OVERHEATING!! STILL!!

B

Born2Lose

Active member
I recently bought a 1962 Mercury Comet Custom Wagon with a 144 and 2 speed automatic.
I immediatly began having overheating problems. I thought it might be timing but when i went to check my timing mark wouldn't sit still so i realized it was my harmonic balancer. It was so bad that i could turn the fan by hand easily without the belt slipping.
So here's what i did:
flushed radiator
put in 180 Tstat (didn't have one)
installed new harmonic balancer
replaced vacuum advance module
set timing to 10 initial, around 32 total
checked water pump and it was in good shape (think remanufactured in 2000)

But when i drove it this weekend on the highway (only going about 55) after a few miles it got really hot again and began puking a little water but not boiling over.
I'm starting to think i need a new radiator as it's in ok shape and isn't original. When i went back to surface streets it cooled down right away and stayed fine my whole drive home. When i parked it, it smelled really hot and i could hear it boiling away in the radiator. When i popped cap it was about an inch or so low.

Is there a proper air bleeding procedure i'm supposed to follow?
Has my radiator given up the ghost?
Thanks,
Rhett
San Diego, CA
 
Rhett, try a chemical clean of the block/head water passages, first. If you use hydrochloric acid, observe all safety precautions and then some.
 
Does your lower radiator hose have a spring in it? If not it can get sucked closed at highway speeds.
 
"But when i drove it this weekend on the highway (only going about 55) after a few miles it got really hot again and began puking a little water but not boiling over.
I'm starting to think i need a new radiator as it's in ok shape and isn't original. When i went back to surface streets it cooled down right away and stayed fine my whole drive home."

That decription is the classic case for a new or professionally cleaned radiator. Most likely clogged tubes or enough mineral deposits insulating the tubes that heat exchange cannot occur. I'd do as you are thinking....replace that radiator.

Terry
 
No spring in bottom hose.
I'm really thinking its radiator. I have a V8 Vega that was having almost the identical problem. I switched it out with a new aluminum radaitor and a new thermostat and i can't get that thing to overheat.

Do you think paying to have it professionally cleaned would be worth the money if i can buy a new stock style radiator for $200?
Or what do you guys think of re-coring?
 
grocery getter":2jgiw2md said:
the cap could be weak. is "really hot" a gauge reading or just a "OMG, it was boiling over"?
Click to expand...
I replaced the cap shortly after i bought it because i thought it may have been weak too. I bought a new 13lb cap but i'm worried if i go too heavy its gonna start causing other problems.
The guage was swung far past middle and almost to the "H"..it was farther than i had seen it go in the past..even when it boiled over and shot steam everywhere before.
 
I had a similar problem, I drilled a 1/8" hole in the thermostat flange at the 12 o'clock position as recommended by this web site, problem solved.

You definitely need a spring in the lower radiator hose to prevent it from sucking flat.
 
I am not hearing anything to get alarmed about. You have done the right things so far. The fluid level about an inch below the cap is normal in these cars since they do not have a coolant recovery system. The temp indicator is not a precision device and often the temp sender has been replaced. Many of the new temp senders do not have the same electrical properties and will cause the gauge to read much different. I would not go out and spend $200 on a new radiator based on a temp gauge that is probably in error. If you can, get an accurate gauge or a infared thermometer to verify that "H" really is hot, and if it reall is hot, I would plop down the money on a new radiator.
Doug
 
Many brands of hoses dont use the springs anymore. I guess its a change in the rubber or molding process that is supposed to make them stiff enough not to need it.
 
Bobscoupe":vgh2bh13 said:
I had a similar problem, I drilled a 1/8" hole in the thermostat flange at the 12 o'clock position as recommended by this web site, problem solved.

You definitely need a spring in the lower radiator hose to prevent it from sucking flat.
Click to expand...

Where did you find that info on drilling the thermostat?
Where do i get a hose with a spring in it? If i look up the part at the local part stores it seems to only be a universal flex fit style hose.

Thanks for everyones helpful responses. I really appreciate it. :nod: :thanks:
 
I had a heating problem and I thing Doug "Mustang Geezer" recommended it to me. He also had it at his web site I believe.
 
Just drill a 1/8 inch hole in the flange of the t-stat. Install the t-stat with the hole at the 12 o'clock position.
 
Drop down to a 160 degree t-stat. Drill a 1/8 hole in the flange. This helps vent out any air/steam pockets. then go with a 14 to 16 psi cap.

Of course a clean radiator and good hoses are a must. You may also want to look at adding a five blade fan and adding a fan shroud if you car does not have one.
 
180 is stock. 160 gives you more margin from where it first opens up to where it overheats. If you get the overheating worked out it will make no difference in operation. Warm air from the cab heater will not be as hot with the 160.

Get your radiator boiled out and tested. The spring/hose can be had at a NAPA or other good parts store. Mine had a remnant spring left in it, literally a stub in each end and the hose could crush with hand force.

While you are doing all that flush out stuff, you can get a cooling system solvent and run it for a little while. Then go to JiffyLube and have them do the flush out thing. They will dispose of the old coolant for you. If you do it yourself, they will not take it. Ditto the parts store, where they do take old oil but not old coolant.

If you have the radiator washed out by a radiator shop, be sure to specify that they DO NOT repaint the radiator. They all use some sort of gum-based paint that gets soft and is real hard to clean. So just have them boil it and pressure test it. Paint it yourself.

If you do flush it out yourself, fill it slowly and make sure all the air is purged from the block and the hoses. Let it run for some time with the cap off. You will be amazed how much air will keep bubbling out as it heats up. Let it cool down and do the same thing again the next day. You will get even more air. In fact, I'll bet that you see the water level in the radiator drop below the tubes again.

If, after all this, you still have an overheating problem, it will be something else, like a lean fuel mix or a timing problem. These cause overheating too.
 
i'd keep the 180 thermostat. the 160 opens sooner not more. it looks like you're well past that temp.

sorry if I missed it but did you go 50/50 on the antifreeze? too much antifreeze in the mixture drops the radiator efficiency.

if it was a head gasket it would likely be hot all the time. to rule it out though, you could stop by a smog check shop and ask if they'd put the wand over the opened radiator and check for Co in the coolant.

A flex fan can cause this. are you running one?

also, i've read many times about what these guys are saying about the lower hose. it's a cheap fix i'd try that first 8)

clear as mud ? :lol:
 
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