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Paradox by Design CUCV HMMWV cooling kit

Bighorn

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The Paradox supplemental cooling kit has arrived.
Here is the unboxing.
Tomorrow my HMMWV crossover should be here also.
So when everything is together I will assemble the kit on my 1986 M1009 6.2 NA motor.
I have added a high quality aftermarket bulb style coolant gauge but the bullb is in the only free spot on my 6.2; the water pump housing.
I will be moving it into the HMMWV crossover tomorrow when I get it installed and taking a baseline temperature reading along a route that includes highway and off-road sections up here at 9,000 feet as well as a 10% grade both down and up 6 miles.
Then I will install the Paradox by Design supplemental cooling kit seen here and repeat my test.
I will note temperatures, oil pressure (also a high quality mechanical gauge) subjective data like drivability and seat of the pants feel.
We are going to get another 10 inches of snow possibly during this time up here; winter really comes early here.
But the thing is 4 wheel drive so it's all in good fun.

Here is the Paradox by design kit I received today.
Bear in mind, it is still in development and improvements are being made to the M1009 version.

View attachment 700036
Paradox supplemental cooling Kit as shipped.
View attachment 700037
What's in the box.
View attachment 700038
The kit utilizes the coolant passage block off plates at the rear of the motor, atop each cylinder head, to return a controlled amount of water from either side to the coolant crossover and out the thermostat housing to the top of the radiator for cooling.
The intention here is to pull water from the back of the motor where in stock form it is thought; by some people, to become stagnant due to it's distance from the water pump.
The only claim Paradox makes; "You will find that our system greatly improves the circulation of coolant in the block, reduces the normal hot spots at the rear of these engines, and the failure of the rearmost cylinders typical in these blocks".
How we are supposed to "find" that is true is not stated.
I won't get into a debate on whether the claims of "hot spots" or "failure of rearmost cylinders" is true or not.
My intention with this post is to demonstrate the hot rodding and modification of my 6.2 CUCV M1009.
If I find anything along the way, all the better.
If I have spent money for nothing, so be it.
View attachment 700039
This jumper wire is intended for the engine block temperature lockout switch to disable the glow plugs when the water jacket temp is over 125 degrees.
Apparently on the 6.2 in the HMMWV this switch is located in the passenger side block off plate.
On my M1009 this plate is blank.
Therefore the jumper is not needed as my temp switch is located in the engine block above the starter.
However, I will toss the jumper in the glove box for the day that switch dies and my glow plugs quit working, if it comes to that.
However in the Driverside block off plate sits the glow plug thermister which tells my glow plug card what temp the engine is at so it can compute how much glow time and after glow is neccesary.
If you are running a manual switch you can ignore this sensor.
Those with a glow plug card in operation must relocate this sensor at the present time.
Thus the HMMWV crossover tube swapped onto the M1009 6.2.
It has many more threaded taps than the stock M1009 crossover and I am hoping to relocate the return for this kit, my bulb for the after market temperature gauge, and the glow plug thermister to the HMWWV crossover.

View attachment 700040
The Paradox by Design kit came with full color instructions and that are very concise and easy to read.

Why this kit?
#1 reason for me; The 10% grade to and from town.
It is not just any 10% grade.. it is Highway 14A on the west side of the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming.
It eats cars and trucks new and old.
It is a killer.
Sure, right now we are heading into winter.
But I got 3 years left on my contract and I have to drive from 9,000 feet down to Lovell which sits at 4,500 feet and back to shop for the lodge and occasionally tow a garbage trailer.
It can range from 105 degrees at the bottom of the mountain to 75 at the top on the warmest summer day and from -20 at the bottom to -40 at the top on the coldest winter day.
While I just installed a New 4 core all brass and copper radiator and Delco water pump, I also wanted to do everything I can to optimize the cooling system.
Also installed a Gates 33924 190 thermostat and a Stant 10331 16lb radiator cap.
Balancing the temperature of the cooling system from the front to the rear of the block seems like a good idea.
It will take me a few days to get the data depending on weather and the UPS man delivering that crossover tomorrow.
I am not expecting miracles.
In fact I don't expect anything.
In the literature included with this kit by Paradox they state clearly "Overall system coolant temperature will not change significantly as that is a function of thermostat regulation".
The idea of this kit is to balance the temperature of the coolant across the cylinder block and reduce hot spots; particularly the rear most area furthest from the water pump. (my understanding, not their words).
There is anecdotal evidence to suggest that this will improve performance and reduce felt cabin temperatures.
They are not claiming anything specific.
We will see what we see.
 
