FL5 Overheated on Track

[tezzasaurusrex]

An overheat warning came up on the dash, the temp bars were all the way to the H and the coolant temps read at 258. It's occurs in the last 3-4 minutes of my video.

At 1.1bar cap pressure (stock pressure cap) with a 50/50 glycol mix (factory Honda Type II coolant) you're looking at a boiling point of around 125°C (257°F) so you were dancing right on the limit - there would have been water pump cavitation for sure, but the system may have self bled itself through normal driving. Did any coolant bleed out of the expansion tank?

EDIT; Just re-read your original post. I guess all you can do is top it up and keep sending. These K20C1's are pretty stout engines, I would imagine it should be fine as I'm sure you aren't the only one who has done this across the FK2, FK8 and FL5 platforms. Worst case its a head off/skim and new head gasket. Don't stress <3

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[Aero1900]

At 1.1bar cap pressure (stock pressure cap) with a 50/50 glycol mix (factory Honda Type II coolant) you're looking at a boiling point of around 125°C (257°F) so you were dancing right on the limit - there would have been water pump cavitation for sure, but the system may have self bled itself through normal driving. Did any coolant bleed out of the expansion tank?

Pretty sure he said about an ounce did

 

[ne_typer]

Did any other FL5s overheat that day?

 

[PointByPatrol]

At 1.1bar cap pressure (stock pressure cap) with a 50/50 glycol mix (factory Honda Type II coolant) you're looking at a boiling point of around 125°C (257°F) so you were dancing right on the limit - there would have been water pump cavitation for sure, but the system may have self bled itself through normal driving. Did any coolant bleed out of the expansion tank?

EDIT; Just re-read your original post. I guess all you can do is top it up and keep sending. These K20C1's are pretty stout engines, I would imagine it should be fine as I'm sure you aren't the only one who has done this across the FK2, FK8 and FL5 platforms. Worst case its a head off/skim and new head gasket. Don't stress <3

Never saw a temp above 258. It spit just a tiny amount out perhaps an ounce, maybe less. It was hardly a mess to clean up.

 

[ne_typer]

There’s a small chance you may have not seen a temp above 258 because it can’t actually go above 258

 

[julianobl]

What's the concensus on the first thing to overheat: coolant or oil?

i would say oil 100%

i tracked the car last week on 92F ambient temperature and rarely does the coolant temperature reach 220+F and it cools off very quickly if you lift

on the other hand oil reaches 270F with 2 or 3 hot laps

my car has several mods and pushing close to 450whp on 93oct

I didn’t record all heats but from the recorded sessions these were the highest temps i could find

 

[BigBird]

At 1.1bar cap pressure (stock pressure cap) with a 50/50 glycol mix (factory Honda Type II coolant) you're looking at a boiling point of around 125°C (257°F) so you were dancing right on the limit - there would have been water pump cavitation for sure, but the system may have self bled itself through normal driving. Did any coolant bleed out of the expansion tank?

EDIT; Just re-read your original post. I guess all you can do is top it up and keep sending. These K20C1's are pretty stout engines, I would imagine it should be fine as I'm sure you aren't the only one who has done this across the FK2, FK8 and FL5 platforms. Worst case its a head off/skim and new head gasket. Don't stress <3

I saw a FK8 overheat and the head basically instantly warped, and not sure if it was covered by Honda

 

[sashimi]

There is an interesting claim that DE5 has way less issues with overheating on track. Baffles me what Acura could have done different, cooling isn't an easy/cheap fix.

 

[ne_typer]

There is an interesting claim that DE5 has way less issues with overheating on track. Baffles me what Acura could have done different, cooling isn't an easy/cheap fix.

before this becomes forum lore, remember that the ITS is running a different tune. Less boost, more timing, different cam overlap.

 

[Clark_Kent]

Even if you invest in an oil cooler, the temps won’t change. The oil temp for these cars is a calculated value based on load, coolant temperatures, IATs, etc. just FYI.

That's right. I recall this was disclosed months ago, but it bears repeating so thanks for resurfacing it. Running an oil cooler doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you can't adequately monitor oil temps.

An aftermarket oil temp sensor/gauge solution (Defi, Innovate, AEM) would be a good start to better understand stock cooling capabilities before looking at oil cooler options. Also, I'm keen to know if the oil temp sensor from the JDM (and other markets) is plug and play for the USDM vehicles. This is assuming it's a proper oil temp sensor. Anyone know if this is possible?

NOTE: I quoted your post from another thread as it will likely get more traction here.

 

[CTR]

I'm keen to know if the oil temp sensor from the JDM (and other markets) is plug and play for the USDM vehicles. This is assuming it's a proper oil temp sensor. Anyone know if this is possible?

I'm also curious about this. Would be amazing if we can swap it in, plug in a connector, and get an actual reading that we can trust.

I'm assuming the reason the Log R doesn't export oil temp is that it's not an actual measurement. I was reading in another thread that this extrapolated data will be irrespective of oil weight so if you end up swapping to 5W-30 or something different keep this in mind when reading the Log R display. I'm sure someone will log the data with both weights and give a delta that you can keep in the back of your mind when tracking.

I think Honda did more engineering than many expected in terms of flow to the radiator. They probably intentionally kept the intercooler smaller.

 

[BigBird]

There is an interesting claim that DE5 has way less issues with overheating on track. Baffles me what Acura could have done different, cooling isn't an easy/cheap fix.

because the DE5 is slower ( I own a DE5, so I can say that lolol)

 

[PointByPatrol]

I saw a FK8 overheat and the head basically instantly warped, and not sure if it was covered by Honda

Like full on smoke under the hood kind of overheat?

 

[PointByPatrol]

That's right. I recall this was disclosed months ago, but it bears repeating so thanks for resurfacing it. Running an oil cooler doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you can't adequately monitor oil temps.

An aftermarket oil temp sensor/gauge solution (Defi, Innovate, AEM) would be a good start to better understand stock cooling capabilities before looking at oil cooler options. Also, I'm keen to know if the oil temp sensor from the JDM (and other markets) is plug and play for the USDM vehicles. This is assuming it's a proper oil temp sensor. Anyone know if this is possible?

NOTE: I quoted your post from another thread as it will likely get more traction here.

I've considered grabbing a gauge, but I really don't want to drill holes in my dash for gauge pods. I've done some searching around, but to no avail for a gauge pod that doesn't require modification of factory components. Have you seen any?

 

[PointByPatrol]

Just a side update. My PWR track spec intercooler has arrived. I plan to install it this weekend. Instead of straight coolant I'll be running a bottle of water wetter, 1 gallon of distilled water, and the remainder will be topped off with Honda coolant.

Other necessary items were ordered as well: New Paragon R7 front pads w/ titanium shims and a new set of Nitto NT01 tires.

I've also placed an order for the Radium coolant tank, but I don't think it'll arrive in time for my next track event. What I like about the Radium product is the fact that you can see the coolant level much easier than the stock tank. Even a high powered flash light has trouble exposing the coolant level inside.

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