I have a 50 merc with a crate 350 sbc i installed a new aluminum radiator with a electrick puller fan (2550 cfm's) and it still runs 205+ any suggestions ?
Try a different thermostat?? Bleed the air out of the system (should be a little bolt on the water pump). Take it out, and jack-up the front end and let some of the water shoot out as you fill the radiator. Just a guess.
are you sure it is fact hot. do you have any thread tape on threads on your temp send unit? if so remove it as it will give false reading to the hot side. also , does it cool down when gong down the road? if so it is fan if not is timing correct on car as retarded will cause heat as well as a lean cond in carb, if it cools down going down the road at speed you need more fan or shroud or something in the air movement area, good luck
Where is your vacuum line for the distributor advance connected? I needs to be connected to manifold vacuum to work correctly. This has solved many heating probs, including mine! If it is attacthed to the carb, it must be to one of the lower, under the throttle blades, ports to get manifold vac, or, of course, directly to a vac port on the intake.
Start it with the radiator cap off, and watch it as it warms up. You should see good circulation after the thermostat opens up. Don't know how you're measuring temp, but get one of those little dial thermometers the air conditioning people use, and calibrate it to 212F in a pan of boiling water. Keep the probe in the water when you are reading the thermometer; the bottom of the pan is hotter than 212F. That will get you on/close to true coolant temp around 205F. What is the thermostat temp rating; you may be getting exactly what the thermostat wants. And, of course, check for the infamous gas bubbles in the coolant, even on a new motor.
If you've got Stewart Warner gauges, it probably a bad gauge. Especially if they/re the "Cl***ic Wings" series. They are beautiful to look at , but complete junk.
keep in mind, 205° is not hot when you have a pressurized system. Water boils at 212° at sea level - for every pound of pressure in the system, it raises the boiling point a bit (memory bad, and I don't feel like looking it up), this is one of the reasons they quit putting numbers on gauges and/or just switched to idiot lights - people think if you're temp is over 180° that it's a BAD thing - not so - you'd be amazed at just how hot the coolant in new cars gets. dj ps - I have a 383 stroker in a Model A - hoodless, admittedly, but I use a Cooling Components® fan, a Walker radiator and an overflow/recovery tank - this is Las Vegas....even sitting at idle for as long as I want, the temp never exceeds 190°. dj
I think if it runs and idles at 205 all the time , and everything else is good, timing, reliable water flow and such then 205 is where its going to be. I had bought a crate 350 a few years ago and the guy at the chevy dealer said it would run a little hotter than the stock 1965 motor I was replacing. I would think as long as its not stalling or having any problems then just drive it, I would think it will run a little hot untill its broken in, after some miles put in some synth oil and see what happens. And Im pretty sure all this could have been avoided if you had used a Ford motor in the merc haha j/k
Ive got a gm 350 crate in my 32 with a griffin radiator and a spal fan. 190 in over 100 deg heat is the hottest it gets. check your water pump rotation t stat yada yada yada Dave
Higher temp is a result of increased efficiency & visa versa. we used to run under 180* when we didn't have the tech to run as lean as we do now. Leaner is hotter. Premium oil temp for best combustion is 185*, Water temps between 200* & 230*. Tune it well and run it.
205 is NOT too hot for the newer generation Chevrolet engines...... I say if you are not loosing any coolant when you shut her down ,you are fine. I second the ***essment, that Stewart Warner Wings- instruments are total ****. also lots of other guages nowadays also leave something to be desired......
my BBC runs 210 all day long Along with all the other viable suggestions above, It also might something as simple as the radiator cap, what pressure cap you running? And did you drill a small hole in the Thermo to release any air bubble that might have occured during all the "installation"?
205 at idle in Mesa AZ in August...AND YOU'RE *****ING!!?? Seriously, like it's been said, if it stays around 205-220 under all loads/conditions, I wouldn't worry about it. The technology in cooling systems and coolants today is phenomenal. After break in, run sythetic oil and enjoy it...
It was hinted at already...but.. go to the archive and check C9's post on TIMING .........(And use distilled water and a water wetter ....NO anti-freeze ...remember --DISTILLED WATER !) jersey Skip
I'd pull it, and put a bad *** flattie in it. You're car must be rejecting the chevy motor. Just kiddin. Good luck with it.
205 is not hot. If it aint putting the coolant on the ground, it's not overheating. Look at it this way: GM's ECM's in a modern vehicle turn ON the cooling fan at around 235!! 205??? Drive that *****!
i had this prob on a 350 years ago .the blades in the water pump had flattened out.it would pump enough to keep it cool when running down the road but as soon as i slowed down it would puke.as a last resort i put a new pump on ........cured!
I had the same problem with my 41 Willys. Changed the gage 3 times. If you have a SW electric set up put in a mech. type. You can test the gage by taking out the sensor, boil some water with a therm in it and compare the two. I'll never by SW again. Also flow kool makes a real nice high volume water pump. Hal Stockton---Sharkster
also, check to make sure your upper rad hose doesnt sit higher then your radiator cap or wherever you're bleeding the system. if it does sit higher you'll get air trapped in that portion of the hose that sits higher then the cap, causing it to run hot.
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