R33 Hot When Running Ac

[SargeRX8]

Hey guys

What should I start looking at? The car hit about 89c on the FC hand controller and did tick to 90c a couple times. This only happens when its hot and I run the AC. I am in Sydney and the temps outside are about 36 - 38c so its a f**king stonker today.

Is this of a concern? The water pump is near new. I have no knowledge of the condition of the thermostat, the coolant is very fresh still nice and green, no rusting signs etc.

Without the AC on and on a normal temp day, say 25c day, the car runs about 78 - 80c. Is it unnecessary to go with a larger radiator? The fact it runs fine when the AC is off and on cooler days tells me this might be a issue out of my hands and the only thing I can do is increase cooling capacity by going a larger radiator...

Anybody have any input?

The car has a front mount and the fan has somewhat been hacked to allow the cooler pipes to pass. I'll probably get the air compressor to blow out the fins of the intercooler and radiator incase there shit restricting flow. I'm not using the plastic catch tray underneath the car, does that have any effect on cooling?

[MatthewT85]

doesnt sound to be too much of an issue, my car runs between 80 and 85 normally round town, dont know about ac cause i dont use it. that day you have is hot so i dont think you have to upgrade cooling... but i guess others will have better input, my car only has FMIC and Turbo back so could be different.

gonna suck, but what does it run on the same day without the ac on?

Edited October 10, 2013 by MatthewT85

[SargeRX8]

Its about 85c otherwise, today. The needle doesn't move up from its usual location. If it wasn't for the PFC controller displaying the temp as a number, I wouldn't think twice about the temps. Like you suggest, it probably is very normal in the given situation but just want to see if there is anything that could be done to improve capacity.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

It's fine mate, also remember if you run good coolant it boils at 130 degrees Celsius not at 100 degrees celsius like water... Ideally you still want to keep your water temps under 100 degrees for the head's sake as it's alloy.

I however suggest installing a larger radiator if you plan to drive your car hard in the heat. I know I do, so I did

Also my reasoning, this car was designed for the Japanese market/climate... so it wouldn't really have any heating issues... being Australia, it's a little hotter in summer by about 10 degrees, so it's a good investment to upgrade the cooling system..

A larger radiator is a good start, followed by an oil cooler.

[blind_elk]

It boils @130 because it is under pressure (from the radiator cap), not because it has coolant in the water - basic science.

OP, is the thermo fan in front of the A/C radiator working?

[niZmO_Man]

Actually water is the coolant. The stuff you put in there (red or green) is antifreeze. They extend the freeze and boil points of water. But yes, the boiling point of water is increased when it's under pressure.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

Hi don't want to turn this into an argument but glycol, an ingredient used in coolant mixes actually alters the boiling point of your coolant, yes the cap does play a role but also the quality of your coolant matters more.