mp fmic & overheating issues

Toms-SC

Registered User
Is there anyone out there, with this set up ,along with functioning a/c who doesnt have overheating issues on a hot day (85 + deg),while using the a/c

Im considering one of these units and the latest posts on running hot with them isnt encouraging.
 
Nature of the beast, if you have no air flow over radiator than car overheats.
solutions,

FMIC & no AC condensor,(good but may still have issues)
no FMIC (double IC, works for me)
Double IC and Snow alky inj, on MAF signal.(best in my opinion)

FMIC & deal with not driving in hot weather. track only car, or spring/fall, winter car...an SC a winter car.
That FMIC will do wonders in the snow.
 
I have the whole FMIC shebang on an heavily modded SC with AOD. The only heating issues I have are with the tranny. A B&M tranny cooler with it's own fan solved that for me.

I would say that I still dread those 105 degree days combined with L.A. traffic, so I will be adding the optional front mount rad fan that MP sells, as soon as I get time to unbolt the FMIC, Rad, and A-C evap rad. The fan has been sitting on my bench for a year, but I figure to get to it this winter.

Can never be too cool IMHO.
 
How about a FMIC and a Snow kit. :D Tom I have not seen any cooling issues with my FMIC, but I have no A/C either.
 
SCaddict said:
How about a FMIC and a Snow kit. :D

On a TR with an Eastern Performance front mount and a 23/21* chip we found that we had to pull 6* out with the Translator to run pump 93 without knock retard at 21lbs (wouldn't go any lower. Damn ATI wategate, grrrr.) We put a used SMC kit on and found that we could now run the chip straight up which netted a 70rwhp improvement.

Based on the above, I say DO IT!
 
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Mine runs nice and cool in any weather, unless I turn on the AC. Then temps start climbing and I usually shut it off by the time the needle reaches the "R". I have the optional pusher fan w/ Griffin aluminum radiator and both fans are wired to run at anything over 160 degrees in the summer.

I can use the AC when outside temps are below 90 without going past the "O", but when I need it most I can only use it for short periods of time like an initial cool off when first getting in the car.

David
 
Makes you wonder then what's the point of the FMIC set up. I guess I don't understand why it seems to work for some people but not for others. I thought it would be geographical, but it doesn't seem to be based on the some of the conversations I've seen here lately.

Ira
 
There are several things you can do to solve the engine heat problem when running the FMIC. First of all if you live in a hot climate the Optional Pusher fan helps a lot. I have feedback from several users who with the addition of the pusher fan solved their engine heating problem completely using just the standard stock radiator so I know the system will work.

In general the SC always had an engine heat issue straight from the factory. The problem stems from not enough air flowing through the radiator not that the radiator was too small. The lack of airflow is a function of the shape of the car. As it turn out there is a high-pressure area in the engine compartment that inhibits the incoming air that is trying to flow through the radiator. Airflow to the radiator is coming from the vents under the front bumper that are just ahead of the radiator. The pressure ahead of the radiator would be at nearly the same pressure that is in the engine compartment if it were not for the rubber air dam that sets between the incoming air vents and the underside of the engine compartment. Sometimes this rubber air dam is bent back or even missing in which case airflow through the radiator will be significantly reduced. If you are having a heating problem even with a stock SC it might be a good idea to check the air dam to make sure it’s still there and shaped properly.

If the SC has been lowered the air pressure in the engine compartment will be increased because the area available for air to leave the engine compartment has been reduced. In this case you might want to consider installing an air dam that is “taller” and stiffer to create a greater air pressure difference across the radiator. I recall someone doing this but I don’t remember which automobile he got the taller air dam from. As I recall it fit perfect, perhaps someone knows which make car the dam came from. If not a trip through a wrecking yard should yield something that would work nicely.

Also you should check the condition of the radiator to make sure it is not clogged and is in good condition. Also check the fins in all the cores including the A/C condenser and radiator for blockage. Bugs and dirt that accumulate over the years will create significant blockage and reduce airflow leading to overheating issues. The use of “Water Wetter” that increases the transfer of heat from the engine to the radiator can also help to some degree. And of course use a proper mixture of antifreeze and water for your area. Antifreeze does not transfer as much heat as water so use a mixture that gives adequate freeze protection for your area but will not boil at temperatures below 250 degrees or so. In a lot of areas where winter temperatures do not go below –10 degrees a mixture of 30% antifreeze to 70% water may be ideal. Always check the antifreeze bottle instructions for details and recommendations for your area keeping in mind the more water there is in the solution the better it is for heat transfer. Antifreeze also raises the boiling point so you want to have adequate antifreeze to raise the boiling point to 250 degrees or so.

