Hi friends,

I have a 1990 Escort XR3I fitted with an RST engine, (Stage 3 T3 garret turbo)
I have a front GRS intercooler,
but i think that due to the big cooler the radiator is now to close to the turbo and he cant seem to cool the water... if i 'push' the car then the water starts bubling and I even blew up a few header tanks... I'm in Israel and its pretty hot down here. we dont have any ERST's so wounderd if some of you could load some pics of the turbo area so i can maybe get some ideas...

Thanks for any help

 

get your radiator recored makes a masssive difference, try and get the rad as close to the intercooler as possible. where are your fans??what are they??get a 82degree thermostat.chop the front bumper to aid air flow.

 

Radiator recored already, i have a two 13" inch fans that are located between the front cooler and the rad and i choped the front bumper, as much as i tried i still think my turbo is too close to the rad... lets say that the wasegate is toucing the rad.... i rapped it in a spacial fabric to isolate heat...

still too hot !!!

 

Timing could be too retarded?
Might even be the ECU, if the pressure/vacuum sensor in there is dead it will retard the timing when on boost by about 20degrees!
Engine will run really hot!

Or even your headgasket!?

 

Move your fans in front of the intercooler, and put the radiator as close as you can to the intercooler.. If the fans are any good they will blow through both of them

I have two 10 inch Kenlow fans on my GRS which blow through this and a large capacity alloy radiator without issue.

 

i have a similar setup, on my mk5 with no cut outs in the bumper the rad is about an inch from the turbo and i dont have any issues with it getting red hot. i fitted the fans on a switch also coz when i sat in traffic it got too hot so now if i know i am going to get stuck in traffic i put the fans on while the temps are down and it keeps them down .
also the front cross member was chopped a bit to make a bit more clearance

 

that's pretty much how mine looks on the Mk4 with no big mouth bumper modifications

 

I guess you've got an RST bonnet letting the hot air out? does make a difference.

 

thx for the help guys,

Turbocabbie - is it an RST engine ? or an RS2000 if its an RST then and you are talking about an mk5 with much more room then i have in mk4....

WRCjames - no air vents yet... will need to do.

Karlos G - i have a dizzy, how will the ECU retard mt timing ???

 

The ECU adjusts the timing based on the Vacuum/boost pressure, thats what the little hose going to the ECU is for and why the Dizzy has 3 wires coming out the top of it!!

 

Im talking MK4 XR3i with, T3.48 with maram shaft and anti-lag as such I put a hell of a lot of heat near my radiator when that's running.
I simply do not suffer from cooling issues I have not even got a big mouth cut out bumper.. its simply not needed

 

One of the first things I would try is to clean the rad and all the pipework out on the water system side. Secondly I would check the water pump operation. Thirdly check the heater matrix inside the car to see if it is blocked.

The main issue with high temps is a block in the system which means the water does not flow properly and just sits in the block.

You could do with checking the thermostat operation as well as these can lock and restrict or stop the water flowing.

With the higher ambient temperatures you are going to see a significant rise in the operating temperature of the engine anyway.

I would remove all pipes, check and clean all. replace thermostat (you can remove but can cause cold start issues) check water pump operation and wire up the fan to a switch.

If you still have problems you may want to check the head or the block for cracks and debris or you may have restrictions in the head gasket waterways.

If you are blowing header tanks it would suggest pressurisation of the system which would point to a head gasket issue. You can get this tested quite easily without removal of the head. I have forgotten what it is called but I think someone will have an idea and post on here.

I hope it helps.

 

sure it helps !! and thx... but the problem is that i can mark a V on everything you wrote, that's wht i figured its someting with the turbo being close to the rad.... i cant think of anythink els !!


Turbocabbie - that a sweet set up you have ! if youre ever in Israel you need to come and give me a hand so i can set it up as nice as you, great ride !