Spec_Ops2087

Quick question.

As I understand, hot water goes into the top radiator hose, through the radiator, and out the lower radiator hose and back into the engine (through the thermostat).


My question is, does the thermostat allow for some coolant flow past it even though it is closed? If not, how does coolant get circulated throughout the engine before the thermostat opens? The helms manual doesn't have a schematic on coolant flow


I ask this because I'm going to be running a heat exchanger and I'm trying to find an optimal way to run the coolant lines for it. As of now, I can either use the lines where the stock exchanger was, or tap a small line from the lower radiator line to the exchanger and dump it back into the top radiator hose or some combination of both. Any suggestions?

SpitfireS

The way I understand it:
The waterpump is always (when its running ) circulating the water through the engine, even when the thermostat is closed - and as far as I know its completely closed when closed.

What sort of heat exchanging are you looking for?
Water - air?
Oil - water?

IMO the original heat exchanger coolant lines are best as they always have coolant circulated through them.

Hmm.. I'm kinda puzzled about the flow.
The pump inlet is either from the block or from the lower radiator hose and it is closed by the thermostat
The top radiator hose is connected to the block and is unrestricted as far as I know.
The pump outlet is into the block - and therefore also towards the top radiator hose.
But... when you open the radiator cap on a cold engine and start, you don't get a lot of coolant, so the pump is probably not that strong.
At an open end - the missing radiator cap - one would expect coolant gushing out but its doesn't.

Oh well...

chris_barry

there is a bypass passage under the thermostat that loops coolant around the inside of the engine (and the heater circuit). Once it gets hot enough to open the thermostat the movement of the thermostat also closes the bypass hole so all the flow is through the radiator.

us the stock oil cooler lines to supply your heat exchanger.

Spec_Ops2087

I'll be running a very large water to oil heat exchanger to control my oil temps for hard driving / track events. That's why I wanted to use the lower / upper radiatior lines since they would be the coldest fluid in the car. Downside would be it would take even longer for the oil to heat up since the lower rad hose doesn't get much hotter then about 130F (as measured by a heat gun).

Spec_Ops2087

That makes sense, thanks

SpitfireS

Spec_Ops2087 Posted on May 2 2010, 02:43 PM
Why not use a oil to air heat exchanger aka oil cooler?
Sure, you'll need an air inlet but the efficiency will be much higher as the air is much and much colder than the coolant - at operating temp.
With a coolant to oil exchanger you will - at the very best - get your oil at coolant temp.

Spec_Ops2087

I have the inlinePRO 950hp intercooler in the mouth of the car already, anything else shoved in there will start to give me water temp problems. This heat exchanger is supposed to be one of the best in the world and is comparrable to a medium sized air oil cooler. We shall see...

But yes, I've been thinking about areas to put air to oil coolers but sofar all require some massive modifications to the bumper.


Thanks for the picture, now I see how the cooling system flows