAVE NOT CUT THE FACIA YET BUT I AM NOT SURE HOW MUCH DIFFERENCE THAT WILL MAKE? I HAVE GOTTEN CONFLICTING STORIES...


LAST WEEKEND I HAD AN SRT THAT WE USED FOR VERY HIGH SPEED STUNTS IN 100 DEGREE WEATHER AND THE CAR NEVER GOT PAST 210 DEGREES!!! I ALSO HAD 3 FERRARIS AND 2 VETTES AND THEY ALL RAN AT UNDER 200 DEGREES.....THEY IDLED FOR LONG PERIODS AND THEN WENT BALLS OUT WITH VIRTUALLY NO TEMP CHANGE!!!

IF I HAD MY VIPER THERE IT WOULD HAVE PROBABLY MELTED INTO A BEAUTIFUL SHAPHIRE BLUE BLOB!!

MY BONE STOCK (355 GEARS) 2001 RT ON A COOL 75 DEGREE DAY RUNNING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 80+ MPH OFTEN RUNS AT 220-245 DEGREES OR MORE!!

I LOVE THE VIPER BUT THIS CAR MAY BE A LEMON...

ANY OF YOU GUYS LIKE HOT LEMONADE??







     

 

[Ulysses]

Are you sure that the temp sensor is correct. Have they replaced the temp sensor?

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

crash it into a wall

 

[EXECMALIBU]

CRAIG 201 MPH,

YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE VAST EXPERIENCE ON HOW TO CRASH A CAR INTO A WALL!

UNFORTUNATELY NEITHER I NOR ANY OF THE STUNT DRIVERS(ITALIAN JOB, CHARLIES ANGELS) ON MY TEAM IS AS QUALIFED AS YOUR ARE IN THE PROPER WAY TO CRASH A VIPER...

IF YOU WOULD AGREE TO COME TO SO CAL AND DEMONSTRATE FOR US YOUR MOST EXPERIENCED EXPERTISE WE WOULD APPRECIATE THE INSTRUCTIONS..

OF COURSE WE WOULD ASSIST YOU IN EVERY ASPECT AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO HAVE THE AIR BAGS REMOVED AS IS STANDARD WITH TYPE OF STUNT..( I BET YOU ARE SO GOOD THAT YOU WOULD INSIST ON DOING IT WITHOUT A SAFETY HARNESS OR BELTS!!)



I COULD PROBABLY GUARANTEE THAT YOU WOULD BE PAID AT LEAST 4 TIMES THE RATE THAT THEY PAY THE CONTESTANTS ON THE REALITY SHOW "AVERAGE JOE"..(FAR MORE THAN YOUR INSTRUCTION IS WORTH)..ALSO THERE IS A NEW SHOW "BIGGEST LOSER" THAT THEY ARE AUDITIONING FOR AND I THINK YOU COULD EASILY WIN!


PLEASE ADVISE US ON WHEN TO PLAN FOR YOUR ARRIVAL...

 

[95Viper]

What are the coolant levels in the surrogate tank? Does it always stay nearly full? Is it ever empty? What about in the front facia tank? What are those levels at hot and cold?

 

[EXECMALIBU]

UPPER TANK IS FULL..SENSOR WAS CHECKED..LOWER TANK NORMAL...

 

[Casey]

Maybe your temp gauge is WRONG?? Is that possible?

How long does you rad. Fan run? When does it start and when does it shut off?

 

[Ulysses]

Maybe your temp gauge is WRONG?? Is that possible?

Well, in the first post he said he had the gauge changed out. It could happen that he got a bum new gauge, but the chances are small.


Exec,

When you turn on the heater, does the air get pretty hot, or does it stay pretty cool to luke warm?

 

[EXECMALIBU]

WE CHECKED THE OLD AND NEW GAUGE( THAT DOES NOT MATCH THE OTHER GAUGES COLOR) WITH A DRB AND IT SEEMS TO BE ACCURATE..

JUST BEFORE THE 4TH MARK 3/4 ON THE GAUGE IS 229 DEGREES ON THE DRB..THIS IS WHERE IT WILL RUN @ 80 MPH ON THE FREEWAY .. IT WILL CREEP UP TO OVER THE 3/4 AND NEAR THE RED (240+ DEGREES) IF I START TO GET ON IT FOR ANY EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME..

