# sr20det overheating issue PLEASE HELP! **URL:** \ **Category:** SON240sx Automotive\ **Created:** [April 25, 2007, 10:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910 "2007-04-25T10:50:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 10:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/1 "2007-04-25T10:50:12Z")
Ok, I had the car for over a year now and I’ve had overheating issues whether the temperature rises. My setup consists of a stock SR rad with FAL dual profile electric fans which is connected the the FAL temp sensor to regulate when the fan should be turned on. Now, people have said the stock SR rad shouldn’t overheat even after pushing on the highway, but I find that my temp gauge goes way up after cruising the HWY. Even with the e-fan activated, the temp needle won’t go down, it only keeps moving up until I have to pull over and turn off the car to let it cool. I didn’t install the engine myself so there are some connections still unplugged like this one: ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01726.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01726.jpg) that red harness has a set of wires connected to the temp sensor ONLY. I want to know what it’s for and where I can find the other harness to connect it to. I noticed that last nite when it was cooler, the same thing happened, I drove the HWY, got off and the temp needle was creeping up but the e-fan didn’t kick in, I checked the fuses, but they’re all intactedso now I"m screwed and I need to fix it fast and proper I looked at the sr20det manual and found that the clutch fan is activated when the temperature reaches to a certain point, what I like to know is what device triggers the clutch fan to activate? Here are some pictures of my setup…any suggestions on improving my cooling setup would be much appreciated ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01724.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01724.jpg) ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01725.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01725.jpg) ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01727.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01727.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/2 "2007-04-25T17:50:32Z")
can anyone provide any pictures of their stock cooling fan setup? I want to connect my FAL fans to whatever controls the stock clutch fan…using the temp sensor isn’t as reliable ---
**Author:** ![robbbby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@robbbby](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/robbbby)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/3 "2007-04-25T17:53:13Z")
Have you tried rebleeding the coolant system? My guess would be that you have some trapped air. ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/4 "2007-04-25T18:10:57Z")
when I installed a thermostat, I bled the system and that a few months ago…since then, I didn’t have any overheating issues I really want to wire my e-fans back to stock sensors so that the engine does its own thing without having myself worry about it everytime I get off the highway ---
**Author:** ![sr20](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/sr20/32/5491_2.png) [@sr20](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/sr20)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/5 "2007-04-25T18:31:29Z")
i have a stock ka rad on my SR and i’m using the single fan from my AC and it works fine… only thing is that my fan is only turned ON by a switch inside the car , its also has a relay… its the safest way i could think of… i’d always glance on my temp gauge just in case it goes up. as for bleeding the air, every moring before starting the car , open the rad cap and some coolant if its low, repeat this every moring until its not low anymore hope this helps 😃 one more thing… i only have the oem SMIC , it might make a difference ---
**Author:** ![Sky14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bcef8e/32.png) [@Sky14](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Sky14)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/6 "2007-04-25T18:33:10Z")
a buddie of mine helped me wire my fan to my acessory function on my ingniton. so when ever you turn on ur car it turns on atuomatically. ---
**Author:** ![JamesS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JamesS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JamesS)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/7 "2007-04-25T18:37:48Z")
That wiring job is disgusting. Clean that up…loom it up, tie it up neatly… And yes I would bleed the system of air and make sure your thermostat is opening and closing. ---
**Author:** ![Gonad](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/gonad/32/5481_2.png) [@Gonad](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Gonad)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 7:31pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/8 "2007-04-25T19:31:28Z")
Do you have an aftermarket coolant gauge? Try and get one and see what kind of temperatures you see. Maybe (it’s a possibility) the stock sensor might be bad. ---
**Author:** ![scribbles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@scribbles](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/scribbles)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 11:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/9 "2007-04-25T23:37:24Z")
This may be a problem, although I can’t remember if there actually isa a difference at all or not. The values re sent from the sr ecu to your ka (oem gauge) may conflict, so yeah drop a small $ and get a aftermarket guage. I’ve got a single cheap fan and a megan gauge and it never goes past 145 (although it’s an R32 GTR rad) ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 6:52am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/10 "2007-04-26T06:52:27Z")
I’m contemplating about getting an aftermarket temp gauge… so last nite I took it for a ride to see if it’s doing the same thing and guess what, it did. what I noticed was jus driving conservatively doesn’t help and when I opened the hood, the engine was hot but the rad wasn’t (so I’m guessing there’s an air pocket somewhere). I’ll bleed the system and see if that help first Under normal driving conditions, how high should the temp needle be hovering at? cause my needle was over the halfway point and was slowing moving up/down on interval notch thanks for the help guys ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 6:55am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/11 "2007-04-26T06:55:57Z")
where would I probe my temp gauge? in the rad or in the engine? ---
