Running really warm - need advice

[Anonymous]

Been driving the '65 for a bit now, and I continue to notice that I think the car is running warmer than it should be.

I have the "dummy" guages - and my temp needle settles a few degress past the center towards the H side. My heater is like a furnace, and I notice that the hoses always seem to be really warm. Much warmer than any car I've owned.

When everything was being restored all the hoses, heater core, water pump, thermostat, radiator, etc. were replaced. The water appears clean with no residue, so I don't think it has anything to do with blocked passages.

What types of things should I be looking for to figure out why the car is running so warm? I believe the thermostat is 180deg, which I would assume is good since I live in colder weather. The water pump was a parts-store replacement for a 65.

The car has some MINOR engine work, with headers, a H/W 5200, and a 252 cam. A small amount of milling on off a '73 head so I think I'm running around stock compression. It's not the carb because the heat problem has been the same over 3 different carbs.

Any suggestions on where to start?

 

[Anonymous]

Is is the stock 2 row radiator??? I had the same problem with the stock radiator, I finally bought a 3-row and it solved the overheating problems for good .

 

[Anonymous]

Yes it's a replacement 2-row.

I don't see how a 3-row would fit in there with the fan?

 

[65coupei6]

A 3 row will fit fine. I am runnging a 4 row. All you have to do is change the spacer behind the fan. You can also switch to a 160 stat in the summer and back to a 180 in the winter if you had to. Or maybe mix some Water Wetter in with your collant mix.

 

[rbohm]

8) also make sure your timing isnt too far advanced or retarded as that will cause the engine to run hot. check the rad cap to be sure it is holding pressure, and that the vacuum break isnt broken.

 

[CobraSix]

Get a 3-row. I didn't have to replace the spacer as my 3-row was the exact same size as my old 2-row. THey are smaller rows so they'll fit in the same space, but still have more cooling.

Other thing, replace your temperatur sending unit with a FORD replacement unit, not you generic one. I found that replacement TSU tend to change their reading over time. Since you've replaced everything else, my bet would be your temperature sending unit. Try that first. check what your car is running with a mechanical gauge. I could just be that slightly above center is normal temperature for that particuler sending unit. I had one TSU where 175* was barely in the reading range. I replaced it for some reason and the new one read 175* right in the middle of the gauge. Moral of the story, check it with a mechanical gauge. Get a real temp reading and see if it is indeed running warm.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone!

Since I had some free time on Saturday, I started with the obvious - replacing the thermostat.

Turns out that the mechanic had put in a 195 deg thermo, so I replaced it with a 160 dec. Wow - what a difference that made. My guage dropped down to maybe the 7:00 position, a little past the C, and it was quite obvious that the hoses, etc. were much cooler. I'm going to run like that for a while and see what happens.

Glad it was something small!