misledxcracker Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I'm relocating to Arizona (by Laughlin) from Los Angeles within... a few days to a week. Around 300 miles or so. Involves the Cajon Pass... which scares me most... I'm driving my GL... it has a partially plugged radiator and the silly 3AT... Would it help at all if I blasted the hot defrost up passes? I know to slow down/stop and idle the car to cool it down, once it gets up there... and I'm going to do 65-70 the whole way there, hopefully non-stop, unless I run out of gas or something happens... The car does only have 94K but I'm still sort of afraid, but this move is a MUST and money's tight... Any contributions? Anything I should be looking out for? Car does 30 mile runs every day as it is... no real issues, other than the idle crap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Yes it helps too run Heater/Defrost on High to help pull heat out of the system. Also try going up the Grade early in the morn. but this time of year it shouldn't be an issue as being spring time and all. Won't mention the obvious as I drove my mini-van with a plugged radiator for the last 4 months but figure why change it during the winter and ran heater when it started to warm up too much but finaly bit the bullet and changed it out as the daily temp. have risen. If you have an electric fan along side your belt driven fan you could wire that into a switch to power the fan if it isn't turning on? (not sure what you got for fans..) as you climb the grade. Check your coolant and make sure you got a good 50-50 mix to help prevent boiling too low of temperature and check to assure your radiator cap seal is clean and forms a tight seal between radiator and cap or replace with a new one. My .02cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 19, 2007 Author Share Posted April 19, 2007 Just making sure the defrost feature will be of as much assistance as the max a/c or Bi-Lev, because I'll most likely have the windows down the whole time, and hot air in my face doesnt seem like too good of a plan to me I've got the good old clutch fan, and also the electric one beside it (it's always been on when the car's on, so that's good in this case, I guess... it may be wired that way by the PO, no idea) My coolant hasnt been changed, but I just may do that now, possibly also flush it out if time permits. Oil's fresh, it's tuned up, timing belts SEEM okay... I plan on leaving around 4 in the morning to get there around 8-9... I plan on taking my time.... no big rush, and I dont want to push the car neither... keep the 3AT at about 3-3.5K... Hopefully the desert isn't too hot by that time... though it's spring time, its still not California weather... and it's not TOO cool out here either... (By the way, I've driven this drive several times, a bunch of times with my old DL which also had a partially jacked radiator, but the LAST time I did it was in a Ford Escort, and I toasted the motor, totally ran it out of water so it's sort of a "paranoia" post, so to speak.) EDIT: Dang it, would now also be a good time for me to remove the mechanical and throw on my XT6 fan I have maybe? Would two electricals beat the setup I currently have? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daeron Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 it might be worth it to go ahead and yank the radiator out so you can blast it with a garden hose... sometimes backflowing can help remove alot of crud, especially if you do it after running a chemical flushing solution through. Removing the radiator also gives you the chance to degrease and clean all the fins, and make sure they are in top-notch condition to radiate out all that heat. While you flush the radiator, may as well flush the heater core.. these are things I would do if I were concerned in your shoes. Yanking the radiator isnt really that major a task; in my opinion, the transmission lines are the biggest PITA. Put a large rag or some cardboard down under that corner of the car if you do it; you WILL drop some ATF out of those lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Just for this run you may also want to try and jump the one fan ( the primary) so it runs constantly. I am doing that now on my XT6 just by jumping the fan plug with a paper clip until I pick up a new thermosensor. You could also toss in a bottle of Watter Wetter ...it will help disapate the heat by as much as 20 degress..also running in my XT6 right now and is helping. Its alittle pricey specially for someone where money IS an object ( almost $8 a bottle)..But it is alittle added insurance...Plus if you take the time to pull and flush the radiator any little bit should help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 Just making sure the defrost feature will be of as much assistance as the max a/c or Bi-Lev, because I'll most likely have the windows down the whole time, and hot air in my face doesnt seem like too good of a plan to me If it's like mine, going up a steep hill will put it into the Bi-lev position automatically, because the vaccuum that moves the doors drops. I think that Bi-lev gives alot more airflow than defrost. You could try relocating one of the windshield washer sprayers to spray on the radiator. Turbo guys do this all the time on their intercoolers and radiators (well, actually, they add a second tank and dedicated sprayers). In my VW rabbit, I have to shift to 3rd on hills, not because of lack of power in 4th, but because it overheats. Just take it slow up