Overheating Viper needs Custom Cooling

Casey Putsch removes the radiator and engine oil cooler from the 1997 Dodge Viper GTS. The car is unable to cool sufficiently on the track so Casey is sending in his radiator and and oil cooler to the PWR company (previously known as C and R) to have custom aluminum units made for the track build.

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[CaseyPutsch]

Hope you guys enjoyed me struggling getting that darn radiator out! Really excited to see this car come together in the end and how well the PWR coolers work out!

[FATBOY]

I put a triple bypass ROE racing radiator in my Gen 1 & she runs so much cooler now

[lknanml]

"Overheating Viper needs Custom Cooling"
Did she say ok honey with or without her eyes rolling?

[joseacuna]

Is very refreshing thinking the way you do, the hope of somebody else enjoying you car in the future is a hard emotion to handle when we have been taught to cherish all we have while we have it.

[WardSpose]

Skimped on the radiator, worked on street not on the track. Perhaps Dodge wanted to make sure if you tracked it it would over heat before it killed you. Just a thought

[Googs]

A random comment since I came across your channel looking up 944 videos. You've been rockin' that Kuhl sweater for quite a few years and it still looks to be in great shape! I've got the same one 😁

[steveharper]

i had the complete cooling system and heater hoses done on my 1993, well worth it, new performance radiator too.

[charlieryan]

I really appreciate your genuine passion for this amazing Viper 👍🏻

[thomasferanec]

Casey, You would be wise to pull the plastic overflow tank and clean it of years of crud! BB shot works well as an agitation method to clean thoroughly. Note: that you may have to remove the nose. My Gen 1 also revealed the Mopar engineering dept did not put a shorter bolt into the facia that, when installed, pushes up against the bottom of overflow tank. Oh joy! Enjoy your videos, Good luck. Yes new oil lines for sure. 180 or 170 thermostat, engine designed to run best at high Temps; bigger radiator will address cooling issues.

[ScottsSynthStuff]

It's the condenser. "Evaporation is a cooling process" - your hands are wet, they feel cold. Therefore the evaporator gives you the cool air. That's how I remember it (because I always forgot too!). That car is going to cool a lot better simply without having the restriction of that condenser in front of the radiator.

What about adding an oil-to-water heat exchanger for the engine oil now that you'll have a much higher cooling capacity radiator, and repurpose the oil cooler for the transmission?

[edsteward]

I liked your musical choices. Different, for sure. And yes, fight for a better tomorrow. You have reasons to. Think happy thoughts!

[That_ViperDude]

Thanks for another awesome vid buddy, I'm learning more and more about my Viper 🍻

[ZagelMedia]

Love all of your videos Casey! I hope you get rewarded for your hard work!! Keep it up, you've definitely inspired me!

[RXCody]

Loving all the videos you've been pushing out. From very personal, to political to fun car stuff. I miss the opening song tho haha both my now 3 & 5 year Olds would dance everytime it came on. Keep on rocking Casey

[ssoffshore]

You're definitely headed in the right direction putting a larger core in there. Switching to a 160F thermostat, using better fans, and taking the condenser out will help too. The problem I've found with tracking these cars is the limited amount of frontal inlet in the nose in front of the radiator, which there's not much you can do about that without hacking up the front of the car (which obviously makes little sense on a GTS, at least it's something I wouldn't do). It took some work to keep my 97 GTS cool for extended track sessions, but I've never been able to keep my 96 TT GTS that cool, even after changing/moving the IC to twin IC's behind the fog light inlets. Cooling has always been a challenge with the early Vipers, which is why they changed to a larger air inlet design with the gen 5 nose when they redid the gen2 look for the 5th gen... It doesn't look as good IMO, but it flows a lot more needed air into the radiator.

[Johnwalter]

This might be a silly thought, but you do have a lot of mileage on the chassis. Inspect it properly, see if it has any cracks.
Also check the bushings on the car, perhaps they need be replaced aswell.

What oil do you usually run in the Viper for daily driving?
And will you be using the same oil or something else for the track?

[AoiKaze]

So... use the existing spoiler as a positive for a mold for a functional DIY spoiler out of metal and carbon fiber that bolts to the existing bolt locations?

[ScottsSynthStuff]

As for the hood, being that it's now a track car, perhaps the latch/hinge mechanism can come out, in favor of some fabricated mounts and Dsuz fasteners? It would make it far easier to work on!

[gigatron]

Hey Casey my fornt fascia sits too high. I'm thinking the frame shims below the core support are the culprit. Do you have to remove the rad to get at those shims? Thanks. I too might get the rad recored she runs hot!

[That_ViperDude]

Did you send your radiator to the rebuild place in San Bernardino California?