Anyone else have any issues while coursing their 95-03 Maxima (All the rad's are the same)? I had a really hard time managing the engine temps and had to pull over a few times to let the car cool down.

I was told that it could be my Autozone $90 radiator that's the cause of my woe's... May pick up a used OEM rad (Calsonic bayybayyyy) and put in some more expensive coolant.

 

You should upgrade to the thicker 2 row Mishimoto/Griffen radiator IMO. I would add an oil cooler as well.

 

try reinstalling your EGR. it helps lower engine temps when you're running part throttle.

what kind and concentration of coolant are you running?

how hot is "hot" to you? are you relying on the stock crap gauge, or do you have a real water temp gauge?

what oil are you running? oil temps have a lot to do with water temps as well. installing an oil cooler will go a long way to reduce overall engine temps, since much of the engine heat is transferred from the oil to the coolant, then cooled in the radiator.

A cheap radiator could also be a huge issue. I ran a cheap rad at the track for a while and never had problems, but I noticed the car ran better at the track when that one died and I replaced it with an OEM rad.

 

A oil cooler is a good idea for a track car. It can make a difference in your temps but would not explain what you were telling me about.

I doubt that changing coolant would make much difference. Some guys like water wetter but many tracks HATE anything other than just water in your system because if you puke anything else on the track it makes for a very dangerous surface. As such many race series demand water only.

Aftermarket radiators are nice but newish oem should do the trick as long as its fins are good and you don't have gunk in it making it less effective. Also, you mentioned all the parts around the radiator, making sure that the air that comes in can a) get to the radiator and not go around it and b) can get out of the engine bay after if goes through the radiator making room for new air to come through as well.

One trick that you CAN use and some don't think about is to turn on your heater. Max it out... full hot and turn on the blower full blast. The heater is a small radiator you know. Getting heat out of the system is getting heat out of the system so who cares how it leaves.

Please note.. this is all dependent on everything working as it should. Good water pump, no dead air pockets, no kinked hoses, no hoses on the suction side getting crushed for lack of support. So on and so on.

Very pesky cars may also be hiding head gasket issues, cracked heads, timing issues, oddball thermostat problems and the list goes on.

I think from talking you have a good grip on what to do first and second and so on but lets we can find it and let this serve as a resource for others.

 

It's on my mind, I'm working up a list of suggestions, I'm going from cheapest to most expensive.

Having my EGR on the car is not an option without some customization being done.

Prestone Yellow container (no silicates) 50/50

Stock crap gauge, on the track it's between that random hash mark up high before the H and sometimes it reaches H, and sometimes it goes right below the random hash, but that's about it.

Amsoil 10w30 XL

That's what I was told, it was most likely my radiator with the aid of other contributing factors (EG no splash gaurds on the car)

Interesting tid bit.... I last about as long as stock/nismo 370z's which couldn't keep cool AT ALL

We've talked already you already know what's up

 

Where and when was this? I ran my S14 at MSRH over the weekend and it never went above 210. and I don't have any splash shields either.

Never had cooling problems in my modded 3rd gen either, as well with no splash shields. :shrug: I guess the VQ just hates heat. yet again, crap engine for a crap minivan chassis! (Sorry, gotta keep up the 3rd vs 4th gen fight. )

 

MSR Houston, Yesterday, 2pm-5pm.

And VQ's weren't the only ones suffering, the 260z that was there had to take breaks also, along with a Stang GT and the Bimmers.... I just didn't last as long as everyone else.

Well I'm sure if the third gen was actually accelerating it'd generate some sort of heat

 

BAN HIMMM!

 

Ahh. yeah, those thurs nigh deals is some cheap track time. I missed it this week since I was still unpacking from the race last weekend. Funny how I never see another Nissan there at all until I don't go, then they all show up. (Maybe they're tired of getting beaten by a 4 banger dorifto car...)

BTW, my 3rd gen runs a 1:57 out there. what's your 4th gen do?

 

Hah yeah I was on the track w/ two 370z's and a 260z, 260z wasn't that much faster than me, and I'd be able to beat it if I could do more than 1/2 throttle.

I'm pretty sure I have a bad coil pack(s) but the heat probably made the problem worse, the car would just machine gun hesitate if I gave it more than 1/2 throttle.

I has no timing equipment , A lot of people had their iPhones and Androids on some sticky thing and was using that for time, the instructor that took me in the M3 did a 1:57 w/ me in it , surprisingly I hit a lot of the same lines, overall it was great and I really can't wait to open it up some more, I know I can do more than 115 on the straights, being the only FWD car out there rocks

I'll be back on both RMRF's in October (hopefully), taking next month off so save some $$$ for cooling mods and some light maintenance, the VQ35 may not be under my hood this year cause of this detour......

 

http://forums.maxima.org/autocrossin...d-courses.html



History repeats itself.

