RE: '91 200 radiator removal?

[Aleksander Mierzwa <alex@matrix.com.pl>]

Gerard wrote:

	>I'm also curious about this. I just drove 1300km/h to get home
for
	>Christmas. 

Hope you did remember to break the sound barrier in unpopulated area.
You know, sonic boom, it can trash houses ;-)))

	>I had a long stage through hot country and at some point
	>I had to pull over for a while to let the motor cool from about
110
	>celcius to the normal 87. I then had to potter along at about
120km/h
	>constantly watching the temp gauge and backing off on any
increase
	>in temperature. It got me wandering on what the best type of
	>radiator is for doing the best cooling job? Also, what is the
best
	>additive for doing the best heat dispersing job in the
radiator?

I think that it's normal for a 200 to run very hot when driving fast on
hot day. There's nothing to worry about as long as the overheat warning
signal doesn't show up. I would be more concerned about the autobox.
I've experienced rumbling sounds from the transmission after few minutes
of driving at approx. 180km/h. According to transmission repair shops
majority of shlushbox failures are caused by overheating. A change to
synthetic ATF is recommended if you like to drive fast or aggresively.
If you think that the car overheats, though, you should start with
flushing the cooling system and replacing the coolant. Also replace the
thermostat (only use OE ones, they're the best) as a precautionary
measure.

	>I understand that the radiator is a plastic and metal mixed
	>construction. Is an all aluminium radiator better at cooling
and
	>dispersing heat from the water? Can a larger (wider radiator
with more
	>coils) be fitted in the standard position? Would it be possible
to
	>fit a replacement all metal radiator, that has a greater
coolant
	>capacity, into the same position as the standard one?

An all-metal radiator is preferable because of greater reliability. The
plastic tanks on OE radiators are prone to crack after years of use. Be
_very_ careful when undoing the hoses at the old plastic-metal radiator.

Aleksander Mierzwa
Warsaw, Poland
mailto:alex@matrix.com.pl
87 Audi 5000CS turbo (mine)
88 Renault Medallion wagon (mom's)
91 mountain bike (just in case both cars broke at the same time :-)