Prayers go out to you and your family...and I love to see a guy sticking out out on such a ****py problem...I've been there and most guys would have given up and taken it to a mechanic by now who would be doing all the same stuff as you and charging you 60-80 bux an hour...and still not fixing the problem! I'm battling some slight overheating issues my self, nothing as severe as yours but Its getting hotter than I would like at stop signs! I hope you get this figured out soon so you can get back to that Plmouth! Keep us posted! There seems to be alot of over heating issues on the HAMB lately and there is some good stuff coming out of the wood work here!
One of the daily drivers is heating up a little but its the used radiator that I installed after it got hit in the front.
What about the rigid fan and clutch?? Are you putting it on? I am curious, as I am watching to see what works. Hope all is well on the family front.
Do a lot of people just look at the original post and then not read any of the others posts? This question was answered early on. (The only response I didn't read fully was the soliloqy on timing, it was too tedious.) I still believe you need to make a piece like they used on 55-57 Chevies to keep the air from p***ing over the radiator. Or like on the pickups of that era ('54) with a piece that goes from the radiator to the grille, to accomplish the same thing. ~Alden
Have you read this thread? You are about the tenth person that has told me to check my timing. Timing has been checked and rechecked. Also, it is now connected to full manifold vacuum.
Can you add a pusher fan in front, they are pretty cheap. Also does it sound like your engine has a big cam in it? What was your base timing 17-19 degrees? I reread the thread btw. I get a lot of heat built up in the engine compartment, I have thought it would be nice to have a fan blowing the air down out the p***enger side. Last time I drove my car, last weekend, I really watched the gauge. After a while I got to 225F and it stayed there. Never puked since I have a 15 lb cap. I'm running no shroud plus a 16" slim electric puller. I don't overheat like you describe just sitting at a light. It takes me about 20-30 minutes when it's out out to hit 225 sitting in traffic. That's why I'm a fan of electric fans, still works better.
all im going to add to this discussion is this I own a 53 chevy with a 327 /350 combo in it..I never changed the stock 235 -L6 radiator that came stock in it. yes its 59 years old, but been taken very good care of Im running a stock SBC steel fan and a small shroud..180 thermo and No Electric fan( they just cover up the real problem anyways) has been this way for over 6 years, never over heated granted the car doesnt get driven as much as it used to, I have my A on the road now so im not running it as much..but it never gave me a lic of trouble Good water pump, right pulleys, good radiator,shroud, correct ignition timing,correct fuel mixture, force the air to go thru the radiator , not seek a way around it, good working thermostat, and good hoses that dont colapse, and a good radiator cap, proper antifreese and water mix, clean coolant p***ages in the block?...you should be golden. dont just ***ume somethings good..verify sorry dont have time to read everyones suggestions
My car would run as cool as 175 in the winter on the highway, but as hot as 230 in bumper to bumper traffic that is barely moving. I drive in real traffic all the time. I'm not a electric fan or die guy but it's what's working (most of the time) for me.
I ran it a little tonight and the temp is in the 70's. It ran up hot (225-230) when I drove it and then it would cycle up and down. I ran the heater a good while and got hot air. I think I have some air in the system, however. I jacked the front end up a couple of feet and left it to sit overnight. I'll check it for coolant level tomorrow and drive it again. I promise you it's pulling enough air with the rigid blade fan.
Try removing the radiator cap and running the car at idle with the heater on. This should remove any air that you have in the system. This has worked several times that I know of.
Better transfer of heat! Lighter & more affordable. Keep the copper & Br*** for our troops! There lives depend on it. JimV
Better transfer of heat I dont think so lighter you my be right on that affordable not when you cant repair it
"I think so on the transfer of heat" & who said ya can't repair it? Its just that most people will have to take it somewhere to have it repaired.Just because something is new doesn't mean it ****s! Besides if you paint it black it looks"traditional".LOL JimV
Not sure if the zing was towards me asking about timing, but based on what you posted, are you running more base timing than me (you are running 16-17 I think). If I think about it, if any of these cars heat up at idle, like in heavy traffic, the fact that the engine compartment builds up heat is not the issue. It's just showing that the cooling system can't cope in those situations (traffic, stop and go traffic in the middle of the summer). So to me if the radiator is fine, then the fan setup is not adequate for those driving conditions. I know electrics fans are not cool and are OT but they are an option. What about a clutch fan?
It's back together. Fortunately, the weather has cooled some so I will have to wait to fully test it. I bought one of those coolant funnels that attach to the filler neck of the radiator and let it idle a good while to try to burp all the air and voids out of the system. It is now holding pretty stable at 190 (new thermostat) and the heater blows hot. So, hopefully I have the system bled. If this doesn't work, I am pulling the intake off for inspection. I will report back next week after it gets hot again.
I am almost as hot as my 54. I am convinced that the edelbrock water pump is a POS! Now, I have to find some pulleys that will allow me to use an OEM pump and still line up with my alternator and AC compressor. I don't care if they are shiny or not. Suggestions? I do not have time to scour a pull a part junkyard. I want to buy something right now.
If you're talking about br***/copper radiators that have br*** tubes and copper fins, aluminum wins. Aluminum has a much higher coefficient of thermal conductivity than br***. Bob
Drove mine today. My e fan turns on around 205-210, ran okay until I was a bunch of traffic. Headed to 210.... 215.... held. I noticed while really looking at the gauge, at 225 my engine starts to lug a bit. I got him, lifted the hood, the top part of the fan was blowing cool air, bottom was blowing hot air. I'm not adding much except that my e fan and old mystery rad can almost cope.
Well, I'm whipped. I put the OE reman pump on it with the 180 thermostat. I bled the system and ran it. In the 94 degree heat and high humidity, it runs around 190 as long as you are moving. At idle, it idles longer than it did when I started but eventually the temp starts to climb and it goes nuclear. drive it down the road and it returns to 190 in a few miles. I tried sealing the bulkhead to keep it from recycling air. No good. The timing is at 16 degrees BTDC @750 rpm idling. I have to ***ume the pump is doing its job. I called Walker and they said, you aren't moving enough air at idle. You need a good shroud and electric pump. I would have said, you don't have enough fan for this radiator. I think I am right on the edge with the radiator and I agree I will have to move more air if I stay with this radiator. I'm getting really tired of f*%$& ing with this.
For the price you could try one of these new or from the junkyard. http://www.go-part.com/9295-ford-taurus-radiator-cooling-fan-***embly-p-10758.html?src=become Lots of guys here seem to have good luck with these. I am not an electric fan,fan but it might solve your hair pulling problem.
I notice in the pic that there is a gap in the corner of the shroud, put some duct tape over all gaps the fan can **** under hood air through for a temporary test.
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