I prepared a video about how the car performs on a day like this. Today was over 35ºC.

This is a fast road. (120Km/h limit)

I tried to keep my speed as fast as possible and tried to keep up with the traffic. Limiting factors are, traffic, overheating and max speed limit. Normally the temp sits at first line from the bottom. When going uphill, it quickly climbs. When it reaches flat position, I tried to keep it there. So no more gas even if it can go faster.

 

Details about the car:

- 1993 Skoda Forman LX (I'm owner from January. Multiple previous owners. Unknown milage. I found an old bill when working inside the car. That indicates 160K Km dated 2004) Current mileage just over 100K. The car runs on LPG.

- 80ºC new Vernet thermostat

- Calorstat by Vernet 68-82 new thermal switch. (Installed for summer, the car had 87-92 before)

- New magneti-marelli radiator.

- Fuchs Ethylene glycol based blue antifreeze with %50 distilled water. (The car had murky coolant which had -10ºC measured capacity when I got it. Flushed twice with distilled water and used 50/50 with the same brand ever since)

- Castrol GTX UltraClean 10W40 Semi-synthetic motor oil. New.

- Bosch 165959455G VW six blade fan motor with Felicia full fan cover 6U0121207. (Direct connection to battery. Runs after full stop)

- VW Vento 5.5" steel rims with 175/70 R13 summer tires.

- Unknown gearbox ratios.

- Unknown status of water pump.

- New headgasket.

 

Details about video:

- 30 min. trip in a fast road.

- Two people in the car.

- ABS light is connected to the fan.

- All windows are closed after short time from the beginning.

- The car is on gasoline in the first part. When returning, I switched to LPG on the road. After 16 min. the car is acting weird and shaking for a short duration. That's gasoline to LPG transition. Leftover gasoline in the carburetor makes a too rich mixture.

 

Timecode:

- 00:00~01:10 40Km/h to 80Km/h acceleration.

- 01:10~04:00 Hill climb 80Km/h

- 04:00~05:30 Downhill idle 100Km/h

- 05:30~06:20 Downhill full throttle to 120Km/h

- 06:20~7:40 slight up&down. Fast. 100Km/h

- 07:40~9:00 hill climb with 80Km/h

- 09:00~10:10 slight down, slight up 80Km/h

- 10:10~13:30 long climb with 80Km/h HIGH TEMP!

- 14:00~16:00 turn back

- 16:00~17:30 switch to LPG (Down to normal temp again)

- 17:30~20:00 downhill

- 20:00~20:30 bridge cross

- 20:30~21:50 steep hill climb 70Km/h High Temp again.

- 21:50~22:50 steep downhill not enough to cool down

- 22:50~26:00 hill climb start with already hot engine. speed down to 60Km/h

- 26:00~26:45 Finish.

 

 

Could you please tell me what you think about generally everything that is out of ordinary?

I had no cars before so I don't know how a 40kW car performs or how a Favorit performs.

What do you think about the cooling system?

 

 

So it's Turkey. Nice highways you have there. To me the most telling part of the trip was the long uphill. The engine performed excellent for a car of its age. That is why we love this small family car.

3 hours ago, RicardoM said:

So it's Turkey. Nice highways you have there. To me the most telling part of the trip was the long uphill. The engine performed excellent for a car of its age. That is why we love this small family car.

Thanks RicaroM. We worked a lot on the car and still there is much more to be done. I'm glad the car is designed so easily repairable.

 

So this is a place where old Skodas can still be found.

Just a side note, I'm not a fan of brands, types or the colors of the cars. At the end of the day, all you could ask for is well maintained cars, flowing in a harmony.

1 hour ago, R_Blue said:

We worked a lot on the car and still there is much more to be done.

Keep us posted. You are good at documenting repairs.

Man you are mister documented

Well temperature wise its 107% ok perfect dont even worry bout it, if you want do a run on those hills where you try to maintain 100kmh for example i bet temperature is going to stay put

On 03/08/2021 at 03:44, R_Blue said:

- Bosch 165959455G VW six blade fan motor with Felicia full fan cover 6U0121207. (Direct connection to battery. Runs after full stop)

 

No relay?

Throw the 68-82 fan switch in the trash, my friend.

this is running the fan for too long.

 

Calorstat by Vernet 68-82 new thermal switch. (Installed for summer, the car had 87-92 before)

This is the real reason why skoda favorit and felicia burned head gaskets in turkey.

And tap water. 

17 minutes ago, mturgut said:

this is running the fan for too long.

agree

On 03/08/2021 at 10:21, RicardoM said:

Keep us posted. You are good at documenting repairs.

 

On 03/08/2021 at 13:20, Thefeliciahacker said:

Man you are mister documented

Thanks!

 

On 03/08/2021 at 13:31, Thefeliciahacker said:

Well temperature wise its 107% ok perfect dont even worry bout it, if you want do a run on those hills where you try to maintain 100kmh for example i bet temperature is going to stay put

No it won't stay.  I tried it.

