Ok..i did a search..and got some different views on the subject.. Heres the deal....New 350, new waterpump, new aluminum radiator, new 180 thermostat.....new coolant etc,etc! Driving it around the other day it didnt get hotter than 180...cool with me... Today, its a little warmer out....got up to 210...then creeped a few times up to 220-225....never got to 230...but still made me a little concerned. When I got home, nothing came out the radiator to indicate it overheated. I am running an electric fan, that is on all the time, and I do not have a shroud yet..... When I did a search, some people said some small blocks fans dont turn on until 210 and the second fans dont kick on until 230! Some said sbc run a little hot and thats normal, some said as long as it doesnt spill out the radiator when you shut it off, youre not overheating....now Im really confused! I always thought 210 was a normal temp, anything above that indicated motor getting a little too hot. what temp should I be pulling over and shutting her down! Any thoughts guys? Thanks...
Anything over 210 starts to get me worrying. You didn't say what type of car it is but I've had great results using a Cooling Components fan and shroud set up.
The second fan in my Vette doesnt kick on until 225 or so, but I don't like to run that hot all the time. The SBC in my '34 runs at a solid 180 almost all the time. You'd do well to add the shroud. It makes a LOT of difference.
Iron block and heads you'll be fine. 50/50 coolant mix - add the shroud and you'll see a big difference.
SBC's usually run cool on even small radiators, as long as they aren't plugged up or running retarded timing. That happened just the same to my GMC (400"SBC then, now 262"SBC) years ago when I was running a no pressure '48 truck radiator of unknown condition. Cept mine puked its guts because it was a no pressure boils at 210* system. Radiator guy said the core was only 2/3ds plugged up! With a recore and pressure cap system mine runs at 181* with a 180* stat and will creep up to about 195-200* on a 90*+ day. If you're radiator is new I'd suspect stuff like, loose water pump belt, temp gauge or sending unit off, or most likely, *timing retarded or vacuum advance not on full time manifold vacuum, like it should be.* If it was in need of a shroud it would be heating at idle but not going down the road. Sometimes lowered cars just don't have enough room under them for the air that comes in the front to get out! That's why a lot of performance cars have been built with air outlets in the fenders between the front wheel and the firewall. They ain't just for looks! But then, it's 95 degrees here at the Beach. must be about 500* up there in the Valley!
Sorry..its in a 52 chevy...heres what I've got......will be getting a shroud next weekend....hopefully that will help a little...
you might want to check your hoses- i didn't have a metal spring coil in mine and it wanted to overheat at high rpm because the waterpump would flatten out the lower hose. added one ant the problem went away
Hahaha.. Thanks for the info...gives me a few things to consider....the timing should be good...the va***n advance should be right too..I think! I did have it on the wrong port on the carb and the car ran too rich and idled high, swithed to the other port and now idles *****in, and is running good....This has all happened just driving the streets, havent got it on the freeway yet...so Im wondering if it would get even hotter on the freeway....
Mine runs around 180 to 295 in the summer, but I have done a lot that makes it run cooler than most. The wife's late model 327 (or so) runs 210-315 all the time. But late model cars/trucks run hotter than we are used to something to do with emissions control or the such. I wouldn't worry about it much if you're not running above 210-215 most of the time. I'd be concerned if 220 and above became a common occurrence.
Yes thats too hot! From all of your cooling specs, it sounds like your timing is too retartded and making the engine build alot of heat. A shround would help the fan draw the air threw the radiator a lil better. Does it cool down when you get up to highway speeds?
Yes IMHO. Talking hot rods here and not daily drivers with emissions requirements and systems designed for those extreme temps, I want my hot rod to run 180 up to 200 on a very hot day. Anything over 200 and I'm sweating bullets. You can certainly get away with it once in a while but I'll be checking it carefully if it happened to me more than once. Others may like to gamble more than I do. The extreme temps often quoted on modern cars are done for emissions purposes. All cars ran in the 180-200 range until the emissions requirements forced the manufacturers to run them a lot hotter.
this is what Ive heard and what kind of confuses me...like I said, it didnt go higher than 225...but on a cooler day it did stay around 180... Another person said if you have teflon tape on the threads of the temp sensor, it will give you a higher reading....never heard of that..
I think I may look into this...the timing is set where it should be, and the car runs *****in....but do I advance it just a little bit to see if that helps? Didnt really tell if it cooled down at highway speeds or not....drove it probably 15- 20 miles and started to float between 210-225 just as I was almost home...I did see it drop back to 210 a few times during the trip....just wanted to get home and get on the HAMB!
Friend of mine has a 67' Chevelle running a built 383". It ran at 220 so he called the engine builder. The engine builder told him the motor was designed to run at 220, any cooler and it would lose power. Thermostats in new corvettes don't open till 270. My late model Dodge Truck runs at 210.
a shroud will help ALOT more than just a little. My sbc in my 55 never goes above 190 no matter how hot it is outside. If you've done everything else and it's still running hotter than it should then you really NEED to do the shroud
Thats what Im thinking...will those 6" chrome universal shrouds work, or do I need something else? My buddy has that type on his 50 chevy and hasnt had any problems....