\ | / . | II (RED)
.
.

HOW CAN I POST A PHOTO TO SHOW THE GAUGES??

 

[Marv S]

Car runs hot when driving steady 80 mph in 6th with 3.55 gears? Not normal even in Phoenix summer.

No Vacuum leak or running lean?

 

[IEATVETS]

Sorry to hear about your problems. I also was having the same problems with mine. Took it in to Collectors Choice and they did everything that you did. New 3 core aluminum radiator, new fan assembly, checked my gauge to make sure it was working properly, 170 thermostat, new hoses, burped the system about 10 times. Didn't change the water pump. My results were better than yours though, I got 30 degrees out of my car! They did tell me that Vipers do run warm, if not hot, from the factory. That is so they will pass emissions. Hope you find out what is wrong, because not only does the car run better, it is ALOT cooler in the cabin!

 

[Fast Freddy]

take it to john at west coast vipers and have him reprogram you computer to turn the cooling fans on whenever the temp goes above 180 degrees. he is the only guy in the country that has this software. or you could just wire your fan up to run full time whenever your engine is running. that is what i had to do with my sand rail. that made the biggest difference in cooling my sand rail down. on my sandrail i have a bigger than stock aluminum ron davis radiatior and lower thermostat, water wetter and straight distilled water, etc. i would also suggest to you getting a bigger and different type of radiator that john at west coast vipers sells. fluidyne and ron davis make the best aluminum radiators in the world. they are like 4 core aluminum. john also sells like a triple pass radiator that they use for road racing. check out his web site to see his cooling mods at www.westcoastviper.com

 

[99 R/T 10]

Dude! On your new water pump, did you check to see if it was a metal impeller. Also I would hook up a second gauge to check accuracy of the stock one. It may be a bad ground or a broken wire.

 

[YouWish]

Re: 2001 RT RUNNING VERY HOT!! ANY RECOMENDATIONS?

Please turn the CAPS LOCK KEY OFF!!!

 

[Ulysses]

Re: 2001 RT RUNNING VERY HOT!! ANY RECOMENDATIONS?

Dude! On your new water pump, did you check to see if it was a metal impeller.

This is exactly what I was eluding to when asking if the the air out of the vents was hot when turning on the heater. A bad water pump will not allow enough hot water to circulate through the system. The result is luke warm or cold air coming out of the air vents when the car is warmed up.

 

[David Jenkins]

Re: 2001 RT RUNNING VERY HOT!! ANY RECOMENDATIONS?

Maliblues, you said the DRB read 229 with it at the 4th mark or 3/4. The gauge should have 8 total marks from 100-250. Do you mean the 1st mark below 250 (3/4)? I've found on several cars that the gauge does not match the actual engine temp. It's not uncommon for the gauge to be 10 degrees off on the hot side. Did you get the DRB reading while driving or sitting still? Here's another thing. The gauge is not "linear". (Not sure if that's the right word I'm looking for) From it's lowest point to the middle is a 90 degree difference(100-190) but from the middle to it's highest is only a 60 degree difference (190-250). So the gauge is more "accurate" from center up. I've had cars that read 3/4 but are running 210 actually even with new senders. I've had to put resistors in line to get accurate gauge readings.dj

 

[jimandela]

Re: 2001 RT RUNNING VERY HOT!! ANY RECOMENDATIONS?

i would get an upgraded waterpump
i think that archer racing offers them.
your right.. my 01 never ran that hot.
it is not correct to run that hot

running that hot you will need a new hood and fascia as well as sidesills all under warranty...because they will have to show some wear....and cracks..

 

[BillS]

Re: 2001 RT RUNNING VERY HOT!! ANY RECOMENDATIONS?

Some other things to check.

1) Check your radiator cap, it may not hold the required pressure.
2) Put hose clamps on the 3 hoses that don't come with them. (1 on puke bottle, 2 on radiator cap tank)
3) Check overflow lines for leaks... and puke bottle. (Front facia bolt can punch a hole in it)
4) Check for vacuum leaks. (Turn on A/C, stomp gas in 5th at low rpm, does a/c turn to defrost/heat?) (And check intake manifold)
5) You may have a head gasket leak?
6) If oil is high or you corner hard or the crank case vent system is letting oil into the intake manifold you will run lean. (Check intake tubes)
7) Check the intake air temp sensor with a DRB. If it reads hot it will lean the mixture.
8) Check for low fuel pressure.