I only wanted to know if everything was normal. Thanks for verifying.

 

On 04/08/2021 at 12:00, D.FYLAKTOS said:

No relay?

You mean the common relay that is connected to 5,6,7th fuses? When I got the car, I've searched for a cable that would be coming from other side of the firewall for radiator fan. I couldn't find such a cable. The fan had been connected from alternator terminal. It works independently from key switch.

 

On 05/08/2021 at 12:01, mturgut said:

Throw the 68-82 fan switch in the trash, my friend.

this is running the fan for too long.

I've been looking for an alternate. Hopefully I'll replace it with a medium value.

Meanwhile, I did an experimental work for a better cooling but I couldn't test it properly. Details will be here.

On 06/08/2021 at 23:09, R_Blue said:

Meanwhile, I did an experimental work for a better cooling but I couldn't test it properly. Details will be here.

That experimental upgrade was 1.6 Felicia radiator.

Now a second test video is here:

 

Differences from the first video:

- Vika 6U0121253 (Felicia 1.6) new radiator.

- New coolant. Shell LongLife Antifreeze. G12/G12+ OAT. Color: Orange. Mix ratio: 3:2

- All road completed with gasoline.

 

Timecode from the first video for your convenience:

On 03/08/2021 at 03:44, R_Blue said:

Timecode:

1. - 00:00~01:10 40Km/h to 80Km/h acceleration.
2. - 01:10~04:00 Hill climb 80Km/h
3. - 04:00~05:30 Downhill idle 100Km/h
4. - 05:30~06:20 Downhill full throttle to 120Km/h
5. - 06:20~7:40 slight up&down. Fast. 100Km/h
6. - 07:40~9:00 hill climb with 80Km/h
7. - 09:00~10:10 slight down, slight up 80Km/h
8. - 10:10~13:30 long climb with 80Km/h HIGH TEMP!
9. - 14:00~16:00 turn back
10. - 16:00~17:30 switch to LPG (Down to normal temp again)
11. - 17:30~20:00 downhill
12. - 20:00~20:30 bridge cross
13. - 20:30~21:50 steep hill climb 70Km/h High Temp again.
14. - 21:50~22:50 steep downhill not enough to cool down
15. - 22:50~26:00 hill climb start with already hot engine. speed down to 60Km/h
16. - 26:00~26:45 Finish.

 

New timecode:

 

1. - 00:00~01:10 40Km/h to 80Km/h acceleration.
2. - 01:10~03:45 Hill climb 80Km/h
3. - 03:45~05:10 Downhill idle 100Km/h
4. - 05:10~05:50 Downhill full throttle to 120Km/h
5. - 05:50~07:10 slight up&down. Fast. 110Km/h
6. - 07:10~08:35 hill climb with 80Km/h
7. - 08:35~09:30 slight down, slight up 105Km/h
8. - 09:30~12:05 long climb with 100Km/h. Big difference. Check temp gauge!
9. - 12:05~14:30 turn back
10. - 14:30~15:00 Fast 110Km/h. Did not switched to LPG on this run. -50 sec. gain.
11. - 15:00~17:55 downhill
12. - 17:55~18:20 bridge cross
13. - 18:20~19:30 steep hill climb 80Km/h. Big difference. Check temp gauge!
14. - 19:30~20:35 steep downhill Engine is cool!
15. - 20:35~22:40 hill climb 80Km/h. HUGE DIFFERENCE!
16. - 22:40~23:39 Finish.

 

Notes:

- All road completed at 23:39 compared to 26:45 before. (1 min. gained from elimination of LPG switch section)

- Because of the 80ºC thermostat "normal" operating temp for this car is the first gap on the temp gauge.

- Temp gauge is not climbing fast like in the first video and it never reached flat position!

- Section no:15 is the most important part. Huge difference there. Compare section 15 from first and second videos.

- Fast sections are generally full or close to full throttle but section 15 is pedal-to-the-metal.

- Note several trucks and cars on the road side with their engine compartments open due to overheating.

17 hours ago, R_Blue said:

 

 

- New coolant. Shell LongLife Antifreeze. G12/G12+ OAT. Color: Orange. Mix ratio: 3:2

 

 

From VW TL774C (G11) to VW TL774D (G12) and then to TL774F (G12+) ?

24 minutes ago, D.FYLAKTOS said:

From VW TL774C (G11) to VW TL774D (G12) and then to TL774F (G12+) ?

Good catch.  Product bottle was left at the car so I got that info from Kemetyl web site.

G spec is not written on the bottle but it is TL774F. So it's G12+.

Coolant is BS 6580:1992 compatible.

I use green stuff but g12+ is ok

4 minutes ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

I use green stuff but g12+ is ok

When I got the car. It had brown stuff.

19 hours ago, R_Blue said:

- Temp gauge is not climbing fast like in the first video and it never reached flat position!

That is not necessarily a good thing. The ideal engine temperature is around 90 deg C. The temperature should raise fast to 90 then stay there.

