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[Peeko84]

Good afternoon all, I read somewhere that the cooling on the x30xe can be improved by cutting slots in the center water jackets to allow water to flow out the block.

Im not 100% what that means if Im honest, has anyone done this or even heard of it?

[Doctor Gollum]

Vectra V6 rad would be easier and more effective if it fits... Or an Astra GSi one

[ffcgary1]

did not know there was an issue with cooling on the v6 's, unless your radiator has an issue or the thermostat is knackered, as to cutting the water jackets leave well alone and tell the plonker that gave you the advice to take a hike.

[TheBoy]

Sounds suspiciously like something somebody said down the pub, rather than good advice.

In an Omega, cooling is fine for non forced induction.  Is this in an Astra? is the rad that much smaller?

[Peeko84]

It will be in an astra yeah.
As far as i know the rear bank runs hot on the V6 with the na application but im hoping to use the engine in a forced induction set up. Im already planning on running a dry sump with the tank located away from the block to keep the oil cooler and an electric water pump to try and increase the flow of the coolant. I was abit suspect on the cutting slots into waterjacket info i found it on an old mig thread.

Really im just looking to make sure i have my cooling on point before i try move the project forward.

[TheBoy]

The standard 3.0 might not be suited to forced induction, certainly not with much boost.

[Peeko84]

The standard 3.0 might not be suited to forced induction, certainly not with much boost.

100% agree with you a standard x30xe is not suitable for forced induction. Ive aready set about strengthening the bottom end with a stronger crank

[Kevin Wood]

It's the compression ratio I'd be worried about. It's 10.7:1 on the 3.0 IIRC.

3.2 is 10:1, has more cubes and has a forged crank. I'd regard that as a better starting point unless you're going forged pistons and reducing the compression.

[Peeko84]

Ive taken the crank from the 3.2 so a piston swap needs doing to accommodate the diffrence in stroke.

These have all been good replies always giving me things to consider.

[Kevin Wood]

On the issue of cooling, the only thing I've heard is that there used to be a mod involving blanking off the oil cooler recess and taking an additional coolant pipe from the rear of the blanking plate in order to improve flow around the rear cylinders.

To be honest, though, I've never got my head properly round how the coolant circulates in the V6, and I'd want to do so before making any changes. The manufacturer will probably have done a reasonable job of balancing the flow around all parts of the engine and, as soon as you make a change, you'll upset that and potentially have to learn the hard way from then onwards.

Good luck with the project, though. Keep us updated.

What are you using for engine management?

[Peeko84]

I was thinking emerald K7, however i will need to see what the guys doing the programming are most comfortable with. I will look in to the mod you mentioned

Thanks

Ross

[Peeko84]

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/index.php?topic=122850.0

Heres a link to a thread which mentions the cutting slots into the water jacket for cooling

[Doctor Gollum]

 

[biggriffin]

Why not just use a 3.2, block, be easier then trying to de stroke it.

When GM fitted the 3.0/3.2 in the Vectra rear over heats were common on police models, they tried extra vent on the bonnet, this helped, the other option that was tried and helped was an extension oil cooler, which was fitted by taking the feeds from the block were the pipes for the internal cooler runs.

[Kevin Wood]

Are we talking about external overheating (wiring and plastics in the engine bay melting, etc) or internal overheating (excessive coolant or oil temperature, pistons melting, etc)?

Louvres in the bonnet will address the former but do nothing for the latter, since the engine internals are cooled by water and oil, and lose very little of their heat to the air in the engine bay in reality. Relocating the oil cooler to an external oil-to-air unit will reduce the heat load dumped into the coolant and help solve excessive coolant temperatures but do nothing to solve any external overheating issues. For this reason I find it hard to understand how these two measures were being applied to resolve a single issue unless a "scattergun" approach was being used without a full understanding of the real issues at play.

You can bet the GM engineers threw much more resources into getting the cooling right than any of us can muster. They might have been aiming for a lower power output, but they were aiming to achieve it for hours on end in the world's most demanding climates.

As soon as you make a change, even as simple as removing the standard oil-to-water cooler, you have changed the coolant flow distribution around the engine and thrown that all away. You've also started throwing money at a "problem" that might not exist by buying expensive parts that may not be necessary.

If I were in the OP's position I would ignore the internet folklore, leave the cooling system standard but with the largest radiator I could fit, I would then start with a conservative boost pressure and monitor things carefully as I gradually develop it. We're in unknown territory as few people have tuned this engine, and those who have have not left reliable records of the problems they encountered.