Gen 2 overheating in Texas sun… go figure

[Badinternet]

Well, i thought i had done everything possible to keep this beauty running cool for the summer.

To accomplish that, prior to this summer starting here in Texas Ive done the following:

-Belanger High Flow Cats
-Silicone radiator hoses
-New water pump
-165 degree thermometer
-Silicone heater hoses

And yet, today, after toping off the coolant, took her out for a quick 45min drive and she was getting up to 220…

I parked, opened hood and left her in garage for 6hrs. Came back out to go to get a drink, now 10pm and she climbs up to 250… bar was only a few blocks down the road so am now sitting here contemplating if ill even be able to make it back the few blocks without doing damage.

I guess i could go get a new radiator but didnt think i would need; thought what i had already done wouldve been sufficient.

 

[Steve-Indy]

What year Viper? Mods?
You need to know if your new water pump and the fans are working properly. I would suggest that you consider a thorough flush of the radiator, refill, and test.

 

[Old School]

This sounds like a stuck thermostat.

 

[Badinternet]

What year Viper? Mods?
You need to know if your new water pump and the fans are working properly. I would suggest that you consider a thorough flush of the radiator, refill, and test.

Year is 2000, no performance mods.

After thinking about it more, i might have over filled the coolant day before because when i looked at reservoir last night it seemed much lower as if it boiled out.

Im going to go check the level now that its had all night to cool off.

 

[GTS Dean]

Your 165 t-stat is not going to help. You most likely have air pockets in your engine, heater core and hoses that are blocking liquid flow. Search for threads with "burping, coolant flow" and read a bit. Turn your heater on and let the coolant circulate with the engine fully warmed. Keep your fascia overflow siphon tank on the high side for a few days and monitor level after it goes full-cold. Until it is purged, you could have some steam belching out the port hole in the upper left of the photo.

Check out the Similar Threads at the bottom of the page.

 

[Badinternet]

So i refilled the coolant tank this morning before, drove it a few blocks and it shot back up to 250, pulled over and the tank is empty again. Fml

 

[Goggles Pizano]

Keep refilling it unless you are losing coolant somewhere interior or external.

Did you measure the amount of coolant you added during the complete refill when you drained all of it out doing the hoses?

 

[Badinternet]

Your 165 t-stat is not going to help. You most likely have air pockets in your engine, heater core and hoses that are blocking liquid flow. Search for threads with "burping, coolant flow" and read a bit. Turn your heater on and let the coolant circulate with the engine fully warmed. Keep your fascia overflow siphon tank on the high side for a few days and monitor level after it goes full-cold. Until it is purged, you could have some steam belching out the port hole in the upper left of the photo.

Check out the Similar Threads at the bottom of the page.

Im just going to take her into the shop, im too worried about all the coolant she is losing so quickly to try and do anything myself.

Why wouldn’t a lower thermometer help keep it running cooler though? Its actually 160 not 165, just looked and misspoke earlier.

 

[GTS Dean]

You have to burp, and burp, and burp; then drive with the heater on, and cool to ambient several times. Your header tank is going to keep getting low until the air is gone. If the overflow tank in the fascia is not kept comfortably above the mininum window level, it's going to siphon more air into the system and you'll never catch up.

You should either shop your local auto parts store, or Amazon for something like this. It makes the process much more efficient - but I'm a curmudgeon. https://www.amazon.com/OEMTOOLS-870...=engine+cooling+system+filler,aps,107&sr=8-27

 

[Badinternet]

Thanks, Dean. I was between rock and hard place because i was 30mi from my home in one direction and 30mi from my shop in the other. Instead of towing her home to try and burp myself (when that might not even be the issue) and then have to tow her to the shop anyways, i figured safer to just tow her to shop directly and let them deal with it.

Only got to 250 for a minute or two in total over the two days so im hoping nothing got warped but will report back. Hoping its just a leak or air bubble.

