How to make it run cooler ?

[Alexey]

Just like the topic says... How can I make my car run cooler ? Maybe some certain coolant or any other ideas ?

[Nick VR4]

Firstly Why do you need it to run cooler ?
If the Temp gauge is high then you have a problem with the thermostat

All thermostat's are pre set to open at a set Temp for that car

[Elwenil]

As was said above, your thermostat controls the engine temp, and if it's running too hot, you may have a problem with it, or the radiator, or water pump, etc. If you are just looking to keep the heat down to make Louisiana summers easier on your engine, then you have a few options. Most aftermarket thermostat companies offer a few different temperature rated thermostats for each car. Normally at least one for summer, and one for winter. Although most of us use the same one year round. There are also additives that you can put in your coolant to help. "Water wetter" actually works, and can lower your temp by about 30 degrees. Truckers have been using it for years. Summit Racing sells Radiator Relief from DEI for $22.95 a bottle. You could also maybe get an aftermarket radiator. I know they make oversize aluminum radiators for the Eclipse, and they might fit a G. Someone else would probably know this. Lowering your engine temp is also good for performance. No, you aren't going to gain anything HP wise, but it helps with other mods. A cooler engine will run with less fuel, so it can deal with a lean condition better. You can go too far though. Some of the early Dodge Rams with the Magnum series egines found that after putting on dual exhaust the engine ran lean and would cause detonation on a pull. Putting in a lower temp thermostat solved the problem, but some found that they went too low with the thermostat temp, and it wreaked havok with the computer. It was constantly trying to warm up to operating temperature, and the thermostat wouldn't let it. Gas mileage went to hell, and it had poor drivability. Personally, I'd try the additives, they aren't that expensive, and should cause no problems in the long run.

[Mante]

Damn its pretty much covered. But since the originator of the thread hasnt answered the question "why do you want to lower the temp" Im on the assumption his car has had overheating problems. I had the same problems ironically mile 41,030 when my warranty ended at 40k go figure. The dealership said the water pump was leaking..."right..sure go ahead and change it" problem persisted and price refunded. They wanted to put in a new radiator..did not solve the problem money refunded again. On a silly thought I remembered that mitsu's radiator caps control the pressure that pulls water/antifreeze from the reseviour (ms). Once that was change the temp returned to normal conditions 14 bucks go figure!

[Elwenil]

I've always wondered about the water pump deal. Damn near everytime someone has an overheating problem, a mechanic will tell them it's the water pump. In all of my days of working on cars, I have never seen a car that over heated simply because the water pump quit working. For the most part, a water pump is very simple. It consists of a housing and/or mounting flange, a central "axel", a drive flange, a impeller, and a sealed bearing. Most also have some sort of weep hole or pressure relief valve. Now with that in mind, WTF is there to "stop pumping"?? Yeah, the seal can leak, and the bearing can seize up and squeal, but there's not much else to go wrong. I suppose the impeller could break off, but then you would have a hell of a lot more trouble then overheating. That's why I tell everyone to check the water pump last if it's not leaking or making noise. Normally it's low coolant, radiator cap not holding pressure, clogged radiator, or a blown head gasket. The water pump has never been the cause of overheating in any case I've seen yet. But that's the first thing everyone wants to replace. I just don't get it... :roll:

[Mante]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Elwenil)</div><div class='quotemain'>I've always wondered about the water pump deal. Â*Damn near everytime someone has an overheating problem, a mechanic will tell them it's the water pump. Â*In all of my days of working on cars, I have never seen a car that over heated simply because the water pump quit working. Â*For the most part, a water pump is very simple. Â*It consists of a housing and/or mounting flange, a central "axel", a drive flange, a impeller, and a sealed bearing. Â*Most also have some sort of weep hole or pressure relief valve. Â*Now with that in mind, WTF is there to "stop pumping"?? Â*Yeah, the seal can leak, and the bearing can seize up and squeal, but there's not much else to go wrong. Â*I suppose the impeller could break off, but then you would have a hell of a lot more trouble then overheating. Â*That's why I tell everyone to check the water pump last if it's not leaking or making noise. Â*Normally it's low coolant, radiator cap not holding pressure, clogged radiator, or a blown head gasket. Â*The water pump has never been the cause of overheating in any case I've seen yet. Â*But that's the first thing everyone wants to replace. Â*I just don't get it... Â* Â*:roll:</div>

The sad fact is your really right. lol My 99 had a recall for the water pump, that was the first time my 4g64 was lowered out of the galant certainly not the last!

All in all water pumps probrably the most reliable component in a galant minus the seats of course.

I haven't read the rest of the posts, so this was probably already mentioned...but Water Wetter is good stuff...it has a higher specific heat AND boiling point than water, basically meaning it absorbs much more heat before changing temperature. Water has a high specific heat, but boils over quickly. Coolant has a low specific heat, but boils over very slowly. That is why you mix water and coolant, and don't just use straight coolant or water.

Make sure your coolant levels are OK. That is a commonly overlooked problem...add coolant to the reservoir bottle if necessary. If they sell them, buy a 1.3kg radiator cap. It will keep your coolant in the radiator when it tries to boil over into the catch tank, keeping the car cooler. Clean off your radiator. It probably won't do much, but it may. Clean off bugs, rocks, and straighten bent fins with a screwdriver or radiator comb. What have you done to your car recently that has caused it to overheat? If it's stock, I don't see why it should be a problem, unless you've blown a heater hose or something...those can be nasty little buggers that are hard to spot. Keep an eye out for coolant on your driveway, in your engine bay, etc. etc.

[Alexey]

First of all, thanks for all your replies guys. I'm interested in making my engine run cooler basically because of the weather down here in Louisiana. Another thing that made me wonder about it is this. I used to have the same model and same year Galant about 2 years ago. However, I've noticed that the one I have right now runs slightly at a higher temperature than my first one. Go figure. But anyway, I guess I'll try the metnioned "watter wetter" and let you know how that works out. Once again, thanks for your input :thumbsup:

[pinoyesv6]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alexey)</div><div class='quotemain'>I used to have the same model and same year Galant about 2 years ago. However, I've noticed that the one I have right now runs slightly at a higher temperature than my first one. :</div>

just curious what are u using to determine if your car is running warm or not? the factory temeprature guage doesn't tell you much. it just says if your car is running cold, warm or is overheating. nothing inbetween

[Alexey]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pinoyesv6)</div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Alexey)</div><div class='quotemain'>I used to have the same model and same year Galant about 2 years ago. However, I've noticed that the one I have right now runs slightly at a higher temperature than my first one. :</div>

just curious what are u using to determine if your car is running warm or not? the factory temeprature guage doesn't tell you much. it just says if your car is running cold, warm or is overheating. nothing inbetween</div>

I guess you're right.. Slight differences on the temp gaguge shouldn't be that big of a difference, as long as it's nothing drastic. I did however notice that when I run it hard, it warms up. Well, once again, according to the gauge. 8)