Bill

 

[EXECMALIBU]

DAVE JENKINS,

THANKS FOR THE REPLY..

I TRIED TO MAKE A DIAGRAM USING THE COMPUTER

\|/ | II

TO SHOW THAT I MEANT THE FORTH BAR FROM THE 3 MIDDLE BARS..

THE DRB WAS USED WHILE SITTING AND SHOWED 229 DEGREES JUST BELOW THE 3/4 MARK ON THE GAUGE... WHEN DRIVING AT SPEED IT OFTEN WILL RISE ABOVE THE 3/4 BAR ALMOST TO THE RED BAR..

 

[Qualitywires.com]

What about clogged cats?

Thermo stuck?

have you tried the hole in the thermo trick to help get rid of air pockets?

Yes your car is running too hot and that is not normal.

 

[EXECMALIBU]

ON THE DYNO THE CAR PUTS OUT 425 HP..SO CLOGGED CATS SEEMS UNLIKELY? ..WE HAVE TRIED NUMEROUS (3) THERMOSTATS..

 

[Qualitywires.com]

so what was your A/F ration on the dyno?

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

On my '94 the ECU reads coolant temp from a different sending unit than the guage does. With a diagnostic readout, the difference between the two was often 10F, although it would fluctuate depending on vehicle speed, engine speed, etc.

You may want to try putting one temperature gauge sending unit in the upper radiator hose and one in the lower; this may help to determine if the engine is putting out too much heat or if the radiator is not taking enough away. (Or if you only have one, start in the radiator exit.) There are thin wire thermocouples (thin pair of wires that can be slipped under the radiator hose where the hose slips over the radiator ******) that don't need a fitting to screw into. You could also put them (or move them) to the heater hose and all the other hose to pipe connections and map out the temperature distribution. Eventually you'll find the inconsistency. Good luck.

 

[SneakyPete]

There is only one fix for your car, I should know as I was a victum of this BS also. check you PM.

 

[VPRVENM97]

MALIBU,

Seems like you've gone above and beyond what any owner should do. You may want to envoke the California State Lemon Law. Check here to see if the law applies in your case. I know in the past, when someone mentions "Lemon Law," it brings out all the DC cheerleaders who encourage the "victim" against it. Personally I'd like to see matters like this resolved without going that route. But enough is enough and you shouldn't be burdened with this on-going problem after exhausting all reasonable means.

Good Luck

 

[Russ M]

Exec,

I would say first press the caps lock key.

Then I would go to DC performance, they are very close to you and if there is a problem Dan will let you know.

All Viper run very hot especialy in stop and go conditions. My fix for that was the AEM unit, once that was installed the car run 190 solid even in this heat we have in LA now.

PS. If you like I can take a look at your car when I am in the area(usualy weekend) and you can check mine out and see if there is a big difference.

Let me know.

 

[motor602]

my 2001 RT ran at 190 like a rock, then i installed a VEC1 and since then, especially in hot weather, the car would get hot, in between the third hash and last hash before the red in stop and go. Im wondering if im running the car too lean, although on 3/4 throttle to full throttle im gettin full blue up in the revs, and i only show full lean on no throttle under 2k RPMs, is it possible im running to lean and therefore burning up my engine?

 

[EXECMALIBU]

RUSS,

MY CAR RUNS @ 242 DEGREES GOING DOWN THE FREEWAY AT 80 MPH..THIS MORNING I STOPPED AT ANOTHER DODGE DEALER TO TRY ANOTHER DRB...


SAME RESULTS!

MY TEMP GAUGE SHOWED OVER THE 3/4..THE MECHANICS SAID THIS CAR RUNS TO HOT.. THE DRB CONFIRMED THE TEMP @ 241.8 DEGREES!!

DC PERFORMANCE IS THE ONLY PLACE THAT THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED ...THEY ARE AS FRUSTRATED AT TRYING TO CURE THE OVERHEATING AS I AM....

THAT WOULD BE GREAT IF I COULD TO CHECK OUT YOUR CAR..

CALL ME @ (310) 456-8833

THANKS JEFF

 

[EXECMALIBU]

MIKE,
THANKS AGAIN..

 

[Russ M]

Jeff,

Is your car an 01? Maybe the waterpump?

Will give you a call