 

[daveg]

As Dean said, burp. Questions..
1) What temp is the Radiator, both upper section and lower section when running hot
2) Are you getting heat out of the car when you turn the heat on when hot?
3) When your temp gauge goes to 250, does it go down in temp and go back up?
4) Is your Fan kicking on when that hot?

A 165 t-Stat is not going to help on hot days. The only time a low temp T-stat will help is on cool days and at cruising speeds. I run a 180 in my car.

 

[Goggles Pizano]

...
Why wouldn’t a lower thermometer help keep it running cooler though? Its actually 160 not 165, just looked and misspoke earlier.

Because of physics.

 

[Old School]

Why wouldn’t a lower thermometer help keep it running cooler though?

A 160 thermostat starts to open at 160 and will be fully open by 170. A 180 thermostat will be fully open by 190. So, at 200, both thermostats are fully open and do not provide any restriction, they are the same. At this point the cooling is determined by the rest of the system.

 

[Machtwo]

I have a 96 GTS. I put a 3 core Be Cool radiator in and found a big difference. Check the temp on your upper hose, it should be hot, not just warm. Also the stock fan kick on point is like 204 low speed and around 214 for high speed. There are mods to adjust the fan kick-on point. Viper's do like to run hot but 250 is too much. Did your dash temp warming light come on?

I go around the block to heat and work out air bubbles. 30 miles in one direction away from home is risky on any car after working on it ...

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[aacrewchief]

My 97 GTS runs really hot in the summer here in Oklahoma on these 100+ degree days and running the air conditioner, and I have a 180° thermostat installed which really doesn’t do anything but let coolant start flowing a little sooner than the stock thermostat did. It will get pretty damn close to the 250° mark, just as the manuals say it will. I don’t think you would have done any damage to the heads or gaskets, I don’t believe they are that fragile.
Be sure to keep us updated on your viper and what solves your issue!!

 

[LifeIsGood]

Replace the temperature sending unit. Its's cheap and easy to do.

Project Viper GTS Part 2 General Maintenance

 

[GTS Dean]

I have a 96 GTS.

You must be registered for see images attach

I have a '96 GTS. Stock 2-row brass core radiator that has been rodded and re-soldered. Standard early-model cooling fan module. I have a standard t-stat and now running a FlowKooler 10-vane billet impeller.

In normal driving, it definitely moves water more effectively and runs a bit cooler - just barely above the 200 mark. Running balls-to-the-wall at COTA in 95 degree weather, it runs up just a few degrees cooler than the Max line indicated above - I'm guessing about 235F. I really have no concerns. If it does, I might go to a 3-row brass core with the same stock tanks.

 

[BoremViper97]

I'm in central florida and the temps lately have been mid 90's. My 1997 viper sometimes creeps up near the 250 mark, but it's rare, and only at stop lights. Then it always reduces with some wind speed. Mine has an aftermarket radiator and hoses; I'm unsure if that matters much or not.
I do watch it like a hawk, but I'm not worried about it unless it actually gets to 250.

 

[Badinternet]

Sorry for the late reply and thanks for all the feedback. Problem was with the new water pump i had installed in May. They replaced it and now everything is back to normal.

Might put in a new radiator this fall when i have more work done but so far she is handling this record breaking Texas heat like a champ.

(Unrelated, but while at the shop, they brought her out into the parking lot while doing work on some other cars. And after a few hours sitting in the sun my driver’s side trunk strut actually delaminated (“delaminated” of submersible implosion fame) from the window due to the heat and busted out from under the window, scratching some of my paint in the process. So that was cool)

 

[GTS Dean]

Thanks for the update. Most unfortunate about the gas cylinder. Did it just pop loose from the ball stud on the glass and whack a panel?

 

[Badinternet]

Yes, when they brought it inside they noticed that rear window wasnt flush against the body and the strut was sticking out from underneath, between the glass and the body. Thats what caused the (very minor and hardly noticeable) scratch.

Had that fixed and all good now.

Dean, what kind of wheels are those? I am interested in a black rim with a deep-dish metallic edge like that.

 

[GTS Dean]

Those are 3 piece CCW race Classics. Lots of components available to optimize your width and offsets.