Been through a lot of related posts here and still have issues. 2008 alpha with 91k miles, in Dallas Texas. Some stats after warming up and sitting at idle for 15 min with ac on full:


So I ran this test and stopped at 249 degrees as it was still climbing slowly at idle. Normal driving does same thing when stop and go, highway drops a little temp but not much. AC is a little cool but not cold. Of course warmer days accelerate the problem.
My setup:

• 3 row aftermarket radiator - 3 months old
• external trans cooler - 2 months old
• 180 new thermostat - 1 week old
• efan replacing mechanical stock: Derale 12 Inch 4,000 CFM High-Output Dual RAD Fan and Shroud Kit - 2 months old
• dual 10inch pusher fans in front of ac condenser - 1 week old

Testing: used a laser handheld thermometer gun to confirm temp on upper radiator hose and lower hose is 10 degrees cooler.
I am burning some oil somewhere at about a quart a month. No moisture/oil in tailpipe, just solid soot on the inside.

Feel like the only thing I have not done is external engine oil cooler but I don't think I should have to. Could the 3 row radiator be too thick for good airflow? I did take the ac condenser out and hosed down without much of anything coming out so I am sure it is not clogged. I flushed the coolant when installing the new radiator.

Any thoughts? Hot days on the way here in Texas!

 

IAT 147°F Post a clear full picture of engine compartment under hood.

 

 

 

I am assuming this is bad…(ducking while waiting for response)

 

What type of oil are you running? Are you running conventional, or a high quality Full Synthetic? If you’re running conventional, I would suggest trying a Full Synthetic at the next oil change.

It won’t “fix” your problem, but it might give your engine enough of a temperature drop that the engine stays in the 220-230F range, instead of the 240-250F range.

It’s also possible you could have some carbon buildup on your heads/cylinders which is causing your engine to run hotter than it would if it were clean. You could try a can of Techron or Gumout (any cleaner with Polyetheramine/PEA) in your next fuel fill up and see if that helps over time.

Does your radiator cap leak? Hoses pressurize when hot?

 

Is it still the original water pump?

Also, your air box cover is not properly engaged at the fender side, so you are likely sucking hot engine compartment air in that is bypassing the filter.

 

Is the upper radiator hose crimped between the fan shroud and the air intake tube? It looks like it is from the pic. It also looks like the intake tube is not squarely on the air box outlet - just to be sure it is sealing properly.

 

At what temp are the shroud fans triggered and by what? Do you still have the lower radiator seal ( big rubber mat) in place hanging off the rear bottom of the radiator? The plastic deflectors to the side and bottom in front of the condenser?

I can see your upper seal for H3 Alphas is missing? It is like a foam weather strip and supposed to be between the top front of the radiator and upper radiator support all across the top.

Without all the seals and baffles, you would allow air to get around the radiator instead of forced through it.

What are you running for coolant?

What is your trans temp? I assume you are still running the AT fluid through the radiator loop. If so, your trans may be too hot and adding to your problem.

Now let’s talk your shroud. 4000 CFM is about the minimum, 4500 is where my SuperModulation Sfan is at, curved plastic and seals tightly to the back of the radiator. Yours might need some high heat foam strips to seal it better so it can pull more air through. The problem with flat metal shrouds (I had a very early PCM ForLess Efan) is they hinder driving air (air pushed in the front while driving 30mph +) getting out the back of the shroud on all that space where the fans are not. PCM revised their design to include rubber flappers to vent as Derale did, but still less than ideal.

 

Thanks for the feedback, I am running liquid moly synthetic. radiator cap is good, not losing any coolant.