Hi,

Needswings sells an awesome split cooling (intercooler separation) kit consisting of a couple of houses and I get the concept. But I have seen many folks on MBWorld actually use BMW power steering reservoirs or come up with other solutions to have a separate cooling reservoir.
Are bot equally effective or is one better than the other at cooling temps? Also I don't see a lot DIY instructions for both. How difficult are they to install?

I'd love to hear an honest comparison and a source for a DIY.

Thanks guys!

 

Here are two articles to read and you can choose:

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...r-install.html

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-pump-srt.html

 

Thanks for posting these. I went though both but it doesn't really clarify whether the Needswings coolant separation kit is as effective as having a separate reservoir. On MBWorld I see a lot of C32s put in a BMW reservoir (I think power steering). I don't hear much about it in the Crossfire community and some people say the Needswings intercooler separation kit with just a couple of hoses is enough to drop temps considerably and second best to getting a larger heart exchanger.
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I would ask tighed1's Avatar
tighed1

 

No matter which of those two choices they both get heat saturated. The one with more coolant will take a bit longer to saturate, but eventually they get to about the same temperature. The key to cooler temperatures is to have not only more fluid, but also larger area heat exchanger.

I made my own tank and have two small fans behind the OEM heat exchanger which I can turn off or on from the drivers seat. When stuck in traffic I will run the fans, but when getting up to about 30 mph I shut them off as enough air will flow through the heat exchanger without them running. Ambient air temps make a huge difference. During the summer heat exchanger coolant temps easily get up to 150, 160F range here in South Alabama when in tight traffic. It will eventually cool down to about 35 degrees above ambient when driving about 45 or 50 mph, but higher speeds will raise the temperature another 10 degrees. In the cooler spring and fall time of the year temps will go down and run much cooler. I also have installed a temperature gauge to monitor the water temperature of the intercooler. An added benefit to the additional tank is it will take all pressure out of the intercooler tank system. A good number of Crossfires have had leaks in the intercooler and it is suspected they develop because of the pressure in the system as it comes from the factory.

First thing you need to do is wire up the coolant pump so it runs full time when the ignition is turned on. ( It is in one of those links above) There is a write up on how to do that here in the Forum. Finding a way to stabilize the extra coolant tank takes some engineering, but mine is stable and sets well in it's place. Thing is there just isn't much room so you are limited as to the size of an added on tank. Below is a picture of how I did it, using a 4 inch piece of heavy aluminum tubing as the basic tank structure. One other thing; If you elect to use another tank you will have a hose from the bottom of the OEM engine coolant reservoir that is no longer needed. Some simple pinch it off. I removed the SRT6 reservoir and installed a Limited coolant tank to make a clean installation.


I have used an aluminized insulating blanket around the tank which is not in this photo to protect the metal of the tank from radiant heating.

 

Any long term issues with coolant pump always on? Seems like it would cause premature wear...

 

I have been in the cooling system business for 45+ years. Most all of my work has been with Original Equipment Manufactures off Off-Highway equipment. Having said that the laws of physics do not change if your cooling 300 hp or 3,000 hp. There was several hours of manufacturing and design engineering spent on the cooling package on your crossfire. Making changes the following needs to be known.

• Air Flow
• Air restrictions
• Water Flow
• Pressure Drops
• GPM
• Expansion Tank Size (Closed System or Open System)

I had discussed this is less detail on another thread and still believe the best options if Engine Performance has not been changed to Replace OEM, Repair, or re-build at local radiator shop.

 

nickwie21, "Any long term issues with coolant pump always on? Seems like it would cause premature wear..."

When the water isn't flowing, it's heating.

 

Your water pump is flowing continuously. This flow also lubs your pump. Unless you have replaced your mechanical water pump with an on / off pump, Your pump is always on and temperature controlled by your thermostat based on ambient and gpm.

 

Koolub2,
Nickwe21 and I are talking about the electric powered intercooler/supercharger system: Not the engine cooling. Start from post one and read the entire thread. This pertains to the SRT6 model only.

 

All is tied to the water jacket cooling.. My knowledge. Hope all works out for you.

 

Very confused about some of these comments LOL.

All of my questions deal with the cooling system of the SRT6 especially pertaining to the split cooling (separating intercooler cooling from engine cooling) to drop the temperatures a few degrees.


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The point is to separate the "water jacket cooling" so the coolant doesn't have to cool engine and intercooler at the same time or vice versa. The goal is to cool the engine separately from the intercooler cooling circuit.