cooling issues

[Rolling_Thunder]

Alright - when i broke in the motor on the run-stand it was getting about 160*...       the car is not running a thermostat, a driect drive fan off of an old HD mopar truck and it is pulling ALOT of air....       the radiator is full yet it is topping out my auto-meter gauge to about 260*...   so any ideas ?

[Johnny SixPack]

Have you verified the temp?

Could the gauge be bad?

Was the 160* reading on the same gauge?

Did the rad puke after the 260* reading?

[RECHRGD]

Are you sure the pump is good?  I used to have cooling problems in traffic.  I tried all the usual fixes; alum. radiator, shroud, aux. electric fan, etc..  All helped but nothing put a stop to the problem until I added a Milidon High Volume pump.   Bob

[firefighter3931]

It needs a thermostat.....w/o one the coolant circulates too fast and won't allow the rad to pull heat out of the engine. 

Ron

[RECHRGD]

Firefighter's right.  You need a t-stat.  If you need to go to a high volume pump be sure to get a high volume t-stat also.  Bob

[Rolling_Thunder]

it was a different gauge...    no - it did not puke at the 260*  but i have NEVER had it puke - ive ran the old engine with a 1/2 full radiator before and nothing happened.....                           how would running a T-stat help at all ?  if its open it is flowing the same ammount of water as it is now - I will try installing one tomarrow and seeing what happens.

[Blown70]

R-T

You never give the water a chance to cool in the RAD.  you can run a restrictor which is like a big washer with a hole and you can get varied  in size.  Best would just be to get a T-stat

We ran into trouble with this in a race car.  You have to slow the flow down so the radiatior can do its job.  basically now you could skip the rad and hook the lower and upper together.....Kidding.

hope that helps

Tom

[firefighter3931]

Rolling T, one other thing ; before installing the stat....drill a 1/8 in hole to help it bleed off any air pockets that may be caught in the cooling system. I allways use the Milidon high flow stats. 

Ron

[Rolling_Thunder]

Well I am running a restrictor...     but I see ya'lls point...      I have a cool thermostat that already has a hole drilled in it with a little vent in it...    it looks like a little barbell or something....     anyway...   I guess I will flush my cooling today and put in the mighty T-stat....    worse case i'll hit the local junkyard and get a helper electric fan

[Johnny SixPack]

OK, here's one guy who's car ran great without a stat. 

The only problem was not getting hot air from the heater. 

Not to be the devil's advocate, but you said you didn't have a stat when the motor was reading 160*, correct?

Do you have access to a hand held 'thermometer'?

'Cause It could just be that the gauge is reading wrong.

When my "69 hit 240* (heat crossovers blocked, BeCool 26" rad, Milodon HV pump and 180* stat, electric fan <---- the cause of the overheat) it still made the overflow puke.

Sounds to me like it could just be a simple case of a bad gauge or sensor.

[Rolling_Thunder]

When my "69 hit 240* (heat crossovers blocked, BeCool 26" rad, Milodon HV pump and 180* stat, electric fan <---- the cause of the overheat) it still made the overflow puke.

Sounds to me like it could just be a simple case of a bad gauge or sensor.

We have run a B-Cool at the shop and we were not thrilled with it...    a stock 26" cooled better...    and no - i was not running a stat when it was at 160*...      i installed a 170* stat just for  kicks and it helps warming up faster...    it could just be the gauge or sender...    the gauge is brand new though so...   I'll have to look for a thermomiter laying around

[Rolling_Thunder]

alright....    got the 170* thermistat in and that thing is still running at 250*   guess Imust be a gauge or a sender problem

[Johnny SixPack]

When my "69 hit 240* (heat crossovers blocked, BeCool 26" rad, Milodon HV pump and 180* stat, electric fan <---- the cause of the overheat) it still made the overflow puke.

Sounds to me like it could just be a simple case of a bad gauge or sensor.

We have run a B-Cool at the shop and we were not thrilled with it...    a stock 26" cooled better...    and no - i was not running a stat when it was at 160*...      i installed a 170* stat just for  kicks and it helps warming up faster...    it could just be the gauge or sender...    the gauge is brand new though so...   I'll have to look for a thermomiter laying around

Guess I lucked out with mine.

