Still hot on the freeway after upgrading to the 3-row

[KustomSkylark]

It seemed to not even make a difference after I put the 3-row in. It still runs around 210 driving streets and heats up on the freeway.

I have the new rad up a little higher than the old one, just because that was the easiest way to get it in. Could the fact that the fan isn't centered on the radiator cause heating still? Here are some pictures:

Does the fan seem close enough?

 

[Anonymous]

The fan seems close enough, and the centering I don't think would make that much difference, it is still pulling air - as long as it clears on the bottom.

How is the rest of your cooling system?
Water Pump?
Thermostat? what degree? (does not hurt to check it)
hoses? - specially the bottom hose? which can flatten under load if it is old or weak. (although that hose looks pretty strong)
and coolant mixture, I do 50/50 with some Water Wetter in the summer.


but that being said, if the coolant system checks out my next step would be to look mechanical. I had heat issues for two summers on my old engine and my newly rebuilt engine that were timing related and had little to do with the cooling system.

 

[postal]

Since you have an automatic, I would highly recommend a "transmission cooler". You would be surprised how this will lower your temp. I would also suggest a "fan shroud" and possibly a fan with more blades.


TJ in GB
FCA 2021

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah a larger 5 blade fan cannot hurt in AZ.

What is the temp there when it is running 210? curious?

 

[Anonymous]

Are you running lean, or having retarded timing while cruising?

 

[Guest]

You still never told us if you did a compression test, to see if the head gasket has "issues".

Id put a 160 deg. thermo in there, especially where you live. Works for me, 90 here in chicago, 160 deg., 3 row, 6 blade a/c fan, and only 1/4 of the way on the stock guage. Never had a problem w/ the 4 blade with temp, just clearence.

Try to do a compression test. This will tell you ALOT. Cars with a head gasket problem usually run about the temp you described, till you crack the head or block.

BTW, for my head gasket flip, it took me an hour to pull the head, so simple. It was driving 90 miles to my dads machine shop and doing the work, and some extra work to it that was the hard part. But then again, I dont have the wallet to have somebody else do it.

The diagnosis was a cracked head, due to driving it too long in hot weather with the temp high from a bad head gasket. Lucky my dad had that low comp version 200/250 head lying around. I even have a roller system, but Im 2 push rods shy of putting it on.

 

[addo]

To do these mods properly, you'll need to pull the front sheetmetal. A die grinder with metal sawing wheel is better than abrasive grinding as the swarf is easier to deal with. I used snips on the stone guard panel.

First pic is just to show how much you can gain by trimming the offset right away. Probably 10% increase in exposed frontal area.



Then we have the mods in front. Remember this panel was fully solid before I opened it up.



Regards, Adam.

 

[FrankBoss]

I would say your radiator is not the problem.

Has the car been sitting for any period of time. just the block sitting with fluid(water) in it will make rust build up.

this can reduce the passages for the water to flow. What I have seen has been the back of the heads and the very front(by the thermostat) will build up with rust scale. I had to clean my last head out with a screwdriver before having it vatted a second time. this stuff could even clog the bottom of the radiator cores, and because its there doesnt mean it will show in the coolent at the top tank.

Timing and running lean in you neck of the woods is very very importnat both will lead to heat and heat related damage, I lost a head and exhaust manifold from timing issues.

Best of Luck
Frank

 

[PLP6400]

Over heating at freeway speeds is almost always a circulation problem. You may have plugged your new radiator with debri from your engine. I learned this the hard way. I flushed my cooling system with the old raiator untill the water ran clear. I then installed my new radiator. In a matter of 30 minutes the engine was running hot again. I had to have my new radiator cleaned and I installed a Gano filter in the top radiator hose. At first I had to clean the filter daily, then weekly. Eventually all the debri in the engine was caught in the filter. I have not had a over heating problem since.

 

[KustomSkylark]

I posted my compresion results in the last thread, they were:145, 150, 150, 145, 150, 150. I also checked my timming and it's at TDC. I have a 160 thermostat in. The rest of the cooling system is brand new. I also have some stocking filters like was suggested but I haven't checked them for debris yet. But the engine keeps making brown coolent. I bet it's clogged passages in the block from what has been said here. Is there an easy way to clear it out? I think I also want to check my vacume advance out.

 

[KustomSkylark]

Yeah a larger 5 blade fan cannot hurt in AZ.

What is the temp there when it is running 210? curious?

It was around 100 or so, cause it was the evening.

 

[KustomSkylark]

Are you running lean, or having retarded timing while cruising?

Where do I adjust the mixture on the holley/webber?

 

[Anonymous]

But the engine keeps making brown coolent. I bet it's clogged passages in the block from what has been said here. Is there an easy way to clear it out? I think I also want to check my vacume advance out.

Rust turns the coolant brown... passage flow on an older engine is an easy culprit for heat issues... your compression numbers look OK.

I had a bunch of rust in my block before my rebuild and my coolant was always rusty... when they tanked the block, they spent a lot of time cleaning out the engine passages and blasting through to clear them.

I still have a very slight tint to my coolant, but it is pretty clear and green these days.

How to clean out the passages in a running engine? not sure... other than flushing, which will not clear out everything, but may help. I also run my draining coolant and engine oil through a cheap kitchen strainer to catch or identify any foreign matter in the fluids... might tell you if you have a bunch of debris in there or not?

I used to get flakes in my coolant, never had anything in the oil...

what does the area inside the head around the temp unit look like? is there a lot of crud around the lip of the thermostat housing?


This still may not be your entire problem... but it doesn't help any!

 

[Anonymous]

I posted details on how to flush the engine block with Muriatic acid (Hydrochloric acid) on another thread... I'll see if I can find it.

 

[Anonymous]

Here it is:

http://fordsix.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=25420

I have been doing it that way for years. You must schedule plenty of time, or you won't do it right or get everything flushed out. HCL WILL dissolve all the rust in the system, you just have to repeat enough times.

 

[KustomSkylark]

Where can I buy this acid? Will a hardware store have it?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes - Lowes, Home depot, any pool supply...

 

[Anonymous]

I'd be careful with that stuff too it isn't suppose to come in contact with your skin much if any and smells like it will kill you! Although if you dilute the mixture with a lot of water it probably wouldn't hurt a thing. I also would be careful to try and not spill it on your paint. Btw t/y for that idea man i was going to have my truck professionally pressure flushed or whatever but, now i think i might just try the maratic acid and water idea.

 

[KustomSkylark]

Also, how is this stuff on the gaskets and seals, is it not in the system long enough to do any damage?

 

[kukm66]

Just out of curiousity, are your heater hoses hooked up to your engine?
One of the biggest mistakes people make when replacing the cooling system is to hook up the tank to the system and all of the accumulated crud recirculates back into the system, defeating everything you just did.
If they are hooked up, unhook them and put in some brass plugs with sealant. Secondly, make sure that your hoses are well tightened and the clamp is up close to the raised portion of you outlet. This is another common affliction as the system will lose pressure if the system is not completely closed.

If your engine sat for a long time, the antifreeze will crystalize and form a solid mass which will corrode all aluminum parts and also block passages. I would definatley look into a pressurized engine flush.