Heat and Turbo Lag Issues?

[GTGallop]

Here lately we have gotten to the really fun part of an Arizona Summer. You know the part where it's 115°F in the shade. Air temps coming off the asphalt in full sun are significantly higher. I've seen 122°F on the dash while driving. It's so hot that the Auto Start/Stop Feature has stopped auto stopping.

Since the temps have gone up, I've noticed my throttle response dropping off, especially on take off. Truck is really sluggish from a dead stop. Then all of the sudden it isn't. It feels like a slow spooling turbo. Happens in normal drive mode and sport mode. Someone is going to suggest trying to accelerate without the AC on. F-YOU! See Previous paragraph about 122°F on the dash while moving. The interior plastics and seats get so hot that it does take a while to chill the interior. My assumption / expectation is that Ford has the AC management all sorted out by 2019 so that you can actually go when the light turns green.

Then this weekend, we did some cruising around at night. Casual driving. After sundown. Temps still in the 105°F range. Then I parked the truck on the driveway, went inside and did some stuff for 45ish minutes. Came out on the driveway to talk with a neighbor and leaned up against the front fender. Damn near burnt my back it was so hot - through the t-shirt!

The hood was mildly warm. The grille and bumper area mildly warm. The fender closer to the door was mildly warm. All about what you would expect from a recently driven vehicle. Nothing hot, just a little warmer than ambient temps.

But the fenders on both sides right above the wheel arch was blistering ass hot. This is after no sunshine, some air flow across it, casual driving, and sitting for 45 minutes to an hour.

I'm wondering if I have a heat issue or if the Ranger has a design flaw that makes it really bake and not dissipate the heat. How long can the paint last at those temps? How long can the rubber and plastic under the hood last? I'm thinking about adding some water wetter to the coolant. Looking at vents, louvers, something to get the hot air out of the engine bay.

Advice?

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[Rp930]

At those temps, normal.

 

[AzScorpion]

Greg, mine's the same when we get these scorching hot temps. Last week I went out to the garage over an hour after I got home and the heat was still radiating from the front end. I don't think there's any issue or design flaw it's just we live on the face of the sun here and everything just bakes in it.

I've never heard any out here say they've had any problems with their plastic or rubber under the hood so I wouldn't think it's a big concern. I have customers who have some really nice classic cars that just store them in their garage so I'd think if there were and issues they'd see them.

During last weeks 116 temps dumb me forgot my sunshade. At least my front end was facing north but that didn't really do much. I just about burned my hand on the seatbelt buckle and then made then touched the shifter. Didn't make that same mistake twice.

As far as the turbo lag I noticed a lot more before I got my tune. It still lags some in this heat but nothing like before. I put my tune in mid August and never got the true feel for it until November when we finally had cooler air.

 

[AzScorpion]

At those temps, normal.

We usually get a week or two where they are in the 115 area. But 110 is pretty normal here. Last summer we broke every record with 53 days of 110+ temps. Dry heat or not it's darn hot for that many days!

 

[Rp930]

We usually get a week or two where they are in the 115 area. But 110 is pretty normal here. Last summer we broke every record with 53 days of 110+ temps. Dry heat or not it's darn hot for that many days!

Yes I know. I used to travel to Scottsdale every month for work. Great in the winter.

 

[Matsterious]

I can't remember where I heard this or how true it is b/c I never looked but I heard the intercooler is taped off half way because it was providing too much cooling so Ford taped it off. Maybe somebody can chime in on if this is accurate but if it is maybe you need to remove the tape.

 

[GTGallop]

No such thing as too much cooling on intake air. Maybe on the radiator but not the intake. Still - wouldn't surprise me if there was tape in there.

 

[Frenchy]

No such thing as too much cooling on intake air. Maybe on the radiator but not the intake. Still - wouldn't surprise me if there was tape in there.

If it really worries you and you want to make improvements mishimoto does sell both the radiator and intercooler kit. I agree that there's no such thing as too much cooling when it comes to Arizona.

 

[StezenW]

Been running the Mishimoto intercooler the last few months - and here in Hotlanta it's really been earning its keep the last month.

Truck still performs like it's 50 degrees outside even when it's 90 degrees and 80% humidity. Definitely should consider upgrading you intercooler if you're missing the performance in these dog days of summer.

 

[Matsterious]

No such thing as too much cooling on intake air. Maybe on the radiator but not the intake. Still - wouldn't surprise me if there was tape in there.

I think I saw it on a review on youtube when I was looking at buying. This was like 2 years ago so It'll be hard for me to find it. But I remember it b/c it was odd.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

In very hot climates it's fairly normal to have these sorts of issues, especially when running a tune. Maybe not a bad idea to run a more mild tune in the hot months. If you are running one that is.

There are a few different products on the market that can cool the intercooler or the intake charge.

First option is an intercooler water misting kit like this one. Fairly straight forward unit. Basically a washer bottle, pump, ultra fine misters and push button activation. Push the button and it mists the intercooler cooling it off thus increasing air density.