Other than fitment issues BeCool fails to tell you about, I've been very pleased with the functionality of the rad.

When I had the 5-blade viscous clutch fan I would consistently run at 160* at speed and 180* at idle with the BeCool.

Of course I was coming from a rotted 22" stock rad, so my perceptions were a bit skewed, but I'll soon have a recored 26" stock rad to judge it against in my "70.

Hope it's just the gauge or sender.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Well it is not the gauge or the sender...    went to auto-zone and picked up a cheapie temp gauge and it was reading 250-260...    changed the sender and nothing was changed ===  granted this is all while idling (3-5 mins) but I would think it would be cooled quite a bit more then what it is...      Looks like I'll be hunting for an electric helper tomarrow at the yard... 

[BigBlockSam]

i solved my over heating problems with an aluminum rad. i went to buy a BeCool rad but they were to expensive. i bought a custom built afco rad for 1/2 the price. she runs at 190 all day now. Rene

[1970440RT]

     I'm not sure if you checked this yet but if your initial ignition timing is off, you most definitely will overheat.  I had a similar problem to yours and the timing adjustment cured it.  Prior to fine tuning the ignition timing, I tried the usual cure alls: aluminum rad, high flow water pump, aluminum housing, lower temp stat, etc.  all to no avail.  After dialing in the advance curve to 18* at idle, my car went from overheating at idle in any weather to now when I sit at a stoplight the temp actually drops. 

[BigBlockSam]

I'm not sure if you checked this yet but if your initial ignition timing is off, you most definitely will overheat.   

[is_it_EVER_done?]

First thing you need to invest in is a small 'instant read' thermometer which are used for A/C temp measurements, and food preparation. They cost about two and a half bucks at Harbor Tools, or about 5 times that at a restaurant supply store (even though they are the same thing), and have a vacuum gauge handy.

When the engine is cold, remove the radiator cap - install the vacuum gauge to manifold vacuum - start the engine and let it warm up for about 10 minutes Make sure you see the coolant flowing in the radiator, and measure the temp with the thermometer. ALSO watch for any small bubbles in the coolant which would indicate an internal engine crack or head gasket problem.



I'm guessing that it's no where near 260 since you say that it doesn't puke out any coolant. If it is that high, adjust the timing by advancing until you reach the highest vacuum reading, then reduce the timing till the vacuum is about two PSI less than maximum. Wait about two to three minutes and measure the water temp again to see if it's gone down.

If timing didn't fix it, replace the radiator cap, and see if it's building pressure after a few minutes (by squeezing the top radiator hose). Shut it off and test the oil for coolant contamination by removing your dipstick and touching the end to the hot exhaust manifold - oil will just quietly spread out quickly, while oil with any moisture in it will sizzle and appear agitated by the hot manifold (you can use a drop of new oil for a controll to see how it should behave).

After all this you may want to replace parts, but at least you will know if you even have a problem, and if so, whether it's an internal mechanical problem that parts replacement won't cure, before you start spending money that may be unnecessary. - Also if you post a pic of the engine compartment, someone may spot an obvious problem that you may be overlooking.

[Rolling_Thunder]

Alright...    I have a feeling that it is not getting that hot either...   I went out this morning and turned the key to Acc and it read 190*...    fat chance...      at 260* i would think it would puke its guts all over the place so...       I got the second gauge and hooked it up directly to the battery (+,-) and then used an aligator clip to read off the sender - this gauge read 190* - the gauge in the dash rear 220* (car had been sitting for about 4 hours)    so...     what would cause the gauges to read differently ?    I have ran the engine and the upper radiator hose for warm after about a minute but never got hot enough to be untouchable....     i removed the radiator cap and saw the water flowing so i know it is circulating....             any other ideas ?

[BLAM]

My money is on the idea that the problem is with the sending unit, not the gauge.  Difference in the electrical resistance of the wires will cause the gauges to read differently.