[DeTomaso] FLUIDYNE RADIATOR STORY

Sun Jan 26 15:47:36 EST 2014

My Fluidyne radiator has been working flawlessly since I installed it in 
2005.

It solved the overheating problems I had with the clogged up original 
brass radiator, which had been cleaned up and repaired, apparently to no 
avail.

Thomas

2014-01-26 21:29, Scott Bell skrev:
> I respectfully disagree completely with your conclusions…
>
> I actually see nothing wrong with their conclusion other than the
> cylinder head gasket assumption.
>
> It looks like the real problem was someone put the wrong fans on the
> radiator.
>
> I see no evidence that the radiator was at fault. If the radiator was
> ruined by the pressure washer then we could have just replaced the fans
> to prove one way or another what was at fault. But because the radiator
> was ruined, there was no choice but to replace it.
>
> If you really want to prove something, put the original fans back on it
> and watch the problem come back… Since your car is running fine now,
> Don’t DO THAT. My point is, there is no proof yet that the radiator was
> at fault.
>
> Just chock it up to lesion learned. Fluidyne radiators have been working
> fine for hundreds of Pantera Owners and I really DON’T see know way a
> radiator could only flow air only one way, BUT, a fan can do that. In
> addition, if the radiator truly only flowed air one way, it would
> overheat at speed as well as in traffic.
>
> Just my opinion, but I think blaming Fluidyne is a bit premature here.
>
> Scott
>
> *From:*DeTomaso [mailto:detomaso-bounces at poca.com] *On Behalf Of
> *LEVITT1946 at aol.com
> *Sent:* Sunday, January 26, 2014 11:28 AM
> *To:* detomaso at poca.com
> *Subject:* [DeTomaso] FLUIDYNE RADIATOR STORY
>
> Hello All,
>
> Many of you go thru high heat issues with the Pantera.
>
> When I purchased my car in 2008 the previous owner told me if I was in
> traffic to just pull over . I was determined to cure this car from high
> heat exposure.
>
> The first things I attached on the car was the following:
>
> Replaced Water Pump with Hi Flow Water Pump
>
> Replaced Thermostat ( many times)
>
> Replaced the old brass radiator with an new Aluminum  radiator from Summit.
>
> Replaced Meriah fans with new sucker fans
>
> Replaced antifreeze and purged air from system  (many times)
>
> Did complete Tune Up. ( many times)
>
> Now it was time for the big test. I got on the highway and the car was
> holding temp at a steady 180. The minute I got off the highway the temp
> started rising to the point of boil over. I could hear my pressure
> bottle perculating.
>
> This went on for years. I drove the car across the USA in the Gumball
> Rally.As long as the car was moving I knew we would be ok and we made it
> from Santa Monica California to Miami Beach safely.
>
> The car was still running hot so I tracked down an NOS Pressure tank and
> overflow bottle from a place in Modena Italy. I thought maybe there was
> something wrong with my pressure and overflow bottles.
>
> My local mechanic replaced the pressure and overflow bottles and the car
> started to overheat immediately. The only part to look at now was the
> FLUIDYNE Radiator that I had replaced 4 years ago when I purchased the car.
>
> We let the car cool a little and then restarted the car. My mechanic
> said he was going to run water over the front of the radiator when I
> started the car. I was in the car while it was running to see if the
> water temp would lower as he ran the hose on the front of the FLUIDYNE
> radiator. The temp was lowering! . Then he said shut the car. My
> Mechanic said that since I had sucker fans my car should have been
> sprayed with water when he ran the water on the front of the radiator.
> Instead the car was DRY . This meant that the radiator was now allowing
> the water to flow through and thus no air could flow through either.
>
> Next step was to reverse the fans to blow out the front of the car and
> leave it idling in place . The car ran at a steady 180 for 30 minutes
> and the temp did not rise. This told us that the radiator was fault and
> only flowed ONE WAY .
>
> I could not believe that the radiator could be faulty. I drove home and
> cleaned the radiator with a pressure washer and ruined every fin on the
> radiator.
>
> Then I contacted the owner of Fluidyne. I explained what we had done and
> in summary we felt we had a one way radiator that could only flow air
