Overheating Q's

[MercuryMarc]

Hot August Nights in Reno was very hot for my tired 200 6 cylinder engine at 5000 feet idling for 2 hours in a barely moving parade at 85 degrees. My new aluminum radiator and Tefba filter are on there way here. I have a few questions for the group....

1. To shroud or not to shroud? I could find one at the 'yard and fabricate the mounts, or order one.
2. Fan - electric or mechanical? How many blades?
3. I plan on replacing the hoses and thermostat, right?
4. Someone suggested I replace the water pump since I will have easy access with the fan/radiator out. Should I?

Thanks for any and all comments.....

Marc in SF
63 Comet Custom Convertible, 200 ci 6 cylinder
http://mercurycomet.net

 

[65coupei6]

Finally someone else from S.F. who went to HAN and a Marc too PM me sometime so we can meet up.

1.) If you are going to use a mech. fan then yes shroud the puppy.
2.)You said you are getting an aluminum radiator. Did you measure for clearance? My 2 row aluminum is just about as think as my 4 row copper was. This did not give me much choice for a fan blade. I tried flex fans and other fans with different pitchs and had no luck fitting them in on my Mustang. You might have more room on the Comet. But right now I am switching to an electric puller. There has been alot of debate on fans, some say flex, some say clutch and some say electric. So whatever works for your particular application is what is best. That means trial and error.
3.) Hoses and the stat are cheap compared to the new aluminum radiator you are getting, so yes. Cheap investment.
4.)Grab the fan and try to wiggle it. If there is too much play then your bearings are out and yes you need to change the pump.

Also remember alot of things can cause overheating. Timing, carb, exhaust, etc... So if you can tell us more history on the engine that might help.

 

[CobraSix]

Marco gave a some good advice. Only, Im surprised you couldn't fit a flex fan as mine fit perfect. I removed it because it was too loud for my taste.

1) The shroud will only help at speeds below 35. So if you do a lot of parades, yes. if not, No, but that is just me. I tried butchering one to fit, major PITA.

2) I like mechanical, just to keep things simple. If it is electric, it can fail much easier. Though...on the flip side, with some of my engine plans, I will probably have to change to electric. Electric fans generally offer less parasitic drag since you alternator is probably alread producing enough power.

3) If you are pulling the radiator, might as well replace the hoses and thermostat, especially if you don't know how old they are. If you do a lot of hot weather driving, consider a 180* thermostat. If you see cold weather though, keep the stock 196*. You can get a high flow 196* thermostat.

4) A new water pump runs about $40. I would...because I did. I basically replaced my entire cooling system over the course of a few months and man did it make a difference. My car would climb above 180* no matter how long it idles at 95* outside temp.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

Shroud that fan, for sure - mechanical or electrical.

I am not a flex-fan fan. I don't like the noise and don't like the extra drag at higher engine speeds. Instead, I use the 5-blade, 17+" fans from the 1980-era Fairmont/Zephyr family of the 200 CID (A/C-equipped cars had them) and a clutch. The Mustang fan clutch is different from the Fairmonts, though, so I'm not clear on whether you can just bolt the 5-blade onto a Mustang's clutch - if you have one. The Fairmont clutches have a longer (taller) foot.

As far as I know, there are no hi-flow water pumps for these engines. However, rebuilt water pumps tend to flow less than a new one, because the backing plate is usually worn and rebuilders typically will not adjust the impeller depth to compensate for it. So, I'd buy a new one, a good one. I did, and noticed a small difference.

The best thing I did for mine was the addition of a pusher fan that I got from a junked Nissan. I added an adjustable-temp switch, tucking the capillary bulb into the ridge along the outside of the 'hot' side of the radiator: it works great in hot, heavy traffic, of which Denver has plenty.
Like you, I also got a bigger cooling capacity - in the Fairmont's case, you can use the T-Bird's 'towing' radiator (3-row) from the 1980-82 'Birds. It drops right in!

 

[Anonymous]

As far as I know, there are no hi-flow water pumps for these engines. However, rebuilt water pumps tend to flow less than a new one, because the backing plate is usually worn and rebuilders typically will not adjust the impeller depth to compensate for it. So, I'd buy a new one, a good one. I did, and noticed a small difference.

Actually, IIRC, from a previous post that I can't seam to find right now, some of the AC equipped cars had a high flow water pump with a cast impeller as opposed to the sheet metal ones. I’m not sure of the years, but you could ask for a water pump for a car with AC at your local parts store and look inside the box for the cast impeller.

 

[MercuryMarc]

Thanks for the suggestions. I am going to wait until the radiator arrives then remove my old one and check for clearance and see how loose the water pump shaft is, and see what fan shroud will fit. Then I'll cruise the 'yards and see what sort of fans I can find that will fit.

Thanks again!

Marc