Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications 3.0L Duratec Heat issues with 3 liter.

Well i have had my 3 liter engine running for about a month now and have notice in the temp. gauge that it is running alittle bit hotter than the normal middle. Would this just be because of the new block or a bad sensor? Has any 3liter svts noticed this problem? It is running great was side to side with a new Mustang GT (stick) the other night .

what heads are you using?

He's running stock 2.5 SVT heads on it. It will most likely run slightly warmer than the stock engine. You can put in a lower temp T-stat and/or get a chip that will kick on the fans a little earlier as well. Let me know if you need contact info on getting a chip. Have you taken that thing to a dyno yet to check your A/F ratios? Probably not a bad idea to get that done before beating on it too hard Lalo!

Rick

Did you prep the 3L head gasket to have the same holes open as the 2.5L?

There were a few closed holes on the 3L gasket that were open on the 2.5L. This is most likely due to the circulation path of the coolant from the two different places that the water pump is located.

Has anyone compared the HeadGasket from a 01+ 3L that has the camshaft driven water pump with the 2.5L head gasket?

I would be interested in seeing if they have the same water passages open versus the earlier gaskets.

If you didn't drill out those passages then that could contribute to the heating issue I think.

You might also want to try flushing your radiator nice and good and running a bottle of Redline Water Wetter.

I don't think my mechanic did prep the gaskets. I will find out! Also the dyno would be a good idea. About the chip how much would one run? Are we talking about the superchip because I have one but not installed. I know i would have to get it specially burned just don't how to do that.

I doubt you'd be able to get the superchip burned specifically for your car. Keyser at Streetflight does custom burns for the contour. Tell him Rick sent you.
You can PM him on the forums here for a quote.

Rick

Id be interested in a custom chip for a 3L with 2.5 heads.

A chip is a good idea for tuning, but not if you only want to turn the fans on earlier. The problem with that approach is if the engine runs inherently hotter for some reason, then the fans will be on all the time. Fans will wear out faster and of course they do take power to run. I won't go into the whole heat transfer theory again, but suffice it to say if the coolant temp is alot higher than the ambient air temp then your cooling efficiency, or heat rejection is better. Turning the fans on lower makes the cooling system run at a lower efficiency level. I'm not sure if it is good/bad insofar as heat exchange because if the cooling system is dumping heat all the time with the fans on then it may be irrelevant that it is less efficient. However, fans wearing out and running all the time drawing power could be annoying and cost more fuel over the long term.

My advice is to do some checks and figure out why it runs so hot. If you have an SVT radiator then I'm still pointing the finger at un-opened coolant passages in the head gasket causing stagnant coolant in some parts of the head and block. This may not be real problem, but then it might. It may definitely increase the chances of pinging because of hot-spots around the head.

war...