Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

I've got a problem with my friend's 180SX.

After it is warm it only takes 3-4 full throttle runs to redline to get his water temp up to the 90s, and it takes ages to come back down. He used to drift it at Winton with no issues until one day when it just overheated on the track and has been doing it ever since.

Since that day, to try and fix it we have:

- Rebuilt head. Cleaned up the whole thing, port and polished the ports and installed new head gasket.

- Removed thermostat.

- Installed Alloy Radiator

- Installed Twin Thermos

- Bypassed heater core

- Changed Water Pump

- Flushed the whole system

And it still does it! Can anyone think of anything we've missed? One of our friends suggested that the water pump could be sucking the radiator hose closed at high rpm, but I've never heard of that happening before?

Car is running a T518Z, is an SR and is making around 240rwkw if it makes any difference.

Thanks,

Peter

Edited by Equinox
Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/213318-overheating-180sx/
Share on other sites

not to sure about your engine, but on the Rb26 if you remove the thermostat entirely then the water will bypass the block and just go straight out the outlet pipe as its only 100 mm apart. As most things it will take the path of least resistance and the rb26 has a 25 mm hole in the back of the themostat house which is connected the outlet pipe on the head.

Here is a writeup I did for NICO Club (US), maybe something in it will help.

OMG my RB is overheating

Oh, and the water pump sucking the line closed, that was my problem I believe. When I replaced the lower hose, which was soft with an OEM unit from tweakit, the overheating problem I had at constant higher RPM (Freeway) went away.

Edited by cpt_impossible

I'm pretty sure that an oil cooler will go a long way to fixing your heating problems. The thrust turbo's heat the oil up quite a bit as they are oil cooled and they run hotter than the equivalent water cooled BB turbos.

Do you have a SR with the factory heat exchanger on top of the oil filter or not? (some did some didn't) Even if it does they don't work very well.

I was having the same heating problems with my CA18 as i was getting oil temps around the 105 mark and water temps around 95 in general driving. As soon as i fitted an oil cooler i didn't get engine temps above the factory 82 degree's and the oil temps haven't been above 90 degrees

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Time to decide what’s more import, your power level or your budget because you’re going to struggle to keep both 
    • Our Southern Highlands Cruise is proudly registered with “R U OK?” Day.  Sometimes the best way to check in on your mates is by getting out for a drive together. Sharing a common passion like cars creates the perfect space to chat, connect, and support each other.  A simple “R U OK?” can make all the difference. Let's enjoy the drive, the company, and look out for one another. PLEASE WEAR YELLOW FOR “R U OK?” DAY Sunday 14th September 2025 9:30AM Meeting Crossroads Homemaker Centre 10:00AM Cruise Departure Via Old Hume Hwy 11:45AM Arrival at Mittagong RSL Club Meet Location: Crossroads Homemaker Centre Final Destination: Mittagong RSL Club *Disclaimer* There will be a lead and follow car so no one should get lost. If you would like to attend or bring others along please put your name down and a +1 as numbers will be needed prior! This is NOT a race and we will all be adhering to all road rules. If this is what you want please come to one of our many track days. This is an official SAU:NSW event and will be run under a CAMS permit. One of the things that really sets our club apart is our commitment to being true enthusiasts. When on normal roads we strive to maintain good relations with the authorities as well as the public in general. When attending one of Skylines Australia NSW events please try to: • Be aware of surrounding environment and act accordingly. • Drive courteously on the state’s roads as a true enthusiast should. • Understand how important it is to maintain the good name of SAU NSW and thus, treat others accordingly. • Any misbehavior will not be tolerated and you will be asked to leave.
    • Yep, its been down for a while, as I understand it it will be back soon.
    • Yeah I also looked at Plazmaman, but, it ended up alot  cheaper getting black ones through EFI when you also added in the delivery cost
    • Nice shot! They look super clean. The roof rack delete on the black one is interesting. Would like to see more pictures from different angles. It's subtle but could make quite a difference to how the car looks in profile.
×
×
  • Create New...