Well, I pulled the number of the block and it says its a 69-79 Truck, Nova, Chevelle, Camaro, or Vette motor....would these motors run hotter, and if not, would they if some "Work" was done to the motor?
I would like to add to this thread. I have a 37 Ford with a 350 engine. I chased cooling problems for 3 years. If at all possible put the largest mechnical fan on that you can swing. A 17 inch steel fan will move about 6000 cfm. A electric would move 2500 to 3000cfm max. Also add a shroud. You really need to pull air thru the top of the radiator. The top does all the work. I am speaking from experience here. Now I have added air to my 37 with a 15 inch mechanical fan and a shroud. I see 210 with idleing with the ambient temp at 90 degrees. Don
Just My Opinion And What Has Worked For Me For Years, Six Bladed Steel Fan With Non Thermal Clutch And Shroud, Never No Promblems.
Judging by your pictures I'll tell you EXACTLY what is wrong and why you're running too hot. That fan is woefully inadequate to cool your mill in that car. With the fan blades that close to the radiator, you are effectively creating 5 major dead zones in the radiator what get no airflow (the 4 corners and the center of the fan). Since it looks like you have the room, I would install a mechanical fan, and use a shroud as others have mentioned. I don't really like those chrome universal shrouds since they block off the top corners of the radiator. A shroud that encomp***es the entire surface area of the core is the best bet, and your fan should be about .5" outside of the shroud. Keep at least 2" between the fan and the radiator. I had the same setup you have and had the same problem you have. I did just what I said and I never overheated again
1. Keep in mind the gages aren't always real accurate. 2. Add a shroud and when you do, remember to install it so the fan blades 2/3's inside the shroud and 1/3 of the blade is outside the shroud. If you burry the fan inside the shroud you'll get a column of air blowing out at the engine and trying to bounce back, impeding the incoming air. 3. Check the thermostat. 4. Check your radiator hoses to make sure they're not collapsing under pressure.
Thanks 57JoeFoMoPar....sounds like that might be it then.....I'll swap out the electric fan and install a shroud and see what happens...
IN my humble opinion you are running to darn hot. I don't like anything over 200 myself on my 383 stroker motor for my 56 Chev. The only way I solved my heating problem was installing a quality cross flow radiator with dual electric fans and a very good shroud -- then the problem went away completely Get yours fixed so you don't mess up your engine
I agree... the radiator I have is a 2 row 1"" core and does have crossflow and should do the trick for my 350.....so Im starting to think that Im not properly moving the air through the radiator via..fan and shroud?
I'm sure we checked the electric fan and it is pulling not pushing the air. I've run and installed several Cooling compoments fans and they are the best. IMO..Also they have an outstanding warranty..
With iron heads... I wouldn't pull over unless I was at 260+ with NO chance to get moving again. If you are running in clean air, 240 and climbing fast means pull over too. Just remember that it's going to heat-soak up another 20-30 degrees or so. That's just me though and that's on a pretty racy sbc that gets to 210 on the hottest of days at the strip. Just remember, there's a reason so many people love the small block... it's a ****ing tank. Running 220-230 every now and then until you figure this thing out is not going to hurt a damn thing.
Things to check, verify the the temp gauge is accurate. Some new gauges operate on a plus or minus 10% reading, especially the junk SW. Use a 160 degree thermostat. Also put a spring inside the bottom hose. As earlier suggested use a waterpump driven mechanical flex fan 16 or 17" diameter, and shroud the fan blades per instructions on the flexalite fan box. I run a 406" SBC with a 4 row radiator and mechanical fan, if it's 100 degrees ambient it runs at 200. A general rule is that with an efficient cooling system and street driven compression you should ideally run 100 degrees above ambient temperature. My 3-w with 10 1/2 to 1 360 ci SBC runs at 110 above ambient. Lots of luck, The FOGGER
I have a 350 (.60 over) in a '50 chevy with the stock radiator, a 6 blade fan, no shroud, a trans cooler in front of the radiator and a 185 thermostat. It runs 185 all the time, never overheats. I had an overheating problem last summer though. Turned out the radiator had sprung a leak by the top tank and wouldn't pressurize. I replaced the radiator with another old stocker and the problem vanished. Looks like you have a pretty good radiator so try the mechanical fan.
I kinda knew it was the Chevy in your avitar, but I didn't know it didn't have any inner fender wells or a full, sealed core support. Ya know the part I mentioned about not being able to get air out of a lowered car because it usually goes out the bottom of the car? without any sheet metal surrounding and sealing the radiator to direct the air through the radiator, it's just going around it and then swirling up and over the top tank and recirculating through it again and getting hotter and hotter. The ONLY flow you are getting is what the fan pulls through the radiator. You could have it mounted and locked up in the trunk for all the good being up front there is doing. Seal off both sides and above the radiator to the fenders and hood and that will force all the air coming in the front of the car through the radiator instead of dancing around it.
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