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Drock

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Installation notes........I didn't have to remove the vacuum pump? However the passenger side is a pain to get to. there's a large wiring harness over top of the block off plate, that doesn't like to move. I ended up throwing down a foam fender cover & laying on top of the motor for this part. Also I found if I left all the lines loose it was much easier to clock them buy letting them find the path of least resistance. I recommend using (Permatex thermostat housing sealer) on all the gasket surfaces, & thread sealer on all the fittings. I already had my HMWWV crossover installed, so the kit took me about hour (or 1 beer) to install. And relocating the glow plug sensor to the crossover & extending the wires about 20 minutes..... Side note.... I have used the HMWWV crossover bosses in this order starting with the drivers side,... (#1) *large boss drivers side* temp gauge sensor,.... (#2) *small boss on top* this "Paradox" kit,.... (#3) *Large boss on passenger side* glow plug sensor,.... (#4) of course the boss for the heater hose goes just as it did before.
 
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Drock

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Performance thus far..... M1028, Banks turbo, Gear vendors over drive, stock 31" tires & gears......I've driven about 1000 miles so far, half around town & on country roads 55-65 MPH. And the other half on the highway 70-80 MPH. First and foremost the truck runs much smoother & quieter at speed. There is a noticeable increase in torque when climbing hills. The cabin temperature has noticeably decreased. Engine temps are about the same 205° to 210° on the highway. And there was a very slight increase in fuel economy, maybe 1/4-1/2 mile per gallon? I did notice the kit was being sold for $10.00 cheaper on Ebay then I paid for it. And I had to send back pieces at my expense of about $7.25 I think? Not that I care, just being objective.
 
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911joeblow

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Performance thus far..... M1028, Banks turbo, Gear vendors over drive, stock 31" tires & gears......I've driven about 1000 miles so far, half around town & on country roads 55-65 MPH. And the other half on the highway 70-80 MPH. First and foremost the truck runs much smoother & quieter at speed. There is a noticeable increase in torque when climbing hills. The cabin temperature has noticeably decreased. Engine temps are about the same 205° to 210° on the highway. And there was a very slight increase in fuel economy, maybe 1/4-1/2 mile per gallon? I did notice the kit was being sold for $10.00 cheaper on Ebay then I paid for it. And I had to send back pieces at my expense of about $7.25 I think? Not that I care, just being objective.
We did drop the price slightly after we changed the contents of the kit for the new fitting. Drock send me a PM for a partial refund OK?
 

Bighorn

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The Paradox Kit is installed on my M1009.
Finally had a break today; we are very busy with Bow hunters and late season guests, but I got a few hours to install the kit.
Have not had a chance to drive anywhere yet.
I ran it till it reached operating temperature to check for leaks and help the silicone sealant cure properly in the cold.

There are a few peculiarities between the M1009 CUCV coolant crossover and the HMMWV crossover.
See the pictures below.
I chose to run the passenger side coolant return line under the intake and the driver side over the intake.
The kit was very easy to install.
Hardest part was removing the old barb fittings from the HMWWV crossover, gently heated the area with a plumbers torch and out they came.

Hopefully tomorrow I will get a chance to road test.
Tonight I am totally spent.
Our busy season is coming to a close and everytime it snows it brings us closer to our winter snowmobile season.
So much to do before then.

View attachment 700545
First difference between CUCV M1009 crossover and HMWWV crossover.
The HMWWV uses a much larger bypass hose.
Had to get this 3/4 x 5/8 barb fitting to fit my stock 5/8 bypass.

View attachment 700546
The bypass thread on the stock M1009 was 1/2"
The bypass thread on the HMWWV is 3/4".
View attachment 700547
The heater hose connection on the passenger side of the crossover was a straight fitting on the HMWWV.
I retained the stock M1009 fitting which is angled to avoid the alternator bracket.
View attachment 700548
I sent my Paradox return lines around the throttle cable plate this way.
You can see the bulb of my temperature sensor for the aftermarket gauge under the blue aeroquip fittings.
The temp gauge is much more accurate now rather than where it was in the water pump.
View attachment 700549
Sorry for the blurry pic.
It was starting to snow and it was hard to hold the camera steady.
The overview of how I routed the kit.
Notice my glow plug thermister is not installed.
I put it in the open 3/4" threaded boss on the left.
The stock M1009 thermister is 1/2" thread in a 3/4" bushing.
Just remove the whole thing and it goes right into the HMWWV crossover.

