Ok, the question that has not been asked.
what coolant are you using?
I think just cheap Tesco stuff! It had always done the trick in the past but I'll change it out for something of higher quality. What brands would you recommend?
Sorry, it does seem I missed that point.
In that case, I'd be saying most likely, your Ignition timing at idle and low engine speeds isn't where it should be. It could be fueling, but I think you'd be noticing other issues. It could possibly be lack of coolant circulation (pump running too slow), though I would tend to think not. One way to prove this is to temporarily fit a thermocouple type temp gauge to the lower radiator tank or slip in inside the lower hose.
That you aren't complaining of cooling issues when running, tends to say to me that it has ample cooling capacity - remember, around 30% of the power made in the cylinders is dumped in to the cooling system. You'd be making much more heat therefore at 60 mph than at idle. So I boil this down to (pun intended) air flow through the Radiator (is the electric fan spinning the right way ?) or simply making too much heat at these low engine speeds.
I definitely agree with your comments about airflow through the rad, and it lines up whit what others have said, especially regarding the inner wing cowling. The fan is definitely spinning the right way as I can feel hot air being pushed out from under the wheel arch.
The other area I would look at is the intake, I can't remember if your air filter has holes through the bonnet, if not, you'll be getting extremely hot air going straight into the cylinders.
There are no holes in the bonnet, but there is a gap between the bonnet and slam panel right in front of the filters. I had been putting off cutting holes as I was hoping to get away with it and I like the clean look, but I think some holes may need to be cut!
If I remember correctly your car is lowered {with big wheels}!?!
If the Revotec is struggling to get the temp back down then maybe its because there isn't enough capacity in the wheel arch for the fan to extract the hot air to and out of...once mine kicks in (rarely) at 90/95 it soons gets the temp back down and there is a hugh amount of hot air being pushed into and out of the wheel arch. Something else to consider.
Yes indeed, very low lol. This could be part of the problem to be honest. I can definitely feel the hot air being pushed out from the arch, I may look into some sort of subtle vent in the wing or A-panel if I can't sort the problem with ducting and a better coolant mix.
I have to agree with this, once my electric fan kicked in, it significantly dropped the temp, the amount of hot air coming out of the wheel arch was very noticeable, I never had another overheating problem. Double check you haven't got too much antifreeze in the coolant, it does reduce the cooling efficency considerably.
I suspect this could well be part of the problem. Before this conversation I was never aware that too much coolant/antifreeze could cause issues. I sort the mix out with some good quality stuff and then move onto wing ducting if that doesn't sort it out!
Thanks for all the input guys!
