Hot Rods SBC overheating...yes I've tried almost everything!

Here is a test of different mechanical fan types and their affect on horsepower:

 

I have a 180* stat, shroud and with the steel fan it got hot in traffic after a few minutes, up to 210*. I now have the flex fan and see a difference, but it hasn't hit 90* yet. I just got a 2300 CFM Spal pusher fan that is going in soon and should solve things for me.

 

210 is fine. No worries there at all.


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Have you set your timing with a light yet?
I really wouldn't buy another fan until you do that.

 

Dude, you haven't even done everything advised in this thread to correct an overheating condition (check/set the timing), and it's not clear you even have a cooling issue anyway, but you think you need to change to an electric fan. WTF???? That makes no sense.

 

He's not having an overheating problem now, he is running an electric fan because of how low the engine is in relation to the radiator.

 

That's a pretty common thing with the late V8. you could mount a 14 inch electric fan above the stock location fan in my 48 when I had the V8 in it. Add to that he had the wrong fan for the application on it.

 

My daily was having these issues and it turned out the impeller in the water pump was damm near eroded away which i hear is common on late model cars since they use stamped steel impellers. changed the pump and have not had a problem since.

 

Without a piston stop test FIRST to verify that the marks are correct a timing light is no better than throwing darts- outside, in the wind, while its raining and at night in the dark.

 

I've seen these tests before.
I won't argue their findings but I certainly would like to know how a 1/3 hp electric motor that almost fits in your pocket can do it.

Ths s a 30 hp electric motor

 

One more thing you can do is make sure that any openings in the front that allow air around the
radiator instead of thru it are sealed. Will not help much at idle but can make a big difference at
highway speeds. Of course the air also has to have a way out...

 

Correct timing is critical to combustion chamber temps,which in turn affects water temp...so look at it this way,when your combustion temp is so high your cooling system cant keep the engine water temp down you are also distorting the pistons with heat and super heating the exhaust,cooking valves..without correct timing you can fry your engine,an 80 buck timing light and learning how to use it is cheap compared to the damage heat causes..

 

Actually, I have done almost everything advised to me in this thread. I've received a lot of good advice and followed it and my problems are basically resolved. If you would read back through you would see where I've commented that I've tried the things that these awesome guys have told me to do. The only thing I've yet to do is check the timing with a light and that's simply because I haven't had the time to do so yet. Everything else I've done. And if you would've read, you would've seen where a mechanical fan is going to do me no good with its location in relation to the radiator. So I upgraded my electric fan to a higher CFM and everything seems to be doing well. Thanks for swooping in and trying to make me look like an idiot though.


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The thermostat doesn't control the operating temperature of the coolant. It's nothing more than an on/off valve to assist your engine in initially warming up to the correct operating temperature. A 160°F thermostat will allow the coolant to warm up to 160° before opening and allowing the coolant to flow. That does not mean the temperature will stay at 160°F, if the rest of the coolant system (water pump, fan, block & head passages, hoses, thermostat, ignition timing, etc.) are functioning or sized incorrectly. Once the thermostat opens, it allows full flow of coolant - nothing more. If the condition of the engine allows the coolant to run at 210°F, a 160°F thermostat will NOT cool the engine down. It's a system and you have to have all the parts correctly selected and installed & operating properly.

I also believe you'll find a dramatic lowering of operating temperature by installing a shroud.


My 2¢

 

Simplest explanation. ( trying to stay under 7 words or close)

After initial warm up-
Thermostat controls only the minimum temp, it has no (none ZERO) control over the maximum temp,

More than 7 words lol

actually no control over any temp higher than its destination. It's job is to stay closed until the coolant reaches that designation. Once at that designed temp it opens and it's work stops. It's function is complete.

That being said ,,,
There's millions upon millions of words already in print in thousands of books and volumes and chapters about the subject of thermostats and the theory of operation behind them. Why write any more ? It's not like another book is nesessary, what's nesessary is kiddie story time where someone reads the book aloud to the aspired mechanics who think mystical properties govern the problems.
I'm pretty sure nobody will read that far to get offended.