View attachment 700552
Here is a better picture showing routing.
I chose to run the driver side over the intake because it was too close to interfering with the throttle when run under the intake.
The passenger side line cleared the throttle easily.
I don't mind the blue line like that.
A little bling.

View attachment 700550
The finished product minus a few zip ties on the wiring.
Still checking for leaks so I will add those after i have road tested it for a while.
One more thing;
The metal fuel return line on the driver side hit the HMWWV crossover right where the 3/4" threaded boss sticks up.
Some careful bending with a round wooden dowel got enough clearance.
And you don't need to remove the vacuum pump. I just loosened the hold down bolt and rotated it out of the way to install the passenger side plate.
View attachment 700551
My house and my shop.

Next up; I will drive this thing!
Take some notes and observations.
I should get some time in the next few days.
 
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Ilikemtb999

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Thorough write up and great pictures. I wasn’t looking forward to figuring out the differences for all the openings in the hmmwv crossover
 

ODFever

Madness Takes Its Toll...
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You've done a phenomenal job documenting the installation. :) :goodjob:

9,000 feet up. 10% grade over 6 miles. WOW!!!! :shock: Most of Florida is as flat as a pancake. I live about 90 feet above sea level. I can't imagine being as high up as you are!!! Someday I will visit Bighorn. I'd love to see what three dimensional terrain looks like! :)
 

Bighorn

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I took my 1986 M1009 out for a road test today.

The Paradox kit installed.

Freshly rebuilt injection pump by Oregon fuel injection.
Brand new 4 core Brass and copper radiator.
New 190 degree thermostat and 16 lb radiator cap.
50/50 mix Prestone/water.
I have a bulb style mechanical water temperature gauge and mechanical bourbon style oil pressure gauge.
The temp gauge is mounted in the crossover tube just behind the thermostat housing.

My numbers with the kit installed;
Altitude; 8,990 feet and ambient temp 31 degrees.
Oil pressure;
Cold Start 44 psi at high idle.
Cold at low idle 40 psi.
180 degrees idle in gear 16 psi.
175 degrees idle neutral 18 psi.
Cruise = 1,800 to 2,200 rpm (calculated) 50- 65 mph
Cruise temperature 170-178 degrees at 31 degrees ambient temperature.
Cruise oil pressure 38 psi.

In order to see if anything has changed I will attempt to loop the Paradox tube back to itself on the crossover and send the passenger head tube over to the driver side head instead of coming forward to the crossover and repeat the test above.

Obviously I will have to try and repeat both tests; with and without the kit in the same day but today I just wanted to drive my truck and see how it runs so I took some numbers anyways.

Once again, the makers of this kit do not claim the temperature will drop in any way.
They claim it better equalizes temperatures across the cylinders and reduces hot spots towards the back of the engine block.

I am not sure if I have any way to measure that but I can download an automotive performance app to my phone and use that to get 0-60 times and g-force etc.
So I will be repeating the test above, getting numbers, looping the Paradox kits lines to effectively eliminate it's effect, and repeating the test again getting numbers.
It will have to wait for my next day off.

Now for the subjective stuff;
I fully recognize that I could be biased in my perceptions since I have invested money and time in this kit.
So the following statements are based on my gut feelings alone after driving the truck before and after the Paradox kit installation;
The engine runs stronger.
Pulling the 6% grade for 6 miles, it seemed to pull harder in both 2nd and 3rd gear.
Idle quality has improved.
There is a very steady sound to the exhaust and a healthy rumble felt in the seat and floor boards at idle.
The engine runs smoother than before the kit was installed.

So next I will attempt to get some unbiased data with and without the Kit installed as i have outlined above.
We will see if it is just all in my head and a placebo effect.
I had an auto shop teacher at De Anza community college tell our class once; "If you do one thing every time you service a customers car.. ALWAYS clean the windshield before you return it to the customer."
He claimed they would be happier with the repair and swear the car ran better even if what he did was not related to the drive train.
It happens.
I am not above admitting that is the case here if that is in fact; the case.
There is also the unquantifiable aspect of what the coolant is doing inside the block.
There is no doubt the kit is moving coolant.
The question is; How is that affecting temperature across the span of the block?
How is durability increased by this if at all?
How is performance increased and why?

