Engine Heat with AC On Options

[HardHead93]

It got a little warm today in southern New Mexico so today was the first day I drove the 3sgte swapped Celica in stop and go traffic with the AC on. Normally without the AC on, the engine temps bounce between 189 and 199 degrees F. When I turned the AC on it climbed to 209 degrees in the course of 5 minutes before I turned the AC off. Once I turned the AC off the temp quickly dropped back into the normal range in about another 2-3 minutes. I am reading the temps off an aftermarket water temp gauge with the sensor on the upper radiator hose. Below is a picture of the type of gauge I am using. It is a Glowshift MaxTow water temp gauge.


When that gauge reads 215 degrees the stock dummy temp gauge in the car starts moving towards the H. I am running an Ebay 2-row radiator with aftermarket fans and I have a FMIC. Should I keep the aftermarket fans or go back to a stock radiator with stock fans? Also, the Ebay radiator is pretty dirty from constantly taking it in and out of the car during the build process, could that be the culprit? Is there something else I should check on that may be causing the engine temps to climb with he AC on? Below is a picture of the 2 different radiators.


Is there really an advantage to running a 2 row radiator with a 3sgte?

This post has been edited by HardHead93: Mar 17, 2017 - 7:33 PM

[HardHead93]

I got my Koyo radiator and the stock fans fit on it perfectly. I also got my new condenser and filter can in. Hopefully these items will fix my heat issue.



It was definitely a pain in the butt to get everything off. I had to remove the bumper and intercooler to get to everything.


The old condenser was clogged with a bunch on bugs and crap. I bet that was affecting some of the air flow to the radiator.


This is a shot of the old condenser next to the new one.


This is my brand new Koyo radiator. The bolt holes for the radiator fans line up perfectly!

I also decided to go with different shaped intercooler to help airflow get to the radiator. Below is a shot of the old and the new intercooler and the new intercooler installed.



As you can see I went with a taller but narrower intercooler. It actually has more surface area than than to old one too, so score! All these changes should fix my cooling issues.

This post has been edited by HardHead93: May 14, 2017 - 8:56 AM