I recently bought a rebuilt 92' Bronco and after putting all the new shocks, brakes, plugs, wires, filters, fluids, etc, the son of a bitch blew a gasket on me. This will cost me around 1000 bucks to fix, so I am thinking it may be in my best interest to rebuild a bad ass coolant system. Anyone have any advice?
so far I am thinking: New Larger radiator (where can i get a custom, and what size is best, specs?) Electric Fan (new or a used taurus fan) Thermastat that keeps coolant around 70-75 degrees. K & N Cold air intake filter.
I have never done this before and can be completely off base, so if I am heading for failure, feel free to let me know. I am mainly going to be running this thing in the desert off road, in 90-100 degree + weather. I figure I wiill need as much insurance as possible, as if I get stuck out there, I am basically screwed. I Rather it not be a coolant issue. Thanks guys!
No. 1, if you are worried about cooling, don't use your A/C.
No.2 You can't run your engine that colds, it just won't run good and I doubt you could get it that cold any way. The engine runs most efficient at around 190 to 200 degrees.
No. 3, go for a Lincoln Mark VIII fan from a 4.6 liter engine. The smaller fans don't pull nearly as well as this one, 4200 CFM. It will also require that you have at least a 130 Amp 3G alternator because it has 100 Amp start current and a 33 Amp running current. Check out Ford Muscle Magazine for some great articles on both. I have been running with this fan for over two years and have never had my engine get above 200 degrees. I run on roads with surface temperatures of 130+ degrees on hot summer days which is just as punishing as desert heat.
No. 4, Run an over sized radiator, I have a 3 core heavy duty radiator which is intended for an truck with A/C, I don't have A/C.
No.5, Run a transmission cooler and perhaps even a oil cooler. I have a transmission cooler and that in itself brought my temperature under control even before I added the Mark VIII fan.
No.6, Flush your engine to make sure the crap is out of the water jacket.
No. 7, Use a low percentage mix of glycol and water. Enough glycol to keep the water jacket from rusting, probably around 10 to 20 %. The more glycol the less efficient your cooling system, glycol doesn't transfer heat as well as water.
No.8, One major problem with a stock setup is that the water pump is running at the least amount of volume when the engine needs it the most, (going at a slow speed) which you probably will do in desert driving. That can be helped with an over drive pulley, or better yet an electric water pump with the flow rate controlled by engine temperature. Again there is a nice article in Ford Muscle Magazine on one they tested. Most electric water pumps are not intended for extended use and are mostly for racing, the one they reviewed is for full time and even designed as a replacement for a mechanical one, though I probably wouldn't totally abandon the mechanical one.
That is all I can come up with off the top of my head at the moment, hope that helps.
Good luck,
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Ford Muscle Magazine
http://www.fordmuscle.com . Many of the articles require a subscription to read the entire article, I'm not selling subscriptions but you might want to consider it an investment in your driving experience, like buying good books on engines, body work, shop manuals, etc..
