i finally got my chevy 292 straight six into my car and fired it up. dual carter webbers carbs and dual exhaust, electronic ignition. it fires up no problem, idles good and revs nicely, but seems to get hot really fast, althought i have just ran it in my garage, the car isnt quite ready to drive yet. my temp gauge is in the head itself and it read 220 when i shut it down, when i was putting this motor together, i put a mark on the timing tab on the timing cover at exactly top dead center for cylinder #1. i put the distributor in and set it with a timing light at 4 degrees BEFORE TDC with the motor idling. (i read that somewhere.) i got a vacuum hose hooked up on the distributor to the the carb. i notice when i rev the motor the timing mark falls way back to before top dead center. i really dont know how to set the timing the right way so i am looking for help. i think having this motor timed wrong is making it heat up to quick? the radiator i am using is a newly recored original from the original car, which is a 1950 chevy fleetline. any advice on this would be gratly appreciated. thanks mike
Usually the best way to go is to figure out what the total timing is (with vacuum disconnected), using a timing light with a dial or display that shows the advance when you have the mark showing TDC. Rev the engine up till it does not advance any more (usually 2000-3000 rpm), see what the timing is. Older engines usually run somewhere around 30-40 degrees total, 34 would probably be a good place to start.
You're running way retarded on your timing. That'll make it heat up. Pull the vacuum hose off the vacuum canister and plug it. A golf tee works great for this. Then set your timing to 12* btdc and then hook your vacuum back up. Once you get that done then check for total timing like squirrel suggests.
well i set the timing at 12 degrees btdc and tried it again. it ran a lot better and started easier. the motor still heats up real quick, like in 2 minutes it up to 220. i think the problem might be elsewhere. i felt the radiator and the top of it was hot but the bottom wasnt hot at all???? i thought the radiator might be blocked but i opened the valve at the bottom and it emptied right out so the radiator is not blocked. perhaps the problem is somewhere else? a stuck thermostat? its brand new so probably not likely? could there be an airlock in the cooling system? any tips on finding the answer is greatly appreciated.
Sounds like an air lock. The 292 used a few different water pumps, some had a bypass hose, some did not.
3 or 4 flues will pass enough coolant to keep the petcock flowing while the radiator is over 90% blocked. Not saying that is your problem, but opening the draincock and seeing the coolant all run out just don't tell you much. Does the thermostat have a bleed hole in it? Is it in upside down?
the radiator is new, i am fairly sure its not blocked, i removed the lower hose previously and it POURED. i put the thermostat with the "spring side" down assuming that was correct? maybe i have it in upside down? i never heard of a "bleed hole" but i do see a little brass "plug" looking thing in it. it is loose and can moce around so i assume thats a bleed hole?
Pardon me for making a stupid suggestion but make sure that the plug wires are on the distributor, in the right firing order, in the correct rotation as the distributor. I believe the rotation is ccw. This engine will run with the wires reversed, but not real well. Please don't ask me how I know.
as far as the thermostat goes, i just poppped it in a pot of boiling water and it opened right up, so its not the thermostat i guess. i got the plug wire firing order sequence set at 1 5 3 6 2 4, when i look down on the distributor i assumed it turns clockwise? i figured this out looking at a diagram on page 125 of santuccis book. please dont tell me the distributor rotates CCW? i dont understand how it could rotate CCW according to this diagram?
Maybe it's a coolant flow problem. Do you have a coil in the bottom rad hose? Hose Could be collapsing. My 230 needed one.
That whole family of engines are bad about air pockets around the thermostat housing. The bleed hole that was referred to is one that is drilled in the thermostat to help with the air pocket. Unless your engine is full of acorns...but that's a whole different thread.
the dist turns clockwise so you are on the right track there. i always drill 1/8" hole in thermostat to prevent air lock like suggested.
Check youre oil & see if its milky looking , May be a head gasket ... That 292 may be telling you ... I want a new aluminum radiator ...
