header wrap/ shilds help against hot running engine ?

frank_ster said:
driving it cools off.. idle it heats up.

yes i have tried gutted t stats also.

and the electric fans have shrouds
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sounds like your radiator is big enough to work if it runs cool under load. If it only runs hot at idle, your issue is lack of airflow at idle.
 
do you have a idea of better fans that are very slim ? i have looked through all of summit racings stock
 
have you sealed the sides of your existing radiator with foam or baffling? Before going balls out buying parts, make sure all the efficiency bases are covered.
 
IMG_3239.JPG
so i wrapped all the pipes.
 
wrapping the headers does make a huge difference in radiant heat but on a engine that leaks like a buick, oil soaked wrap becomes a fire hazard
 
mine doesn't leak oil :) thanks to the 3/4" breather it doesn't build crank case pressure.

but yea i had the wrap will probably switch to ceramic coating after.
 
frank_ster said:
mine doesn't leak oil :) thanks to the 3/4" breather it doesn't build crank case pressure.

but yea i had the wrap will probably switch to ceramic coating after.
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who doesn't have a breather on their TR? lol . give it a few miles, the leaks are coming!
 
Phoneguy said:
I meant installed on your car. A picture on a website doesn't help us trying to help you

Bryan
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ok will take some .. but on the drive into work this morning .. wow the fans never started !

40 min of idling and only 185 degf.

i will wait till hotter days but i think the situation is dramatically improved.
 
Paul Lohr said:
charlief1 has a good idea there - take the hood off and drive it as a test.

Cooling surface area at the radiator seems to have the largest impact on removing heat. Everything else seems to help 5% or less.

If the cooling air can only enter through a 1 square foot area and the radiator is 2 square feet...try to duct the cooling air best you can to the radiator.
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Removing the hood sounds like a good idea but will make the car overheat if its moving, ive done it... whwn I first put my engine in I left the hood off for the maiden voyage and thought it had an air bubble or something because the needle kept climbing. Its like the "tailgate open or closed" phenomenon in a pickup truck, all the air that wnters the engine compartment enters through the grill, is forced through the radiator and exits under the car. Removing the hood creates turbulence behind the radiator and wont allow air to flow thru it correctly. Its very important to seal around the radiator as mentioned above so all air that comes in must exit through the radiator.
Also, if your car runs hot even with no thermostat your radiator is not properly sized, all the insulating in the world wont make up for thos (and yes I read you dont have room for anything bigger). a better/larger radiator is not a band aid; adding header wrap etc to cover up an inadequate radiator is!
 
Are you running the oem grille or an aftermarket mesh one? On the oe one the pieces that support the emblem and the emblem itself block about 50% of the already-small opening! also, since it's a GT are you still running the hood with the scoop on it? That might be contributing to the problem I described above with the "hood removed scenario". If so, I would try blocking that off, as counter-productive as that sounds, maybe a strip of duct tape to test the theory-
 
I recall reading that wrapping a header can lead to it being more prone to cracking..or is it the other way around?
 
haywire4130 said:
Are you running the oem grille or an aftermarket mesh one? On the oe one the pieces that support the emblem and the emblem itself block about 50% of the already-small opening! also, since it's a GT are you still running the hood with the scoop on it? That might be contributing to the problem I described above with the "hood removed scenario". If so, I would try blocking that off, as counter-productive as that sounds, maybe a strip of duct tape to test the theory-
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on subarus 80% of the air enters under the bumper.
 
haywire4130 said:
Removing the hood sounds like a good idea but will make the car overheat if its moving, ive done it... whwn I first put my engine in I left the hood off for the maiden voyage and thought it had an air bubble or something because the needle kept climbing. Its like the "tailgate open or closed" phenomenon in a pickup truck, all the air that wnters the engine compartment enters through the grill, is forced through the radiator and exits under the car. Removing the hood creates turbulence behind the radiator and wont allow air to flow thru it correctly. Its very important to seal around the radiator as mentioned above so all air that comes in must exit through the radiator.
Also, if your car runs hot even with no thermostat your radiator is not properly sized, all the insulating in the world wont make up for thos (and yes I read you dont have room for anything bigger). a better/larger radiator is not a band aid; adding header wrap etc to cover up an inadequate radiator is!
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on a stock whatever there is exhaust shielding for a reason. so putting a bigger radiator because you took off the exhaust shielding is dumb.

running with no thermostat is not a pure indication that the rad is to small if there is an airflow problem.
in imho running a thermostat solves nothing because its completely open over what ever temperature its set for.
some times running with no thermostat can help in short trips or drag racing to keep everything as cool as possible. but when driving for hours and sitting in traffic no thermostat or torn open thermostat or thermostat nets exactly the same thing if the engine is producing more heat that the rad and the air flowing over it can get rid of.

the original question in this thread does exhaust heat management in one form or another contribute to more heat in the cooling system.
so after last night and this morning i say definitely. never mind the under hood temperatures but specifically the radiant heat from the headers to block alone. maybe in my case is more special as the exhaust pipes are near to the block.

so in my opinion the header wrap or shields or ceramic coating is not the bandaid but bringing it back to stock. as i said before a stock buick 3.8 takes almost 30-40 min before the fans cycle. mine would take 6-8 min. after the header wrap its up where it should be. and i have lower under hood temperatures and the firewall isn't getting hot making the cabin hot.
 
turbocamino1 said:
I recall reading that wrapping a header can lead to it being more prone to cracking..or is it the other way around?
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yes some people says that others say no. the headder wrap would cause the pipes them selves to get hotter. however it would also protect from thermal shock like splashes of water. and slow the cool down time to allow things to equalize.

i bought ceramic coating product. but i bought header wrap a while back. so i decided i'll try it since i have it.
i will ceramic coat when i take apart the engine next time as i need to sand blast and let the pipes sit for 24 hours for the ceramic paint to cure.
 
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