2l 16v ABF conversion Radiator choice...

Hi all

Got a mk1 with ABF conversion, but it has the 1300 Driver radiator in it 46cm long x3.5cm thick x32cm height  (topfill radiator )…..fine on the motorway, but the guage moves too high in traffic.

What are the options, as RADTEC want £350 for a custom radiator.

No wonder that gets hot, that radiator is TINY……
LOL. I think you have your units mixed up. cm's?

I have a std GTI one in mine, but it's not finished yet so haven't tested it on the road. Would be interested in the thoughts of those that have done this conversion also.

huw169 said

No wonder that gets hot, that radiator is TINY……
LOL. I think you have your units mixed up. cm's?

I have a std GTI one in mine, but it's not finished yet so haven't tested it on the road. Would be interested in the thoughts of those that have done this conversion also.

HA HA…YEP changed it from mm to cm…

I've a Mk2 16v radiator in mine (1.8 16v KR) and it seems to keep the temperature fine  

I have a 1.3 topfill rad on my 2.0l 16v conversion and its fine i think, the temp does go to around 3/4 on the gauge wen sat in traffic but it doesnt go any hotter and once moving it goes straight back down to half way 

But it wud be nice to not have to keep checking the gauge once still in traffic :/

If u want a top fil then i have read somewhere that u can modify a 16v rad into a top fill urself if ur quite handy with a tool kit

Phoned RADTEC, they are looking into a custom one for me extra 10cm longer 1cm wider and same height with 48mm core. around £300.

bog std mk1/2 8v gti rad will be more than good enough, is dirt cheap and spares easy to come by. you'll need the fan shroud and the rad hoses to match it. i find top hose fits best if you flip it the other way and trim, bottom hose use a mk1/2 thermostat flange and its straight fit.

^^^
Yep - that's what I did  

Right went for a MK1 Polo radiator.  498X322X45.  witha 12" push fan on a manual switch. £ 100 all in.  Acustom radiator with a bigger core was £ 400…………………………………….
 

Having got mine on the road I can confirm with the std 1.8 gti rad she does run a little hotter. Needle used to sit just before the LED, now it sits on or just after the LED. Not to bad, but I am going to look at ways to bring it down.
A bigger rad is one option, but the space is really tight. I might just get a new rad as mine is probable sludged and less efficient.
I'm wondering if a lower temp thermostate would help.
I'm also planning on getting a switch to read the oil temp as I have the gauge, but it's not wired in.

Done a little research - probably stuff most of you know though.

Thermostat will not help. However, I have an 87deg one fitted from an 8v, and the 16v one is 82deg opening. I will change it for the 8sdeg one, but all this does is open the coolant flow to the radiator a few degree earlier. Some people drill little holes in thermostat to keep some flow when closed, but all this does is slow the warm up process - not a good idea.

I'll buy a new rad as mine is quite old. Bigger rads are more custom applications, and I'm not paying £200+ for a few degrees cooler. Std 1.8Gti rad is about £30 and should be more than adequate.

New rad switch. Can get ones that kick the fan in at 95deg and switch it off at 87deg (might ebven be the standard spec, but hard to tell). If you want, you could put a manual switch on the dash to switch the fan on when you want, but this is not really necessary. I wouldn't remove the wiring for the fan switch though.

I left mine idling yesterday for ages in the garage. Needle didn't get past the LED and the fan kicked in a few times. When I'm out on the road though it does get hotter, which I was surprised at as there is more cooling air flowing through the rad.

Need to get my oil pressure and oil temp gauge rigged up.

Used a non contact thermometer on the body of the water temp switch, rad, oil temp switch, and bottom rad hose just to see if thermostat was working. Rad showed 100deg on top surface as fan kicked in, but less on the rad body. Water and oil switched about 90deg which is about the right running temp for the engine, so should be good.

I also have an original manual and it states that anything between the upper and lower areas on the gauge is fine. I have a of 100 miles to do tonight from Portsmouth to Swindon, so we'll see how the temperature settles as I don't think i'll be able to resist a bit of right foot…..

1/2 is where it should sit, it may just be down to the temp sensor being slightly different resistance, but you are correct the stock abf thermostat is slightly colder than a stock mk1/2/3 one (mk2 16v stat is same as mk1/2 8v)

also if as you say rad is old it could just be a bit furred up inside. my mk2 abf with nice new 1.8 8v hella rad runs below 1/2 but thats more to do with the abf cooler thermostat than anything.

no need to mess with lower temp radiator sensor, the stock one is fine

Yes, I agree with the new rad plan. I'll order one later.
I'm not going to touch my fan switch either as it seems to be functioning fine.
New thermostat at 82degC will be going in.

Need to get one of those dual oil pressure switches for my gauge. Who sells them? GSF?
Thanks

dependign on your gauge range:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Pressure-0-10-bar-M10x1-Sender-Unit-replaces-VDO-unit-Two-Post-/371042081669

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-Pressure-0-5-bar-M10x1-Sender-Unit-replaces-VDO-unit-Two-Post-/390657708382

Thanks rubjonny.
I'll get one on order.

With my coolant header topped up to the right level   the temp seems fine. (Thought the line below seam was max!!! Should have gone to Specsavers!) Although my MFA was telling my my oil temp was 170degC! Can I just take the temp signal from the oil temp sensor to my VDO gauge instead? I suspect it will be more accurate.
Thanks

depends on the gauge, some use vw white oil sender some use different blue audi sender.

if its reading 170 on the mfa the wire is either shorted to ground somewhere or the sensor is dead

I too find the ABF running warm, but I've got the 1.8 carb rad on mine. It's a few inches shorter than the gti variant. The agm served as an excellent forum for seeing what all these other conversions are doing. I bought the larger gti aluminium rad , direnza, and will be fitting aftermarket slim fans as my current arrangement is fouling the engine loom. Fan starts running within a few seconds of stopping, and is on 90% of the time when I park up.
I want to put the slim fans onto the rad, but a little confused over choice. Slim fans range from c£20 to £300!
Anybody know which ones to avoid or buy?
What are the three wires on the fan for?

As above, mine was running to the right of the led. 

I got 1.3 polo radiator with 50 % water 50 % antifreeze, also 12" slimline push fan.  (TX Autosport)  I run that on a manual switch….done very well so far in the warm temps.

did you keep the fan on the thermostat also? or is it purely manual operation?

I've been searching the interweb tonight and I reckon that the fan is two speed, but I'm thinking of having a push fan on stage 1, and pull fan on stage 2… but then again I'm also seeking a standard GTI radiator cowling to fit over the rad.

Purely on manual switch…just wait to get to 1/2 way  then it goes on.