 

31Vicky.......
Thanks for condensing that - I'm usually too verbose !

 

Wrong..... The thermostat opens when the temperature of the coolant in the engine reaches the temp it was designed to open at allowing that coolant to flow to the radiator. Once cooler coolant flows into the motor and reaches the thermostat
... It closes and the cycle starts again. If it never closes.... Your radiator, fan or whatever isn't allowing the coolant to cool off. Anyone that has watched coolant flow thru a radiator can verify that.

Some of you people need to put the comic books down.

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Is there a suspected slipped balancer or Mis-matched parts?
A spark plug a bolt and a 3/8 tap and a hour will solve the problem if so.
Even a screwdriver will get him close.
1/8 of an inch worth of a turn on the distributor could easily raise operating temp 20 degrees. I know the major offendeder has been found but there certainly could be some gains to timing.

 

For the nay sayers... this is from Stant..

As the engine's coolant warms up, the increase in heat causes the wax to melt and expand. The wax pushes against a piston inside a rubber boot. This forces the piston outward to open the thermostat. Within 3 or 4 degrees F. of the thermostat preset/rated temperature which is usually marked on the thermostat, the thermostat begins to unseat so coolant can start to circulate between the engine and radiator. It continues to open until engine cooling requirements are satisfied. It is fully open about 15-20 degrees above its rated temperature. If the temperature of the circulating coolant begins to drop, the wax element contracts, allowing spring tension to close the thermostat, thus decreasing coolant flow through the radiator.

 

I've never watched the coolant flow while driving down the road. Certainly the thermostat should open and close at idle. I have watched a flow meter while running an engine on a dyno but we used a restrictor which was a thermostat with the operating parts removed.

I've watched the temperature gauge in vehicles. The temperature goes up and down at first but settles in to a pretty constant temperature under load. A thermostat isn't necessarily fully open or closed. It can be somewhere in between and act as a restriction to control the flow.

 

Who's wrong about what?

 

The ones who say the when the thermostat opens it stays open.

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What a prick. And I say that with all due affection...

 

A little (maybe way )off-topic for this forum... Here's how it's done.
That's an 30hp Induction Motor....maybe 3000RPM and about 80% efficient. My work life couldn't be further divergent from my hobby. In my work life I do product development and business development for high performance, high power density EV and HEV's electric motors. Change to Permanent Magnet motor at 97% efficiency, Spin at high speeds (6,000RPM-12,000RRPM), incorporate water cooling and push the thermal limits, and an you can get 175hp out of a motor the size of gallon of ice cream.
You can see it right in front of the rear tire. Crazy thing is the reliability........, and this technology is being worked into pump motors, fan motors, to reduce weight and space claim on all types of vehicles.

Don't get me wrong I still prefer my caveman shop and old hot-rods!

This is a 175hp electric motor

 

Let's make it clearer then.
1 - thermostat controls minimum temp.
That's all it does with temperature related operations and that's a fact.

So -
If the thermostat is 160 and the coolant is 160 it's not going to close. If it's 165, to 265 it's not going to close. Agreed?

Then If - and only if ,,,
The coolant exiting the heads after making its loop thru the cooling system is below 160 the thermostat closes there by controlling the minimum temp.

 

Yup..... That's the way it works.
You can test that with a cup of boiling water and a cup that is at the temp it is rated at. Then drop it in water that is a few degrees cooler than rating.

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How about those radiator caps? By Mr gasket. That has the gage on it. Do you guys use them or nah? I use one due to my electric original in my truck doesn't seem to be as accurate because all of has is (c-h). So when it hits 190 it is in the H and I don't know if I'm gona over heat or what. Especially in traffic. Is that normal? On old Apaches?

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My cousin runs one on his Plymouth Belvedere. Why not add an aftermarket temp gauge (good one, not a cheapo) just for peace of mind? The radiator cap gauge will only tell you radiator coolant temp, not block temp.


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Gee, I wonder how my car stays at 180 with a restricter plate....must be comic book magic

 

Restrictor plates work good if you have the correct size. Can take the motor a while to come up to temperature.

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