Overheating problem - help if you can?

[Metalman]

Did you raise the rear clam between sessions? I find it makes a huge difference to the car cooling down before I go back out again. Bedford is a great track, especially for the non experts like myself

[Jarcy]

Yes, raised rear clam, left the engine running on tickover for 3-4 mins to help turbos etc. Then 30-45 mins cool off, clam up.
I found that on track, if the temp suddenly hit 120, I could back off and crawl around for a lap and the temps settled down again nicely.

Edited by Jarcy on Monday 28th July 10:55

[Scooby P1]

Totally agree with Jarcy.

I have never had this problem before and remember going on a very hot track day a few years back when I was sweating there and back let alone on track and NO temperature fluctuations at all.

4 laps was my limit by the end and the temp would flash up to 120, I could limp back and find the header tank below the sight glass and then left for 45 mins each time with clam up and in a garage so not even in the sunshine!

My rad is standard, but had new water pipes last August as the old ones were perishing, and now new header tank. Definitely going to try a new cap.

Not going to change the rear mesh as I like not being able to see my black intercooler (Jarcy's is silver before anyone says that's why the car overheated!) but would an oil cooler be a sensible mod? I have no idea what my oil temps were.

Only other car that suffered our problem was a white subaru. Everyone else kept lapping all day.

How do the guys get on in sunny countries with Nobles?!?!

[Adrian W]

So no answer about the standard cap,

One thing to do on hot track days is to go round one gear higher than you think you need, this will lower engine temperatures and will probably reduce your lap times.

[TuxMan]

I think any std Noble will suffer from the same problems you guys had on Saturday !! the std cooling is very marginal I would suggest you upgrade too :

Pro alloy radiator
heat wrap exhaust complete inc down pipes
front or sidepod mounted oil cooler with M400 pods
removable number plates
high flow Jetstream rear mesh
high pressure cap for expansion tank
if you want too keep std rad Adrian's turbo rad will help
water Meth injection .


I have no problems in very high temps running lots of power !!

have you checked the Rad to make sure its not full of crap ? flies ect .

[Scooby P1]

TuxMan said:

I think any std Noble will suffer from the same problems you guys had on Saturday !! the std cooling is very marginal I would suggest you upgrade too :

Pro alloy radiator
heat wrap exhaust complete inc down pipes
front or sidepod mounted oil cooler with M400 pods
removable number plates
high flow Jetstream rear mesh
high pressure cap for expansion tank
if you want too keep std rad Adrian's turbo rad will help
water Meth injection .


I have no problems in very high temps running lots of power !!

have you checked the Rad to make sure its not full of crap ? flies ect .

The rad is quite pricey, but maybe this would be a good idea.
Perhaps Jetstream can wrap the exhaust for me?
Don't like the high flow mesh or the M400 side pods so will avoid these.
High pressure cap being ordered now!

It seems pro alloy themselves fit an extra pipe off the overflow of their header tanks like I had to: http://www.proalloy.co.uk/cgi-bin/sitewise.pl?act=...

Does the coolant make any difference? Not sure what coolant i had in mine.

The good news is everyone is saying it's related to cooling and not a head gasket at the moment.....

[TuxMan]

Rad and exhaust wrap will improve things a lot !!! I have found the fluid level in the bottle is generally below the site glass and does seem happy at this level !! if I ever need a new one I would ask them to fit it lower on the Bottle .

[Metalman]

Adrian W said:

So no answer about the standard cap,

One thing to do on hot track days is to go round one gear higher than you think you need, this will lower engine temperatures and will probably reduce your lap times.

Exactly, when I had my standard gto3 on a hot day at Bedford the oil temp was getting very high but changing up the gears early massively reduced temps and I was still lapping fast.

Fitting a front mounted oil cooler is a very worthwhile upgrade, mines on a thermostatic sandwich plate so only opens once the engines up to temp. On cold days it stays shut.

[Hollowpockets]

Metalman said:

Exactly, when I had my standard gto3 on a hot day at Bedford the oil temp was getting very high but changing up the gears early massively reduced temps and I was still lapping fast.

Fitting a front mounted oil cooler is a very worthwhile upgrade, mines on a thermostatic sandwich plate so only opens once the engines up to temp. On cold days it stays shut.