There are enough questions there to intrigue me enough to take the time and try to find out.
Besides, I am learning a lot about my truck and wrenching which is always a good thing.
 
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Ilikemtb999

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I have a quick question for you, I have a hose that runs to a nipple on the top of my crossover to a T between the radiator and heater hose. Did yours not have this? Similar spot to where you have this kit tied in to the crossover.
 

911joeblow

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I have a quick question for you, I have a hose that runs to a nipple on the top of my crossover to a T between the radiator and heater hose. Did yours not have this? Similar spot to where you have this kit tied in to the crossover.
It sounds like you have a HMMWV crossover. We have kits for both an regular CUCV and one it sounds like yours that has a HMMWV crossover.
 

Bighorn

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View attachment 703517

Here is how it is installed on my 1986 M1009 with an HMMWV crossover I added.
On the left is the supply to the heater core (the heater core return goes into the passenger side tank of my radiator).
Next from left is the thermistor for my glow plug card.
Middle aimed downward and not visible is the bypass hose to the water pump.
The Paradox kit in blue.
Right under the Paradox Y-fitting is my aftermarket temperature gauge probe.
And obviously the radiator return on the right.

I added the HMMWV crossover because the stock M1009 crossover does not have those extra threaded ports where I installed both the glow plug thermistor and my temp gauge probe.
 
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911joeblow

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View attachment 703517

Here is how it is installed on my 1986 M1009 with an HMMWV crossover I added.
On the left is the supply to the heater core (the return in in the left side of my radiator).
Next from left is the thermistor for my glow plug card.
Middle aimed downward and not visible is the bypass hose to the water pump.
The Paradox kit in blue.
Right under the Paradox Y-fitting is my aftermarket temperature gauge probe.
And obviously the radiator return on the right.
Thanks for posting that BigHorn.
 

Ilikemtb999

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It sounds like you have a HMMWV crossover. We have kits for both an regular CUCV and one it sounds like yours that has a HMMWV crossover.
I have a cucv crossover installed. I do have an hmmwv crossover to swap in at some point.

IMG_2203.jpg



edit: I may have figured it out. My m1009 used to have an arctic kit installed and in the instructions it says to install a Y fitting off the radiator and a new crossover (though doesn’t seem different than a standard cucv one)
 
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Bighorn

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I have a cucv crossover installed. I do have an hmmwv crossover to swap in at some point.

View attachment 703523
Here is going to be a minor issue for you;
Your glow plug thermistor (temperature dependent resistor) that tells your glow plug card how warm or cold the engine is, well that thermistor resides in the rear block off plate on the drivers side head.
When you install the HMMWV kit onto an M1009 you need to relocate that thermistor.
If you simply leave it unplugged the glow plug card will think the engine is sub zero cold and you'll get a very long glow time.
You can remove the thermistor but plug it back into the harness and tie it off somewhere near the engine and at least until you install the HMMWV crossover, it will be measuring under hood temperature and not head coolant temps.
Should be reasonable, if not accurate, glow times.
Until you install that HMMWV crossover, your Glow plug thermistor won't have a proper home.
 

Ilikemtb999

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I understand that and was gathering up fittings per your pictures for the hmmwv crossover. I had planned on putting it on that passenger side 1/2” npt port on the hmmwv crossover. Was just confused by the middle fitting and Y for my heater hose.


Turns out there’s yet another crossover for these engines and I have it. Seems specific for the arctic kit as it has an additional port in the middle that the standard cucv one doesn’t have. IMG_2207.jpg
 
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Bighorn

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I understand that and was gathering up fittings per your pictures for the hmmwv crossover. I had planned on putting it on that passenger side 1/2” npt port on the hmmwv crossover. Was just confused by the middle fitting and Y for my heater hose.


Turns out there’s yet another crossover for these engines and I have it. Seems specific for the arctic kit as it has an additional port in the middle that the standard cucv one doesn’t have.
A third crossover design.
Well, i'll be.
I wonder what they had installed there?
It would be fun to be a design engineer.
 
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