 

Wow, I searched on google and read about other cars and what they did but completely forgot about maxima.org

Ok, so I may have to buy that Mishi Radi then..... Ugh, delaying the VQ35 once again.

So to do list before October Red Meat Race Fuels:
-Mishimotor Radiator
-Coolant (OEM fine? Is there something expensive I should be getting?)
-Replacing coolant hoses (FINALLY, I've done all fuel and vac hoses but never touched the coolant hoses on this car)
-Acquire timing equipment to see how far behind the red 3rd gen is :P (reallytoseehowfariambehind)

So I stays cool

 

OEM coolant is fine.

 

Spray paint your current radiator flat black. Black radiates heat better than lighter colors and should radiate better than bare aluminum. Your already overheating so it couldn't hurt.

 

BRILLIANT!!! Why didn't I think of this sooner!!!!!

 

I orderd one of the Koyo EOM rads a few years ago. I have clocked several hours on Nashville Super Speedway, Road Atlanta, CMP, and Barber. Turbo'd in the dead of Summer with the AC running, and temps never even creeped up. I've had tons of other problems, but over heating was not one of them.

http://forums.maxima.org/group-deals...t-pricing.html

 

Doneskies, I really didn't wanna drop Mishi money because of my limited use for it....

 

i know this is an old thread.

never had an issue on the track with stock or aftermarket radiator. turn your heat on full blast as previously stated if you haven't already.

 

Input is always appreciated.

I am going to put in another aftermarket radiator I got foh free (and has low miles) and flush out the water with water and water wetter, see how it runs....

But I won't be hitting the track for quite some time now, I have other problems (such as painting the car after my hood faux-pas)

 

I was talking to Joe about oil coolers, and it sounds like clearance issues can arise with the oil filter and the inner lip of smaller diameter wheels due to the new housing pushing out the filter towards the wheel. Has anyone else experienced a similar problem? I know when I had traction bars my oil filter was already making contact with those. Can people post up pics of their oil cooler setups?

 

Another thing to consider is changing your oil to a thicker viscosity. Its been a while so I can't remember what weight the Maxima generally runs, but changing to a more race friendly, heavier weight oil can substantially reduce your operating temps. Going from a 10W30 to a like a 5W60 is a little extreme unless you track the car often and isnt recommended for daily driven cars in colder climates.

Hope this helps

 

It wil help as soon as you explain how a harder-to-pump oil would reduce temperature.

 

Sure, no problem.

Pumping a thicker viscosity oil isn't the issue unless you're dealing with cold climates and cold starts. That's when having a lighter weight oil is more beneficial. From a performance standpoint, oil is not simply used for lubrication, but also has the function of assisting with heat dissipation as well as keeping your engine clean by helping to remove oxidation.

With that being said, the easiest way to answer how oil affects engine temp is this: a thicker weight oil will absorb and hold on to heat at slower rate (which is good) than a thinner weight oil, which will dissipate the heat much faster causing engine temps to rise.

Hope this helps

 

I can dig it....

I'm running 0w40 (Instead of the rec'd 5w30) in my VQ35, and I'm going to try to retain the stock oil cooler w/ my 3.0L timing cover.

 

Well, I'm afraid it doesn't.
Pumping a thicker fluid creates friction and heat, albeit a small amount.

Your example of absorbion rates ignores the fact that any oil heat being dissipated, fast or slow, is the same amount of engine heat, being dissipated through the same channels.
What happens to the heat that isn't absorbed by the thicker oil? It still has to go somewhere.
The amount of engine heat being produced (and being needed to removed) will only rise slightly with a thicker oil.

 

It's not the same amount of heat. If you're able to properly lubricate the moving parts, then less heat is generated.

Friction is gonna happen no matter what, and friction creates heat (basic, I know, but I think it needed to be said). One function of oil is to reduce the amount of friction created by moving parts, which in turn reduces heat. In addition to the heat absorbtion properties of thicker weight oils, they also lubricate better at higher operating temps as seen in road racing.

A good example would be syrup. When you heat it up, it gets thinner and flows a lot smoother. Now translate that into engine temp range and imagine how thin the lower viscosity oils can get, especially at extreme temps. Sometimes so thin that it loses some of its lubricating properties, metal-to-metal contact increases which in turn, causes higher temps.

I see where you're going with the thicker weight causing more friction and I get it....and agree. Too thick and you're doing more harm than good.

In the end, you have to find your middle ground. Understanding how oil works is one way to help you choose the right oil for your car and might help the OP battle his overheating issue. I know it helped me.

Hope this helps

 

Good stuff guys, I was running amsoil 10w30XL on my max before I blew it's HG.

I am going to approach this overheating thing w/ a bazooka....

New(ish) Radiator
New(ish) fans
3.5 Oil Cooler (65k miles on it) - I am running 3.0L timing with my motor fyi.
Distilled Water + Water Wetter
0w40 Oil

Road Coursing starts back up in march, so I will know by then!!

 

That should do the trick. Good luck.