The oil looks fine. i made a threaded hole in the thermostat housing, so it now has a bleeder and there didnt seem to be many bubbles coming out. i took the cap off before it got too hot and the water is flowing into the top of the radiator. none of the hoses are collapsing. the timing was set 10 degrees btdc. the radiator is warm on the bottom, but very hot on the top. the temp goes up quickly to 220 and thats when i shut it down. i wonder what is causing this? the motor has been newly rebuilt. its got those lump ports in the head. i am running water heat to the intake manifold plumbed of the drivers side of the motor. these lines get hot quick too. i dont have a heater core, dont plan on running heat on this car, at least not for now. i just have a hose going from the inlet to the outlet on the passenger side of the motor. this hose gets how real quick too. on a positive note, i did drive it around the block a couple of times for the first time after working on this POS for a few years )
what temperature did it run when you drove it around the block? did you try running it with a house fan in front of the radiator? maybe it needs more air flow?
Have you checked that the radiator isn't clogged and plenty of air flows? Are the hoses new? We had a case where a Ford PU would run fine for 3-4 miles, then overheat. Turns out a used hose had a torn lining which would drop down and block water flow, leading to hot engine. Cut off 2" of hose and problem was solved. But if you're seeing water flow in rad that shouldn't be problem.
all new hoses. I took out the thermostat, ran it for 20 minutes in my garage and it never went above 200 degrees.??? I also adjusted the idle mixture so that might have had something to do with it.
Are you sure you have a water pump for a 292? The wp for a 194, 230 and 250 will bolt on but are too small, bad fit. The wp hole in 292 is 3.825" D., 194 thru 250 is 3.560" D.. Small pump will not pump enough coolant.
i went with the pump that came with the motor, i assumed it was the correct one. it is an aluminum job, not original. is there any way i can tell without taking it off?
i believe i have the correct water pump. it has an extra outlet on the top, slightly on the drivers side to connect to the thermostat housing. i used this outlet to plumb water to the bottom of the intake manifold, and the return from the intake goes back to the thermostat housing. it gets hot quick and heats the bottom of the intake manifold very nicely. i think i am good now, i just shitcanned the fucking thermostat and all seems to be "cool". i will have abetter idea once i get this old bitch driving on the open road. just gotta sort out some clutch linkage issues and some rubbing of the wheel somewhere. thnaks for all the help folks
a stupid question, but what was the thermostat operating temp? Most thermostats nowdays are right at 210 or 220, and Most of the "parts guys" at most of the "quickie" parts stores do not know anything about lower temp thermostats.
Here is the GMB 292 water pump, http://www.thepartsbin.com/catalog/?N=15...01230&x=34&y=20 and here is the one for the 250, http://www.thepartsbin.com/catalog/?N=15...01120&x=18&y=18 , match what you have, and also make sure the impeller is not loose and spinning freely, it was a problem with the stamped steel ones.
with no termostat it might be masking another issue. you can boil the thermostat in a pan and see what temp it opens up. i think you can also get a 160 or 170 deg one for a 292. are the lump ports glue in or bolt in? fresh rebuild will run a little hotter as i'm sure you know. good luck.
My temp read high before and it was my temp sender. Bought aftermarket sender and resistance was wrong for my stock gauges, gauge shot up to max quickly. Found website that sells temp senders for old and classic cars with stock gauges and has correct resistance. They even talk about this on website. Just search for "temp gauge reads too high" or something related and the site should come up. After putting correct sender in temp still read high. It was because I had my sender.located in the hole in the head which put it really close to my headers. Heat from long tube headers raised sender reading falsely. Moved sender to thermostat housing and ran coolant hose for intake to hole in head instead. Now temp gauge reads spot on. Tried other sender in same fashion but stll read too hot. Was combination of wrong sender resistance and sender location. Of course my stock gauge is a 90 degree sweep on my truck. Yours may be different. I like getting my temp from thermostat housing too because it's same temp thermostat sees.
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