The plate doesn't stay shut, even when cold some of the flow will always go through the cooler but opens up properly to redirect flow as the temp rises, otherwise you'd start to pin it on a hot engine then the plate would open and you'd have cold oil pour into your engine.

[Metalman]

Hollowpockets said:

The plate doesn't stay shut, even when cold some of the flow will always go through the cooler but opens up properly to redirect flow as the temp rises, otherwise you'd start to pin it on a hot engine then the plate would open and you'd have cold oil pour into your engine.

Makes sense, but I've always thought they stay closed then gradually open at a certain temp that way your engine will get to operating temp quicker.

[Jarcy]

Metalman said:

Adrian W said:

So no answer about the standard cap,

One thing to do on hot track days is to go round one gear higher than you think you need, this will lower engine temperatures and will probably reduce your lap times.

Exactly, when I had my standard gto3 on a hot day at Bedford the oil temp was getting very high but changing up the gears early massively reduced temps and I was still lapping fast.

Fitting a front mounted oil cooler is a very worthwhile upgrade, mines on a thermostatic sandwich plate so only opens once the engines up to temp. On cold days it stays shut.

I was short-shifting, perhaps at 5k or 5.5k revs, which did help but not what I want to have to do.

[simonx50]

Does it make much difference as to which psi the cap should be?

[TuxMan]

Did you guys remove your front number plate ??

[key750]

Metalman said:

... mines on a thermostatic sandwich plate so only opens once the engines up to temp. On cold days it stays shut.

Please whait!
Car parts man have say me "don't existing Mocal thermostatic sandwich plate with M22 central thread"!!!

Yours is Mocal??

[Metalman]

key750 said:

Please whait!
Car parts man have say me "don't existing Mocal thermostatic sandwich plate with M22 central thread"!!!

Yours is Mocal??

Yes it's from think automotive or from Jetstream. I had about three before I got it right as I think the noble one is different.

[Plumber1]

I think temperatures at bedford on Saturday were extremely high, the vx never overheats and runs at 90 degrees all the time yet on Saturday it was well into the 100s and the fan was cutting in all the time, think the weather was the biggest problem

[Jarcy]

TuxMan said:

Did you guys remove your front number plate ??

Yes, both front and rear plates were removed.

[Scooby P1]

Went to check on my car last night and the header tank was very low, below the sight glass.

Filled it to half way up the sight glass, started the car and it instantly seemed to fill the sight glass.

Didn't bother letting the car warm up but mine is definitely behaving strangely.

How does one make sure there are no airlocks in the system? Taking the pipe off the rad or letting the car tickover with the cap off the header tank I have tried but not sure if either is 100% effective.

Should the pipes going into / out of the radiator feel solid or reasonable squishy?

[Green3R]

I think I raised the front of the car and pulled off the small return hose from the rad.
Run the car so it's warm and with luck the air will end up at the highest point.
Memory dull, but probably left the cap off so the system didn't pressurise.
Occasional throttle blip might help to dislodge any trapped air.

Seemed to bleed out the air (not had a problem with it in 4k miles).

[GTO600]

Scooby P1 said:

Went to check on my car last night and the header tank was very low, below the sight glass.

Filled it to half way up the sight glass, started the car and it instantly seemed to fill the sight glass.

Didn't bother letting the car warm up but mine is definitely behaving strangely.

How does one make sure there are no airlocks in the system? Taking the pipe off the rad or letting the car tickover with the cap off the header tank I have tried but not sure if either is 100% effective.

Should the pipes going into / out of the radiator feel solid or reasonable squishy?

I think your looking for a problem that dosen't exist, if you think about the shape of the Proalloy header tank it's tall & slim therefore any slight change in water lever shows which will always happen according to hot / cold / running or not the level will alter, were as with the standard Ford header tank it's shape is shallow & wide so level changing slightly isn't noticable. Personally as long as it shows in the glass when on idle l wouldn't worry about it.

As for the overheating on track last Saturday l repeat on an unmodified standard car with no air cooled oil cooler & all the standard mesh in place it will overheat on very hot days, however it shouldn't overheat on the road.

Edited by GTO600 on Wednesday 30th July 22:18