Charles
 
Magnum Powers said:
If the SC has been lowered the air pressure in the engine compartment will be increased because the area available for air to leave the engine compartment has been reduced. In this case you might want to consider installing an air dam that is “taller” and stiffer to create a greater air pressure difference across the radiator. I recall someone doing this but I don’t remember which automobile he got the taller air dam from. As I recall it fit perfect, perhaps someone knows which make car the dam came from. If not a trip through a wrecking yard should yield something that would work nicely.

Charles
Charles,

FWIW, I know David Neibert's car is lowered and has a taller air damn installed and a Griffin Radiator. In over 90° temps with the AC on, he's still having issues. Maybe some cooling issues have to be expected.
 
The heat from the IC and condensor have to go somewhere....Yes to the radiator. A Temp increas with a front mount is expoected on almost anycar that runs one. Using AC will only compound that situation. My turbo v8 car had that same issue and I ended up doing a bottom mount IC setup. Even with an upgraded radiator you need to let that hot air go somewhere. Wonder if a cowl hood helps with the built up pressure within the engine compartment
 
With the A/C deleted and no air dam,I have no over heating problems
with the MP FMIC.

With the A/C and no air dam,and no MP FMIC I had over heating problems.
And this was with the A/C running,on not running.

So my problems was the A/C blocking to much air.And the A/C
condensor was straight and clean.

Randy
 
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I have to agree with the pressure statements Charles makes about the engine compartment. However, I have found that those with front mounts which do not have tubing routed behind the radiator and that do have AC on their car do not experience these overheating issues. It is my belief that the routing of the plumbing behind the radiator itself significantly affects the flow of air through the core (or possibly through the engine bay in general). I suspect a cowl hood or one which extracts air to some extent (the 03-04 cobra design which helps pull air through the rad comes to mind) will help alleviate this problem by pulling more air through the unobstructed areas of the core. Of course, this is my opinion and experience through observation, I have no datalog or hard evidence to support it.

Paul
 
I have talked to many rad specialists and intercooler reps,they all told me the same thing.Once you get near 6" of core depth you will have a problem with flow,it does not matter how big a fan you put on it just blocks flow.Ask around and you will hear the same.Then you put a crossover tube between the rad and the motor,this is just asking for trouble.Under most conditions the front mount is just fine but when it gets above 90 or so you cant run ac without overheating the cooling system.This is what i have read and what i have been told by people who have been in the business longer than i have been around.
 
I don't really think the IC pipe location is the problem. I think it's more a matter of total airflow and underhood air pressure. Then again it doesn't help that about 20% of the surface area on my AC condensor is blocked because the fins are crushed from being hit by rocks and whatever.

All things considered I'm pretty happy with it. BTW, The car has never ran cool except when it was bone stock. Soon as I started modding it, it started running hotter. It runs cooler now than when it was a low 14 second car.

David
 
Just a thought I had.

How many of you with the FMIC have a cowl induction hood?

My thought is that with the cowl being in a high pressure area and ducting air into the engine compartment, that a lot less air will travel through the Rad and IC.

Jeff
 
J57ltr said:
Just a thought I had.

How many of you with the FMIC have a cowl induction hood?

My thought is that with the cowl being in a high pressure area and ducting air into the engine compartment, that a lot less air will travel through the Rad and IC.

Jeff

I am not for sure, but I beleive my temps to be the same.
after installing my cobra r hood.

Then I sanded about 3/4'' of fiber glass from the nose
of my Cobra R hood.Where the hood meets the bumper
cover in the center.And this drop my temp down some.
Instead of the small 1/8 gap,its wider.But not noticable.

My gauge use to run around the N .Now it runs just above
the first line on the gauge.

Randy
 
J57ltr said:
Just a thought I had.

How many of you with the FMIC have a cowl induction hood?

My thought is that with the cowl being in a high pressure area and ducting air into the engine compartment, that a lot less air will travel through the Rad and IC.

Jeff
Jeff, you are right. I know for a fact that a cowl hood will raise the pressure in the engine compartment and will add to the heating problem. I know this because a SC owner told me his story. He had a cowl hood and had overheating issues. He blocked off the opening and his engine temperature decreased significantly. He still runs the hood but the vent is blocked. Remember cowl hoods were first invented to introduce high-pressure air to the carburetor not to try to decrease engine temperature.

Charles
 
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