1 minute ago, RicardoM said:

That is not necessarily a good thing. The ideal engine temperature is around 90 deg C. The temperature should raise fast to 90 then stay there.

Absolutely. But overheating damage risk is higher with standard thermostats, so in hot climates Skoda advised 80ºC and that was 30 years ago. (Climate have changed) One of the main aims of this project is to create a more reliable cooling system to be able to install standard value parts.

 

Is it OK to install 88ºC thermostat now? Looks like it's staying at the 80ish levels. That means it will stay at the 90ºC too now. Isn't it?

 

My options are:

Thermostat:

80,84,88

Thermal switch:

80-85, 82-92, 87-92

4 hours ago, R_Blue said:

It had brown stuff

It got brown with rust most likely it was pink g12

 

3 hours ago, R_Blue said:

Thermostat:

80 (let you rad do its job)

 

3 hours ago, R_Blue said:

Thermal switch

 

87-92 for least fan operation (my option)

82-92 for a slightly cooler car but with more fan operation

 

In any case the car is running very cool maybe just a bit too cool

Edited 14 August, 20214 yr by Thefeliciahacker

22 hours ago, RicardoM said:

Temp gauge is not climbing fast like in the first video and it never reached flat position!

 

In the panel's gauge is one notch above 90 which means it's 91-92 'C but with another gauge (digital for example) you could measure it exactly and it could be one click less.

This car should working beyond this point (as some French cars do) but not in too low temperatures.

 

18 hours ago, Thefeliciahacker said:

 

87-92 for least fan operation (my option)

82-92 for a slightly cooler car but with more fan operation

 

I have Mahle 80-85

a 10 points scale as 82-92 will raise the fuel consumption especially on traffic with high temperatures as we have here in Mediterranean area because the fan may never stop working (personal experience).

On 14/08/2021 at 18:52, Thefeliciahacker said:

In any case the car is running very cool maybe just a bit too cool

Thanks!

If this is cool, your beauty is sculptured from solid ice!

 

On 15/08/2021 at 13:49, D.FYLAKTOS said:

In the panel's gauge is one notch above 90 which means it's 91-92 'C but with another gauge (digital for example) you could measure it exactly and it could be one click less.

This car should working beyond this point (as some French cars do) but not in too low temperatures.

 

On 15/08/2021 at 13:49, D.FYLAKTOS said:

I have Mahle 80-85

a 10 points scale as 82-92 will raise the fuel consumption especially on traffic with high temperatures as we have here in Mediterranean area because the fan may never stop working (personal experience).

The info you are providing is very valuable. Thanks.

I like the way you think and mod the car's interior. Analogue temp gauge without proper numbering is worthless when accurate measurements are needed. I'll make a digital conversion like you did to your car.

 

I know you have A/C in your car and it's 1.3 right? Do you have the standard 1.3 radiator? Or maybe a special one (3 core copper) like I saw on internet when browsing for radiators?

Edited 16 August, 20214 yr by R_Blue

Well I have ac. But honestly we don't know what's happening with radiators. Papez and me think that all 1.3 rads are the same just the ones with ac have full shroud and 6blade powerful fan. 

As for my felly well it's looking good after many years. And thank you.

We hit 135.999 km haha. Planning to keep this car for as long as possible. 

 

I also have the factory radiator, i don't know if it could help more to add a different one.

 

17 hours ago, R_Blue said:

3 core copper radiator

 

Isn't for very old models?

On 16/08/2021 at 23:25, Thefeliciahacker said:

As for my felly well it's looking good after many years. And thank you.

We hit 135.999 km haha. Planning to keep this car for as long as possible. 

That's a car worth keeping. A very fine example of caring ownership.

 

So you both have 1.3 engines with A/C and living in hot Mediterranean climate with standard size radiators and your cars are not overheating???? WOW! Unbelievable! Looks like your cars are made by Hephaestus himself!

 

This radiator is 6U0121251: Standard 1.3

https://pasteboard.co/KgrtGn2.png

 

This one is 6U0121251C: 1.3 with A/C or power steering

https://pasteboard.co/Kgruc3M.jpg

 

Both look identical but if you look closer, I think 6U0121251C version has thicker cores.

Fav./Fel. standard radiator has 2x15 core configuration. 15 is divided in to three bundles and the water takes two turns inside of the radiator before leaving.

I have both 1.3 and 1.6 at my hands right now. The longer 1.6 radiator has 2x16 core configuration and cores are thicker too. The water flowing inside this radiator takes only one turn before exiting.

 

This is the copper radiator I've found before:

https://pasteboard.co/KgryngV.jpg

I think only one source is selling this and so it may be a custom production. I thought this was a standard part.

The seller claims this is copper with 3 cores and looking at the picture, there are thinner cores. Looks like a 3x27 !!! unit!

I couldn't find any info about its effectiveness.

The price is $90 which is thrice compared to standard 1.3 rad. ($30)