> one way . I also admitted that I had pressure washed the radiator and
> ruined the outside fins. Hard to believe but TRUE.
>
> He asked me to send the radiator to him and if they faund any defect in
> workmanship he would replace the radiator at no charge.   He came up
> with every excuse possible. He cut the radiator in half to look at the
> internals of the radiator.
>
> *_Here is FLUIDYNES actual response_*:
>
> /Good Morning Robert,/
>
> //
>
> /_Further to our investigation_//:/
>
> ·/Your radiator was inspected upon receipt and found to be ‘bloated’ …
> swollen in the middle of the core, consistent with symptoms of
> over-pressurization./
>
> ·/The fans were tested while installed on the core and operation was
> verified.  They seemed to pull a reasonable amount of air. /
>
> ·/The fans were then removed and inspected.  The fans are “pusher” fans…
> not “puller” fans as you were told.  [See pic 3 to see arrow markings]/
>
> o/They most likely were wired to work as  “pullers” but the performance
> would be significantly hampered considering the pitch of the blade is
> backwards/
>
> ·/The Inlet/Outlet water tank was removed to inspect the core.  Debris
> was found near the top & bottom [see pic 1 and 2] which had plugged
> several tubes./
>
> o/This is not a significant blockage but we noted that foreign debris
> was indeed inside the core. /
>
> ·/The Return water tank was then removed [pic 4] which showed a
> significant amount of engine oil has passed thru the core. /
>
> o/We suspect this oil was introduced to the radiator by failure of a
> cylinder head gasket./
>
> o/I appears the oil remained in the core for some time as it would not
> wipe off. /
>
> o/We also assume this failure created the high pressure event that
> caused the core to be over-pressurized./
>
> ·/The Core shows no internal structural damage and the outside structure
> [air fin] was heavily damaged as you know and has rendered the core
> useless./
>
> //
>
> /_Conclusion_//:/
>
> /The outside air fin has sustained significant damage and 90% of the
> louvers have been bent shut in both directions.  The radiator core
> appears to be sound.  We noted no failures of our Materials or
> Workmanship nor evidence of Electrolysis erosion.  The
> over-pressurization event, while it likely created the ‘bloated’ shape
> of the unit, does not appear to have affected the core’s performance. /
>
> //
>
> /The only anomaly we discovered was the fact that as installed, the
> pusher fans were likely wired to run backwards as puller fans.  This
> creates significant turbulence in and around the fan housing and would
> reduce performance by as much as 50%/
>
> //
>
> /_Next Steps_//:/
>
> /As I mentioned, we have initiated production of a replacement radiator
> [with the new 5-row Pantera core] for you.  Per your instructions, we
> will install your fan temp sensors on the new core.  You have also asked
> us to install your fans but in light of the problems noted here, I
> believe you may want to consider replacing these units.  We can install
> new Spal units [the only brand I handle] if you prefer and I also
> suggest we install a Zinc Anode in the drain bung to protect against
> Electrolysis in the future./
>
> All of FLUIDYNES excuses and blaming the engine had cylinder head gasket
> leaks was a bunch of BS. I ended up paying for the new radiator and fans
> because I had no choice . Fluidyne should have stood behind their
> product but they DID NOT.
>
> We installed the new radiator on the car as well as two lights on the
> dash that would tell me when each fan was on and off. This way I knew
> the fans were working.
>
> We let the car run for  a solid hour at the shop and the car never rose
> over 180 degrees. The high heat problem that existed for years was
> finally gone. My mechanic said that once I hit the highway the fans
> would actually shut off.
>
> On the way home from the shop both fans were RUNNING as they should. I
> entered the highway and in five minutes one fan shut down and then the
> other. I now had total confidence in the car.
>
> I guess the cylinder head gasket leaks that Fluidyne said my engine had,
> repaired itself .  BS
>
> Just thought you guys should know.
>
> Best ,
>
> Bob Levitt
>
> !DSPAM:52e5707c18251112165693!
>
>
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Real life:   Thomas Törnblom             Email:	   thomas at hax.se
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