2.3T keeps overheating, do I need a bigger radiator??

[yitzac1990]

so i have a 2.3T in a vw sandrail buggy, and it keeps getting very hot and coolant keeps basically exploding out of the coolant overflow tank. unfortunately I do not have a temperature gauge to monitor actual temps, but I do have an automatic fan on/off switch. it turns on at 180, and off at 165, something like that. I just put in a new water pump and lower temp thermostat, and it is still doing the same thing. Here are pictures of how it is setup:







As you can see, the radiator obviously sits above the top of the engine...is this in itself a problem, can the water pump pump enough to keep the fluid circulating that high? However, when I had the radiaor lower and about even with the engine, it still overheated, so i dont think the pump is the problem.

I had someone suggest I get a larger radiator, but I figured it may not need much bigger since it sees a whole lot of open airflow??

So not sure exactly what the problem is, what do you guys think I should do?

oh one last thing, what is the radiator cap pressure normally on a 1985 thunderbird with the 2.3T? Maybe my radiator cap is insufficient, and its doing fine in actuality?

P.S. this current radiator is for a 2000 honda civic, and cap is 1.1 bar