**Author:** ![JamesS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JamesS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JamesS)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 6:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/12 "2007-04-26T06:56:12Z")
> [@A freebie exterior detail!](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/a-freebie-exterior-detail/12276/25): > > I’m contemplating about getting an aftermarket temp gauge… > so last nite I took it for a ride to see if it’s doing the same thing and guess what, it did. what I noticed was jus driving conservatively doesn’t help and when I opened the hood, the engine was hot but the rad wasn’t (so I’m guessing there’s an air pocket somewhere). I’ll bleed the system and see if that help first > Under normal driving conditions, how high should the temp needle be hovering at? cause my needle was over the halfway point and was slowing moving up/down on interval notch > thanks for the help guys If your RAD was not hot…I would guess your thermostat is stuck closed. ---
**Author:** ![Gonad](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/gonad/32/5481_2.png) [@Gonad](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Gonad)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 9:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/13 "2007-04-26T09:30:59Z")
Below are the pics of cooling circuit as well as how to test your thermostat. How is it your radiator is cold but your motor is hot? That doesn’t make sense. Almost sounds like there isn’t enough coolant in the system. Could also be your water pump is busted and isn’t moving coolant around. If your thermostat is stuck open both your rad and motor should be relatively cool (in which case no overheating problems). If it’s stuck closed both your motor and rad should get stupid hot. Try this when your motor is cooled down fully. 1 - Start your motor up and let it warm up (this will take a few minutes) 2 - Keep your rad cap open. 3 - As you see your gauge needle get closer to the middle (Normal) go and feel the upper rad hose. It should start to get hot. Keep filling the coolant in the rad until its pretty level. 4 - As motor warms up, you should see the coolant to start flowing through the rad filler hole. 5 - Both your upper and lower rad hose should be fairly warm right now (with the upper one being a little hotter). Take your Thermostat out and test it as per steps below. Download the S14 SR FSM (it’s pretty much same as S13) and read up the Cooling stuff starting on page 119 [http://www.phatg20.net/modules.php?name=Downloads&d\_op=getit&lid=307](http://www.phatg20.net/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=307) ![http://i19.tinypic.com/2cfr294.jpg](http://i19.tinypic.com/2cfr294.jpg) ![http://i13.tinypic.com/4i2zez8.jpg](http://i13.tinypic.com/4i2zez8.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 10:36am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/14 "2007-04-26T10:36:35Z")
thanks Gonad will definitely do the test I started the car yesterday to see if just idling will overheat but the needle was stable halfway between the 2nd and 3rd notch from the bottom (I ran it for 10 mins, but will do that again) yeah, it’s weird that the rad wasn’t as hot as the engine, while the temp gauge was giving me a hot reading, I was holding onto the upper rad hose without burning myself…maybe it’s time for a new rad ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 10:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/15 "2007-04-26T10:37:56Z")
is there anyway to check if the water pump is toast without taking it out? ---
**Author:** ![S13GG](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/s13gg/32/5506_2.png) [@S13GG](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/S13GG)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 11:18am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/16 "2007-04-26T11:18:16Z")
> [@"10.5" on channel 2](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/10-5-on-channel-2/12300/5): > > is there anyway to check if the water pump is toast without taking it out? yeah they leak out the front when they are dead… or take teh belt off and see how it spins… ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2007, 2:55pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/17 "2007-04-26T14:55:51Z")
so I took out the thermostat and pulled a couple of boosted runs and now everything seems fine the needle is hovering between the 2nd and 3rd notch and looks like it’s stable the e-fan is functioning again and operates periodically so I guess it’s the thermostat…I appreciate your help guys ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 10:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/18 "2007-04-25T10:50:12Z")
Ok, I had the car for over a year now and I’ve had overheating issues whether the temperature rises. My setup consists of a stock SR rad with FAL dual profile electric fans which is connected the the FAL temp sensor to regulate when the fan should be turned on. Now, people have said the stock SR rad shouldn’t overheat even after pushing on the highway, but I find that my temp gauge goes way up after cruising the HWY. Even with the e-fan activated, the temp needle won’t go down, it only keeps moving up until I have to pull over and turn off the car to let it cool. I didn’t install the engine myself so there are some connections still unplugged like this one: ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01726.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01726.jpg) that red harness has a set of wires connected to the temp sensor ONLY. I want to know what it’s for and where I can find the other harness to connect it to. I noticed that last nite when it was cooler, the same thing happened, I drove the HWY, got off and the temp needle was creeping up but the e-fan didn’t kick in, I checked the fuses, but they’re all intactedso now I"m screwed and I need to fix it fast and proper I looked at the sr20det manual and found that the clutch fan is activated when the temperature reaches to a certain point, what I like to know is what device triggers the clutch fan to activate? Here are some pictures of my setup…any suggestions on improving my cooling setup would be much appreciated ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01724.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01724.jpg) ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01725.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01725.jpg) ![http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01727.jpg](http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y277/KennethChan/DSC01727.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Mista\_Sparkoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Mista\_Sparkoh](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Mista_Sparkoh)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 5:50pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/19 "2007-04-25T17:50:32Z")
can anyone provide any pictures of their stock cooling fan setup? I want to connect my FAL fans to whatever controls the stock clutch fan…using the temp sensor isn’t as reliable ---
**Author:** ![robbbby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@robbbby](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/robbbby)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2007, 5:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910/20 "2007-04-25T17:53:13Z")
Have you tried rebleeding the coolant system? My guess would be that you have some trapped air. [Next page](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sr20det-overheating-issue-please-help/105910.md?page=2)