would reverse cooling be possible/adviseable?

[no_doz]

this may sound like a dumb question but i looked around & no one else has asked it so i figured why not. with a customized electric water pump setup, could the lq1 have the flow of coolant reversed to cool the heads first like an LT-1?

seems like it was a good idea for the LT engines, just poorly applied-so im wondering if it would be possible given the coolant passages in their stock or near-stock form.

[jmgtp]

I believe all 660s flow water to the heads first.

Whats wrong with LT1s reverse flow? Seems to work great for me.

[no_doz]

is that true? also the whole cam driven waterpump thing... yuck

[jmgtp]

What in the world are you talking about?

Not a 660 so must be an LT1 cause yes that is a cam driven waterpump and I think that is a good idea. Loose an accessory belt, no big deal, you still keep your cool. If you want to say something bad about an LT1 at least let it be the optispark, everyone seems to hate it. I haven't had trouble with mine... yet. I think the LT1 is a great engine, but I may be biased. Can't say its ever given me any trouble.

[Schurkey]

this may sound like a dumb question but i looked around & no one else has asked it so i figured why not. with a customized electric water pump setup, could the lq1 have the flow of coolant reversed to cool the heads first like an LT-1?

seems like it was a good idea for the LT engines, just poorly applied-so im wondering if it would be possible given the coolant passages in their stock or near-stock form.

Pontiac and Chevy (among others) both experimented with reverse-cooling. Both of them discontinued it after a few years. Apparently, it's not worth the bother.

Bleeding steam from the cooling system becomes a problem, the steam wants to rise to the top; but the only way "out" is to flow downward. Some folks would add a small vent hose to the top of the cooling system to bleed the steam; and I suppose that'd work OK.

I just don't see that it's worth the trouble to re-engineer the cooling system. You're surely not going to do it by just reversing the coolant flow--in through the thermostat opening, out through the core plugs or existing water pump openings in the block. Chevy and Pontiac both required considerable casting differences to change the direction of coolant flow, and this engine wouldn't be any different.

[jmgtp]

I think we're tied up on words here. I don't think anyone means water flowing backwards into the the thermostat housing from the other side. I think the OP meant that the heads are cooled first and then the block. This is how the LT1 and newer SBCs do it. I'm 99.99% the LQ1 and all Gen II/III 660s cool the heads first and then the block - probably Gen I motors to but I've never owned a Gen I.

[Schurkey]

The LT1 is reverse cooled; the newer LS-series V-8 is NOT reverse cooled.

I'm sorry, I don't know what a "660" is.

How would you cool the heads first, and then the block without reversing the coolant flow--in through the thermostat opening, and out through the block UNLESS you did major rework on the castings?

My point is that when the OEMs changed from reverse-cooling to standard-flow (Pontiac) or from standard-flow to reverse cooling (Chevrolet) the castings had MAJOR changes to accommodate the revised coolant path. Not something that could be easily duplicated--unless--you pump it in through the thermostat housing and out through the block.

[pocket-rocket]

I'm sorry, I don't know what a "660" is.

6 cylinder 60 degree engine made by GM. I heard there was a good site dedicated to them somewhere on the interwebz...

[robertisaar]

6 cylinder 60 degree engine made by GM. I heard there was a good site dedicated to them somewhere on the interwebz...

i MUST find this oasis of information, the 90V6 sites are all too common and i need something both awesome and different...

[Schurkey]

6 cylinder 60 degree engine made by GM. I heard there was a good site dedicated to them somewhere on the interwebz...

Makes perfect sense. Sorry to be so stupid.

I believe all 660s flow water to the heads first.

I'll dig up some evidence in the next few days--I'm 99.99 percent sure the 6-60 is NOT reverse-cooled (heads first, then block) but clearly one of us is wrong, and it could well be me.

[3400-95-Modified]

The 3x00 v6 coolant goes in block passages and out of lower intake/thermostat area, heads last cooling. Just look at a timing cover to see the direction of the water pump and the way it would push the flow of water, its setup to pull from the bottom of the radiator.

[pocket-rocket]

Makes perfect sense. Sorry to be so stupid.

Stupid is a harsh word since we all have brain fart moments. I was just putting it in a teasing/joking manor.

The 3x00 v6 coolant goes in block passages and out of lower intake/thermostat area, heads last cooling. Just look at a timing cover to see the direction of the water pump and the way it would push the flow of water, its setup to pull from the bottom of the radiator.

I was going to mention this.

[Schurkey]

The 3x00 v6 coolant goes in block passages and out of lower intake/thermostat area, heads last cooling. Just look at a timing cover to see the direction of the water pump and the way it would push the flow of water, its setup to pull from the bottom of the radiator.

Normally I'd agree; and in fact I do believe this is true--the 6-60s are not reverse cooled. One caveat: Even a reverse-cooled engine pulls coolant from the bottom of the radiator.

I'm reminded that the LT1 has water pump openings into the block, and on first glance would appear to cool the block first then the heads. However, there is an internal diverter in the block that pushes the water into the heads almost immediately after it enters the block, and thus the heads are cooled first. I have not researched if something like that is designed into the 6-60; so at this point I can't conclusively say that the 6-60 is NOT reverse cooled.

The old Pontiacs did have the water pump delivering coolant directly to openings in the front of the cylinder heads. Right up to the end of production of the Pontiac V-8, the cylinder heads had a core plug in that location--the coolant opening is still in place.



The original poster was asking about using an electric pump to reverse the coolant flow--heads first, then block. And I suppose that would be POSSIBLE, although he'll have fun finding a pump suitable for the job, AND I don't expect to see any real benefit. An in-line pump, delivering coolant from the bottom of the radiator to the thermostat housing (thermostat removed, of course) would indeed deliver coolant to the heads first, then block. You'd remove the heated coolant either through the block's core plugs or the holes in front that were formerly the coolant inlet to the block--maybe using a non-powered water pump casting with no impeller attached. Perhaps he could weld a thermostat housing to the water pump "inlet" and have some control over engine temperature. I think I'd go thermostat-less and just vary the radiator fan speed to control engine temperature--very crude but it saves a lot of work. Personally, I see this as a huge amount of work for little or no gain; and it'd be easy to get the coolant flow path through the engine garbled so that there'd be hot spots and steam pockets and the overall cooling would be WORSE than just leaving the thing alone.

[no_doz]

BEN!!!

lol

[robertisaar]

whos got a boreoscope? that will determine this within a few seconds...