Ron Davis aluminum radiator install questions (1 Viewer)

[alia176]

This fandangle radiator comes with some precautions that are amusing to me, hence my questions!

Have any of you done the electrolysis test using a DVM per the yellow sheet? Did y'all run a ground wire between the axle housing and transmission to the chassis per the yellow sheet?

He wants a 16-19psi cap, and the factory cap is 0.9 bar=13psi. What brand of cap did y'all purchase?

Did y'all stick on sticky foam tape on all three sides of the radiator or just the top? The front clip has nice flat surfaces on the vertical sides for foam tape so I wa thinking of applying tape there.

I did do a citric acid flush of the block and the previous Koyo radiator before tearing it all down.

Ron is suggesting to use a SS or Alum nipples on the bottom for the ATF hose connections. Did anyone go this route? I was gonna reuse the fittings that came off my Koyo radiator and use Teflon tape to slow down galvanic corrosion between the brass nipples and alum radiator.

Anything else I need to be aware of with the RD radiator?

Thx.

 

[audi2nr]

The test is very easy to perform, get a volt meter one probe in the coolant, one on the negative battery terminal. anything higher than .1 volt and id be looking at grounding issues. Unless you live in an area that has corrosion i bet you are fine. Just did my truck and i got .040v

I think you should play around with the radiator cap pressures as they are cheap to buy. Things to note though, the higher the cap pressure the higher pressure you are putting on all your rubber hoses and plastic parts and anything else in the system, so be mindful of old cooling system parts. The higher the pressure the higher the boiling over protection you have, adding turbos and extra horsepower creates way more heat in the system so it can be pretty easy to overpower the stock cooling system so having extra head room in boil over protection is nice. id run the lowest pressure cap necessary imo... I'm on a stock cap and have not had cooling issues so far but i have also not seen over 100f where i live, only the 90f's and i have never observed coolant temps over 195 even climbing the passes we have here.

for the foam i would install foam everywhere there is an opening. The air will typically take the easiest path it can so if it can flow around the radiator core easier than through it then that's less air that can pull the heat out of the radiator.

lastly if you are still seeing high coolant temps, i'd look into adding an external oil cooler to the system, i think it gets overlooked quite a bit and can really help drop coolant temps as well, i actually removed mine as it was basically over cooling the system in my climate.

 

[alia176]

thanks for the info, I was just curious if others have done the voltage test on their RD radiators. The attached sheet is very clear on the importance of this test, so I was simply curious. Also, thanks for the explanation on the pressure cap, think I'll stick with the oem one at 13psi.

Truthfully, I'm not sure if wanna install this radiator or just keep it on the dining table and stare at while I eat.

Yes, I'm single.

 

[Hornd]

The test is very easy to perform, get a volt meter one probe in the coolant, one on the negative battery terminal. anything higher than .1 volt and id be looking at grounding issues. Unless you live in an area that has corrosion i bet you are fine. Just did my truck and i got .040v

I think you should play around with the radiator cap pressures as they are cheap to buy. Things to note though, the higher the cap pressure the higher pressure you are putting on all your rubber hoses and plastic parts and anything else in the system, so be mindful of old cooling system parts. The higher the pressure the higher the boiling over protection you have, adding turbos and extra horsepower creates way more heat in the system so it can be pretty easy to overpower the stock cooling system so having extra head room in boil over protection is nice. id run the lowest pressure cap necessary imo... I'm on a stock cap and have not had cooling issues so far but i have also not seen over 100f where i live, only the 90f's and i have never observed coolant temps over 195 even climbing the passes we have here.

for the foam i would install foam everywhere there is an opening. The air will typically take the easiest path it can so if it can flow around the radiator core easier than through it then that's less air that can pull the heat out of the radiator.

lastly if you are still seeing high coolant temps, i'd look into adding an external oil cooler to the system, i think it gets overlooked quite a bit and can really help drop coolant temps as well, i actually removed mine as it was basically over cooling the system in my climate.

Solid Advice.

Per Family Handyman

Coolant Testing: Quick test​

Reading the multimeter​

A reading of .4 volts or less means the coolant is good. Replace the coolant if the reading is higher than .4 volts.

If you think the only job of antifreeze (coolant) is to cool the engine during the summer and prevent freeze-up during the winter, read on. Coolant also plays an important role in preventing corrosion caused by electrolysis. Electrolysis occurs when two dissimilar metals start swapping electrons, causing the metals to corrode. Since an engine has aluminum, copper, cast iron, steel and magnesium alloys, electrolysis will slowly eat away at its innards.

Coolant has additives to prevent all of that electron swapping. But, as coolant ages, the additives are depleted and can’t do the job anymore. In fact, worn coolant becomes a pretty darn good electrical conductor, accelerating internal electrolysis. The good news is that it’s pretty easy to check the conductivity of your coolant with a digital multimeter that acts as a coolant tester. If the conductivity is high, it’s time for a coolant flush and fill. Here’s a quick way to check it.

Begin with a cold engine. Remove the radiator cap and start the engine. Set your digital multimeter to DC volts at 20 volts or less. When the engine reaches operating temperature, insert the positive probe directly into the coolant. Rev the engine to 2,000 rpm and place the negative probe on the negative battery terminal. If the digital meter reads .4 volts or less, your coolant is in good condition. If it’s greater than .4 volts, the electrolysis additives are exhausted, and you may be in the market for a new radiator, a water pump or a heater core in the future. All of those are far more expensive than a simple coolant change.

 

[alia176]

solid read, thanks amigo!!

One thing that's worth mentioning is to do a citric acid flush of the coolant system. This is a topic that doesn't get a lot of attention on this board, but it's a hot topic on European boards.

 

[deltapine1]

Voltmeter with positive probe in coolant and negative probe on battery terminal as described above. Needs to be .4 volts or less with engine running. Be sure to check with A/C on and off at idle as well as run the RPMs up and down between 800 and 3000 RPM.

I used a Toyota OEM cap 13 psi.

I used foam tape I bought at Home Depot on sides and at top.

I would check the overflow nipple and reapply teflon tape if it looks suspect. I had a slight leak there and had to redo the teflon tape. I used Aluminum nipples for the trans cooler line connections.

One of the best mods I have done bar none.

 

[cruiserdan]

Voltmeter with positive probe in coolant and negative probe on battery terminal as described above. Needs to be .4 volts or less with engine running. Be sure to check with A/C on and off at idle as well as run the RPMs up and down between 800 and 3000 RPM.

I used a Toyota OEM cap 13 psi.

I used foam tape I bought at Home Depot on sides and at top.

I would check the overflow nipple and reapply teflon tape if it looks suspect. I had a slight leak there and had to redo the teflon tape. I used Aluminum nipples for the trans cooler line connections.

One of the best mods I have done bar none.

I've seen some publications stating .3 volts or less as the target.

 

[deltapine1]

I've seen some publications stating .3 volts or less as the target.

You are correct. I have seen .4 and .3 both cited. Cummins cites .4 volts.

I had .1 volts at idle and .2 volts at 2500 rpm with the AC on.

I forgot to mention be prepared for the expansion of the coolant as it warms up. It will overtop the neck and make a mess that requires clean up and then polishing of the top of the Ron Davis tank with No. 7 dupont Metal Polish if you are OCD like me.

 

[alia176]

No. 7 dupont Metal Polish - check.