Overheating VR6

[LDZ2555 0]

Hi im quite new to the corrado world but i brought my 1.8 16V and wanted a bit more power and after hearing my friends VR6 :-P decided that was the way forward. I have since fitted a VR6 and am enjoying my first few weeks of running it but the water temp around town often gos up to between 100 and nearly 110 oc. Is this normal? i have fitted samco hoses a new rad and auxilary water pump. Is there any way of telling if the aux water pump is working as mine dosnt make any noise? I have bypassed the heater matrix as mine is leaking a bit. Could this be the problem?

 

Thanks

[corradovr6sc 0]

a new aux pump should make a fairly quiet whine. Try listening for it with the ignition on but engine off.

I think 110 is a bit high. Around town mine reaches 100 but never goes as far as 110. Bypassing the matrix shouldn't make any difference but have you made sure there are no airlocks?

[LDZ2555 0]

Thanks for reply :cheers: Yeah ive bled it twice from 1 of the heater pipes as i got told they are the highest point of the system. I thought it was a bit high do you know if it could cause the head gasket to go? Mine dosnt make any whine?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Wow, starts life as a 16V and then ends up as a VR....fair play! Did you use all the "Plus" running gear from the VR too? I.e. driveshafts, wishbones, ARB, hubs etc? Oh and welcome aboard :lol:

 

100 degrees is normal sitting in traffic, but 110 is a tad high. Do both fan speeds work OK? Assuming you fitted the VR6 rad and fan wiring loom/relay box?

 

The auxillary water pump should whir when the ignition is on.....if it doesn't, it's not working and you need to check the wiring/fuses.

 

A Mocal oil cooler is a worthwhile investment too as the VR is one hot running engine.

 

There are plenty of threads about hot running VRs, so take a moment and use the search function and see if any of the info helps.

 

K

[LDZ2555 0]

Thanks kevhaywire, Yeah i used all the driveshafts running gear. hubs brakes. The fan i am using is a electric fan off a 1999 punto as my rad and engine seem a little nearer than on a normal VR6 only by a fraction but enough so that the Twin fan wouldnt go in so ive had to run the punto fan it was the slimest in width i could find. It seems very powerful though. And runs at bout 95 100oc on a run is bthis too high. I was thinking about getting a mocal oil cooler for it as i want to do track days in it but cant at the min due to the high water levels. thanks again

[Kevin Bacon 5]

You might need the VR6 slam panel (different to 16v and G60) aswell to help with the rad fan to engine spacing. The VR6 twin-fan setup pulls in a lot of air and I suspect your Fiat fan may not be man enough. VR6s run at about 80 degrees (water) on a cruise and about 98-102 oil temp, so if you're significantly higher than that, you need to consider getting the VR rad and fans under there.

[HiAsAKite 0]

Over the last few weeks when the ambient air temp has been around 30 degrees or so my VR oil temp has often been arond the 104-114 mark, water temp on the other hand has been runing around the 80 degree mark.. your water temp should not be in the 100's whilst driving normally!

[LDZ2555 0]

Thanks for your help i will look into getting a new slam panel and the twin fan system then. My oil temp has been as high as 108 but that seems fairly normal. My cams make a bit of a rattle at bout 3000rpm so i am going to replace them with a high lift cam. What do you recommend as Piper Kent and Schrick all get great comments.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Wait until you see how much a slam panel is from VW - take a mattress with you to fall on because it's about £400+VAT!

 

Are you using the VR radiator? If you are then forget the slam panel. If not the 16v slam panel might be moddable to accept the VR rad.

 

108 oil temp isn't too bad, it can get a *lot* higher than that when thrashing it......so much so the rear bank's exhaust valves glow red hot :shock:

 

Cams.....Schrick are very good. The 268 profile is very good with a VGI inlet manifold but will cost you a bit of torque when used with a standard inlet manifold. But there are other profiles available, such as 248, 256, 260, 264 etc. Plenty to choose from. They're not cheap though, £550+VAT a pair. The 268s are good for 15 hp though.

 

Kev

[LDZ2555 0]

Yeah im using the VR6 rad. looks like im not getting a slam panel then. What does your oil temp get to with the oil cooler? What size is your oil cooler . I want a vgi inlet manifold. Wheres the best place to get one from as i know they are very expensive and are they as good as i have heard? I have heard that water wetter stuff cools the car by up to 15oc proberly dosnt but cant hurt to try it. Thanks for your replys

[dr_mat 0]

Kev, I think the slam panel was nearer 700 + VAT, actually!!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

My oil averages 96-98 during the daily grind to and from work and on a hard thrashing blasting along at 130 in 4th it goes no higher than 108 in summer. The absolute highest temp I saw in the winter was 102!

 

Yeah try some water wetter first.

 

My cooler is a 13 row by 425mm and sits in front of the rad. I was getting 114 degrees cruising at 80 before, but now the temps are much better.

[corradovr6sc 0]

I've tried water wetter and it does seem to work. There's a vgi on ebay at the moment. The link is in the ebay and misc. section.