What temp should a VN V8 be running at?

[Bartso]

hey guys i have a auto meter gauge in the patrol on my VN V8 just wondering what temp ild be running at ie 180-190 and what temp should i be getting worried about it if its to hot someone told me 200 is this right as it gets to 200 sitting in traffic

[justinC]

Thats too hot, have you...got enough fuel enrichment at idle? Got a decent viscous or electric fan? Fan shroud? tried a cooler thermostat?

these efi engines do run hot, but 200F is a bit high.

[Bartso]

no shroud as i am trying not to use one last one got caught on the fan when offroad to much flex so trying without one driving along is fine sits on about 180-190 i have a cooler thermostate tomorrow i am getting a fixed fan as they pull more air apparently

[justinC]

kinda hard when the flex issue raises its ugly head. don't under estimate the power of a good snug rad shroud...

Fixed fans are great, but try an electric thermofan set, Davies craig DC12 I think are 2 for V8 and high perf. use. Shroud included and is fixed to rad so flex not a problem.

AlSO... apparently a EF falcon 4.0litre six has a pair of fans in a shroud and is removed as a unit, bolts to rad etc, check out the wreckers. If they can keep a stinking FORD cool, they should blitz a Holden mtr.JC.

[Bartso]

yea thermo's off the ford are good but my radiator is smaller it is off a 60series 4 core diesel so i should be looking at what temp when running? and what temp to get worried?

[justinC]

in degrees C, I'd be worried around 95 to 100, F is I think 195 to 210.
Running down the highway you should be close enough to the thermostats rated temp,( except in 45 C day though), and iding in traffic the thing should be no more than 10 C hotter. If not, you wan't to look closely at the heat transfer capabilities of the whole system. Are you running an auto trans cooler through the rad? If so and it is a GM TH700, then I would stick a big external cooler on as these boxes run very hot and can exchange a lot of heat into the rad. JC.

[Rangie Wrecker]

Just be careful running those falcon type thermo fans. I put a set on my Rangie and they were awesome around town and off road. On the highway they caused a serious problem.

Modern cars are designed to draft air up through a splitter and the whole front of the car is designed by a computer to work properly. The front of my '82 rangie was designed by a Pom in the late 60's and relies simply on RAM AIR through the radiator to cool at speed.

When you put two large blade fans closely wrapped in their own shroud you can create an airflow problem. In my case it resulted in positive air pressure being created in front of the radiator which deflected the RAM AIR causing it to over heat to the point it stuffed the engine.

Those fans are now on STRANGE ROVER's buggy and work great in that application as it doesn't travel at highway speeds or rely on ram air effect.

Just thought I'd mention in the hope it saves someone else the same dramas.

Andy

[MYV84B]

mine sits on 180 idling

havent driven it in the bush tho