I'm need some help if anyone out there has ever used the Snow White adapter that is used on a Ford 289/302 engine. This adapter is used along with an Opel water pump that is used in place of the standard water pump, it's a very short combination to fit in limited space. I bought this 36 Ford that has it mounted to a 302 engine. The builder didn't want to cut into the firewall so there's not much front room from fan to radiator. Here's my question and issue I'm having: The temperature gauge reaches 190 degrees while driving then it slowly creeps down to say 165 degrees then slowly moves back up to 190 degrees! Never over heats! I've changed out the thermostat, 180 degree, then the electric sending unit to match the temp gauge, then the temp gauge! still after chasing parts it does the same thing! someone told me that putting on a larger water pump pulley it'll calm it down because the Opel water pump vanes are smaller and the pulley is smaller in diameter so it spins much faster than my 8" crank pulley. I swapped it out for a lager pulley but now it'll over heat at an idle! But will run at 190 degree while driving! Any information or ideas would be helpful, Snow White industries is out of business. I've contacted CVF Racing they have a short SBF water pump set up but I'd have to change over all my accessories mounting with spacers etc. Not to mention that the Opel pump inlet is on the passenger side along with the lower radiator hose and the SBF shorty from CVF inlet is on the drivers side! Too much switching. Has anyone run into this with the Snow White I've read that a few members used it when they where in business? Thanks in Advance
The temp cycling sounds like an air lock to me. Is the cold water level above the thermostat? I did have a weird one once that did it and I couldn’t find any fault until I put a normal thermostat in instead of a high flow one. That was a SBC and the thermostat tested fine.
I'm going to ask when does it drop to 165? If that is cruising along at comfortable road speed and it goes up to 190 at a stop or in slow traffic the gauge may be off a bit . I would First figure out if my gauge was actually accurate.My experience says that with everything right and the engine not working hard it will cruise down the highway at just a few degrees above the rating of the thermostat and rise a bit in slow traffic or when stopped. a 25 degree change probably isn't excessive. On that car I'd think that u.less they did a Mickey mouse radiator install the coolant level is well above the highest point of the engine's cooling passages.
Two things: I seem to remember the snow white water pump body has or needs a bleeder valve at the top, to get air out of cooling system. @HOTRODPRIMER , am I remembering correctly? You made no mention of fan or fan shroud. What do you have? As stated above, at cruise speed, water temp should be a little above the thermostat rating. At slow speed, or at traffic stop, it will go higher, which is when the fan and shroud become important.
Larger pulley not only slowed down water pump speed but also fan speed. Typically, over heat at idle, temp fine going down the road is a sign of insufficient air flow at idle/low speed operation.
Put it back to the way it was, you are chasing a non issue if it is not boiling over in the original configuration. Engine temps fluctuate, it is not a problem if coolant is staying where it is supposed to be.
Thanks to everyone for their input, I've done a lot of what some had suggested and more. I'm just a perfection freak! Since I can't reinvent what was done before me and it ran good I did do what Pocket Nick had suggested, I put it back to the way it was and will live with the temp gradually creeping down while driving then up to normal since it never over heats. But that Snow White adapter using an Opel water pump had me stumped! Thanks Guys
I too would like to know what you have for a fan and a fan shroud. My truck has an electric cooling fan because of space limitations. That fan had the turn on and the turn off points that were adjustable. Until I got the temps set correctly, the fan ran more then it needed to. That caused the coolant temps to drop below the thermostat temp while cruising, if the outside temps were not hot. The fan was cooling the coolant in the radiator too much and was closing the thermostat until it warmed the motor back up to operating temps. The temp gauge was trying to tell me the fan adjustment was off.
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