Second option is a CO2 sprayer for the intercooler like this one. It operates much like the water mister, except that it uses CO2 to cool the intercooler down.

Last option is water methanol injection. This option can reduce the intake air temps to some degree but what it is really meant for is increasing the octane level of fuel allowing for higher boost and thus more power.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

Here lately we have gotten to the really fun part of an Arizona Summer. You know the part where it's 115°F in the shade. Air temps coming off the asphalt in full sun are significantly higher. I've seen 122°F on the dash while driving. It's so hot that the Auto Start/Stop Feature has stopped auto stopping.

Since the temps have gone up, I've noticed my throttle response dropping off, especially on take off. Truck is really sluggish from a dead stop. Then all of the sudden it isn't. It feels like a slow spooling turbo. Happens in normal drive mode and sport mode. Someone is going to suggest trying to accelerate without the AC on. F-YOU! See Previous paragraph about 122°F on the dash while moving. The interior plastics and seats get so hot that it does take a while to chill the interior. My assumption / expectation is that Ford has the AC management all sorted out by 2019 so that you can actually go when the light turns green.

Then this weekend, we did some cruising around at night. Casual driving. After sundown. Temps still in the 105°F range. Then I parked the truck on the driveway, went inside and did some stuff for 45ish minutes. Came out on the driveway to talk with a neighbor and leaned up against the front fender. Damn near burnt my back it was so hot - through the t-shirt!

The hood was mildly warm. The grille and bumper area mildly warm. The fender closer to the door was mildly warm. All about what you would expect from a recently driven vehicle. Nothing hot, just a little warmer than ambient temps.

But the fenders on both sides right above the wheel arch was blistering ass hot. This is after no sunshine, some air flow across it, casual driving, and sitting for 45 minutes to an hour.

I'm wondering if I have a heat issue or if the Ranger has a design flaw that makes it really bake and not dissipate the heat. How long can the paint last at those temps? How long can the rubber and plastic under the hood last? I'm thinking about adding some water wetter to the coolant. Looking at vents, louvers, something to get the hot air out of the engine bay.

Advice?

Advice regarding the sluggishness in extreme temps, upgraded intercooler. At those temps it is heat soaked, especially sitting at the light. Once you get moving and get airflow it cools down a bit and the truck will make more power. One of the best upgrades I did

Regarding the heat on the fenders, that is normal. I live in CA, and while we don't get quite as hot, after a nice drive and parking it in the garage in the summer, my fenders get quite hot as well. I usually pop the hood, unlatch it and let the hood sit cracked open on top of the latch. That little motor seems to hold quite a lot of heat

 

[AzScorpion]

Advice regarding the sluggishness in extreme temps, upgraded intercooler. At those temps it is heat soaked, especially sitting at the light. Once you get moving and get airflow it cools down a bit and the truck will make more power. One of the best upgrades I did

Regarding the heat on the fenders, that is normal. I live in CA, and while we don't get quite as hot, after a nice drive and parking it in the garage in the summer, my fenders get quite hot as well. I usually pop the hood, unlatch it and let the hood sit cracked open on top of the latch. That little motor seems to hold quite a lot of heat

Garrett, I did see your response in the message the other day and thanks for the info! I was so busy at work that week I forgot about it until now.

 

[BassRanger]

Possibly elevated IAT's causing the ECU to pull timing. Not really much you can do when ambient temps are so high. Despite recommendations, there does't seem to be much improvement with charge temps with aftermarket intercoolers. Mishimoto did 5 back to back WOT pulls and only saw a 7* improvement over the stock charge cooler. The stock charge cooler seems to be far more efficient that everyone is speculating.

A tune could help. A 91/93 tune should be able to soften your IAT and ECT spark correction tables.

 

[Mustang2Ranger]

Possibly elevated IAT's causing the ECU to pull timing. Not really much you can do when ambient temps are so high. Despite recommendations, there does't seem to be much improvement with charge temps with aftermarket intercoolers. Mishimoto did 5 back to back WOT pulls and only saw a 7* improvement over the stock charge cooler. The stock charge cooler seems to be far more efficient that everyone is speculating.

A tune could help. A 91/93 tune should be able to soften your IAT and ECT spark correction tables.

Well put on the elevated IAT's causing the ECU to pull timing

However I disagree about the intercooler. I went with Mountune (local CA company, 40+ years in the business). Mishimoto was taking forever to develop their product and doesn't seem to be that great, if 7 degrees is all they got. 27 degree drop in temp over stock is what Mountune claims. What these guys would benefit from in the hot AZ heat is the "efficiency under heavy load" that an upgraded intercooler can provide, which the stock Intercooler can't. Before and after install I had been watching my IAT in various temps, towing, not towing, offroading etc. Major difference after upgraded intercooler install. As soon as it gets ariflow, IAT temps drop to near ambient temps

Heading to Anza Borrego this weekend, that will be a good test

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