the hills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie_newbie Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I just pulled that pass two weeks ago with my EJ22. It isn't tooooo bad. Other than what's been already said: a mildly lower speed, one gear down, higher RMP and less throttle will load the engine less, create less heat and, if you keep the clutch fan, help the fan's pulling power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 So... tomorrow morning, I'm leaving on this trip. I'm still pretty scared, to be honest. If it gets hot, I'll pull over... Thats all I can really do. I've got Prestone "super flush" stuff... is this stuff any good? I dont want to waste a buttload of time if all it's going to do is... well... waste my time :-\ I may bite the bullet and buy Watter Wetter also... And yes, my electric fan is always on, and so is the belt driven one If (See? I'm saying "if") I make it to Arizona... when I get the money, the radiator will be REPLACED... it's bad enough that I have to be rushed and drive it on a bad radiator right now... getting me all paranoid and stuff By the way, I have a 3AT tranny... Downshifting it wont kill it will it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NV Zeno Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Just leave yourself lots of extra travel time to allow for the slower speed, and the possibility of pulling over to "cool off" along the way. Not being in a rush seems to make cars run cooler. Leaving early in the morning to be ahead of the heat is a good idea. My 2 bucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 What's going to suck is going slower than normal on I-15... all those crazy Vegas drivers going 100-130 in their new cars blowing me out of the water, while I'm all staring at my temp gauge going 55... Steady and smooth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertsubaru Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Take the pas at 3 am in the morning when its cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Th prestone flush is good stuff. Flush it out, fill it with good coolant, and go. You'll be fine. I've never had a problem overheating in a soob that had a full radiator. What are the condition of you're hoses? that is the real issue. If a hose bursts you will surely overheat. I would worry way more about hoses than anything else. I always carry 3 feet of 5/8 heaterhose. 3 feet of 1/4 hose(TB hoses, hose to you know where) and and elbow 5/8 hose(WP return from heater) and both upper and lower Rad hoses(J-yard for a spare set). BTW, the 5/8 elbow at the WP is almost never in stock for a Soob. And regular hose will kink in that tight of a bend. Solution, WP elbow for any year ford V8(well up to 90ish, not the 4.6) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie_newbie Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 dja makeit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucky92 Posted April 21, 2007 Share Posted April 21, 2007 dja makeit? I was wondering the same thing...and BTW if you need a radiator now that you are there..i have one..I couldnt mention it before cause there was no way I could ship it out to you in time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 22, 2007 Author Share Posted April 22, 2007 I did make it! 300 miles straight, no stopping, no overheating, blasting the heater the whole way. Oh yeah, not to mention I did 55-60, drafting big rigs all the way there. Actually, followed only ONE truck the whole way here! I bought a new radiator cap, i think it DID help... and also bought some Water Wetter. Stayed a tad above halfway on the temp gauge, even on the grades. Then once I got here... I checked fluids... my gear oil (the stinky ish) was EMPTY... and it may have been that way the whole trip... Crap, I knew I forgot SOMETHING when I checked stuff before I left :-\ But it's topped off now, at least. In other news, I've officially got over 350 miles out of one tank... finally! 362 miles on the odo, and a bit more gas to go! Thanks all for the support! (BTW Connie how much ya want for the radiator? PM me if you can, thanx!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Had to come back... Darn it. Car made it again, without a hitch. Go Subaru! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeshoup Posted April 25, 2007 Share Posted April 25, 2007 Glad to hear that you made it, twice! I've never had a problem overheating in a soob that had a full radiator. Just because you haven't, doesn't mean it can't happen. Its actually, quite common. My brother's three door had a radiator from hell. We tried flushing, but the damn car kept getting hot, really hot. My old 88 wagon too had a radiator from hell. Same thing, tired to flush it, wouldn't help at all. I ended up pulling its radiator out to find rows of fins missing from damn fin rot. My suspicion is that bad radiators are the number one head gasket problem causer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted April 25, 2007 Author Share Posted April 25, 2007 Rows of fins ARE missing from my radiator Thats why I didnt even bother to flush it, it's falling apart anyway, why waste money and time on a bad radiator, I assume... If it were'nt for my patience (doing 55-60) having the heater on full blast at all times, and watching the temp gauge like a hawk, it would have STILL overheated, and I didnt lose any coolant going either way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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