Hi, Can someone provide the stock radiator specs for the TT auto (and manual out of curiosity). Specifically how many cores, diameters etc so I have a base of comparison for after market models. Being an auto I dont seem to have many options for after market radiators. Im not much of a radiator expert or enthusiast but I can swap them out etc without issues. My zed had some cooling issues towards the end of last summer which were solved by replacing the worn out rad cap with a stock TT 1 from nissan. This summer I have been getting overheating issues when city driving and especially stuck in peak hour traffic. On the open road its never an issue. Today it nearly boiled the radiator dry, I spent 30 min at a south st mall bucketing water into the radiator which it would furiously spit back out. My thermo fan at the front seems to work when it feels like it and often will not come on when the car is overheating. Nothing comes up in the ecu diagnostic test. Im also unsure if it is a stock thermo fan or an aftermarket 1, its a single fan mounted in the center infront of the radiator. The factory clutch fan appears to work well. My guess is the thermo fan is failing / has electrical issues causing my poor zed to cook in peak hour traffic. Im also tempted to upgrade the radiator just as extra protection for the engine . Thanks.
even if its an auto.. you can go any radiator you want.. just remember to put in a aftermarket (external) tranny cooler.
Thanks, I just finished reading a post and saw the same info. Are the aftermarket transmission coolers (tranny cooler conjures up the wrong images) up to the job ?
Perhaps your fan clutch is on it's way out? If your having troubles while you're sitting in traffic then I'd be looking at the fan clutch. A radiator out of a J30 Maxima should fit, just gotta drill some new mounting holes in the fan shroud. Something to think about?
If its OK at cruising speeds & not in traffic it sounds like an airflow problem, not a radiator capacity issue. Flush the cooling system thoroughly, then pressure test it at 23psi. If that's OK, check & clean the condenser & radiator fins with compressed air. Check the operation of the clutch fan by trying to stop it at idle, prefeably NOT with your fingers, get a stick or piece of plastic. Check the normal operating temperature using Consult etc this will tell you if the themostat is OK or not. Check the operation of the electric fan using Consult etc as it cuts in & off for different models (Specifications are in the workshop manual). Are the fan shrouds in place? Is the water pump & drive belt OK? Is the coolant reservoir clean & in good condition?
Radiator upgrade will just be covering up other cooling system issues, it sounds like you need to go through the tech article on the cooling system and make sure all the components in the cooling system are up to scratch. the electric thermo fan will only kick in at (I think) 104degrees depending on what speed you are doing and AC on/off etc. the J30 rad is bolt in for the NA, tt radiator is narrower.
2nded. Sandeep is 100% right. Fix the entire cooling system including the clutch fan which are starting to fail on many ~20 year old zeds.
certainly right here. fix teh whole system and put away 260 dollars for a OEM TT fan clutch, muct be genuine and brand new, it will last 20 years so the cost isnt too bad
Flushing today (myself with hose 1st then full drain) will buy a pressure tester when I am able. Ive cleaned the leaves out but no access to air comp, but it looks nice and clean. Unable to stop it with a fairly firm rolled up newspaper, plastic fins on the fan just flexed when I tried (attempted 3x from different angles). So is being unable to stop it good ? Unfortunately I havent bought 1 yet, I had been making do with the simpler ECU test, does anyone near thornlie have 1 I can borrow for an afternoon ?. Yep All seems in check, no belt issues and pump isnt leaking or making any noise/ vibrations it shouldnt. Seems clean. It also seems this is where the water is getting blown out to from what Ive managed to catch so far. Thanks for the checklist
with the fan, Not stopping it is good, you dont want it the spin freely on the hub. i would be taking the radiator out, and getting it rodded, powerflushed and pressure tested. this has worked all the time for the cars i have seen. What colour was the coolant when you dropped it? I would also be checking the theromostat, its possable it is no longer opening all the way.
I had to test the fan by myself, no 2nd set of hands available but when the missus is home tonight I will get her to start will I attempt to stop to be sure. I dont get to see the coolant as it seems to blow it all out the overflow when Im driving. I think I might find a natrad store and get a service done. On my latest test drive (after flushing coolant and swaping oil) It went fine for ~10 min then I turned the aircon on and gave it a bit of curry and within 3 minutes it was nearly touching the H. Poor engine
Best advice, never let it go close to the H again, if you see it start to go above flat, stop there. when it goes close to the H damage is started.
sounds like water pump and thermostat related or even airflow try see if anyone has a compressor you can borrow to try clean out your radiator/condenser.
I hear ya, Im not thrilled that it got there and Its basically off the road until it proves itself to be reliable again. Got out the old ford for daily driving now. Well I can swap the thermostat I guess, they are cheap and it should only take me a few hours. It does seem that the aircon definitely contributes to the overheating issues Im experiencing. Though apart from the slight increase in load I have no idea why.
That ugly thought has been sitting in the back of my head. No water in the oil, or water vapour coming out the exhaust but it is possible there is a leak from the cylinder back into a water gallery which would pressurize the shit out of the cooling system. Might have to buy a compression testing kit.
aircon produces heat of about 70deg. heat so it blows through the condenser then through the radiator.. which means your getting anywhere from 40-60deg heat through the radiator, if its a 30 deg day. also you need the air compressor as you can not see dust stuck in the fins...
Thanks Azzn, I will swap the thermostat tomorrow (had enough of the zed today) and do the next test run without the aircon. No idea where I can borrow a compressor from though. If/When I end up taking this to a shop I will have it done, atm Im trying to work through what I can do myself to save some cash.
Are you purging the system of air when you drain/flush/fill? Are you using soft water when flushing? Are you selecting the heater control switch to on and selecting the highest heat setting when topping up with coolant? Are you filling the reservoir at the same time to "FULL" mark? Even though it appears the fan clutch may be serviceable, I would opt for a replacement on spec. The symptoms described appear to point to it. Check relay for condensor fan. Check coolant temp sensor (ECU) as well It's the yellow connector one.
