engine still not cool enough

-
duster360 said:
I picked up some water wetter today and a 160* thermostat. My plan is to put the water wetter in first and see if it drops the temp any at idle. I will report back this weekend with the results.
Click to expand...

The thermostat (in my opinion) will be a waste if time effort and money. Having the coolant start circulating 160 degrees vs 180 degrees will not change your operating temp after warm up.

Look at it this way…….

A 160 degree stat opens at 160, its still open at 180 and it's still open at 195 (your max temp from post #1).

A 180 stat opens at 180 and it's still open at 195 (your max temp from post #1).


Thermostats really only control your minimum operating temp, not your max.


But then again….. I don't think you have a cooling problem anyway.

195* after 15 minutes at idle is not a problem in my book.



My best advise….. Close the hood and don't worry about it.
 
68formulaS340, you are absolutly right. The thermostat will make absolutly no difference. I might go ahead and pour in the water wetter just for the heck of it, being I already have it. It's supposedly good for your cooling system. I believe I will take your advice and close the hood, finish up a few things and get ready to enjoy my new toy this summer.
 
I would be real happy if mine would idle at 195

Mine runs 180-185 on the road, once I stop or get in traffic it starts to climb. I don't let it sit too long, but over 200 & still climbing, I get moving

Have a BeCool Radiator, .040 340 with J heads and 6 blade wp.

Plan on changing to 8 blade pump.

Changed the underdrive pulley last year and that helped a lot.
 
I had considered buying a be cool radiator myself. Thought it might help with traffic in the summer. Somone had posted earlier that it is most likely an airflow problem. Makes me think that an electric fan on the other side of the radiator might not be a bad idea if I should get stuck in traffic. But I have decided I will deal with that issue when or if it happens.
 
WildCat said:
I would be real happy if mine would idle at 195

Mine runs 180-185 on the road, once I stop or get in traffic it starts to climb. I don't let it sit too long, but over 200 & still climbing, I get moving

Have a BeCool Radiator, .040 340 with J heads and 6 blade wp.

Plan on changing to 8 blade pump.

Changed the underdrive pulley last year and that helped a lot.
Click to expand...

Just a guess...... You don't have a shroud.

Running on the road at the correct temp but overheating at idle is a sign of not enough airflow through the radiator.
 
What rad did you buy ?
22" Proliance,2 row by any chance ?
Is this a rebuilt motor ?

I have pretty much the same set-up as you. (Jag clutch)ect.
The car runs hotter in the summer (200-205)than I would like.
The car has a rebuilt motor,so hopefully it will loosen up a bit and run a little cooler.
I changed fans,thermostat,no change. Running no front plate helped a little.
Everything is new in the car,and has a shroud and all hood weather strips.
Long story short,I think it is the proliance 22" 2 row radiator.I just dont think it has enough cooling capacity for a warmed over small block.
Would love to have a 70 340 heavy duty ac rad for the car. Really think this would cure the problem.

There is such a big list of things that can make a car run hot/overheat,makes it tough to pinpoint it sometimes.
 
1st radiator capacity ??? stock 2 row ?? 3 row ??

timing set properly???? plugs white ?? tan ?? black ??? if they are white you are lean,,and it will run hotter,,,

a good factory 3 row radiator should be good enough,if all other things are correct,

i had a be cool,,,went back to a factory style with 4 row,,160 high flow t stat,,, manual flex fan,,,NO ADDITIVES,,,, runs 178 in the dead of summer on the interstate,,,182 around town,,, blown 340,,electric fan, only needed in traffic when out side temps are over 95
 
My radiator is a 22" 2 row. Can't remember the name. BUt I bought it at Advance Auto Parts. My '70 340 has about 15000 miles from a previous vehicle I had it in. It is standard bore with factory 10.5:1 forged pistons, .480 lift cam, airgap intake. Before I put it in my 67 Dart I pulled all the freeze plugs. The block cooling passages were super clean.
 
duster360 said:
My radiator is a 22" 2 row. Can't remember the name. BUt I bought it at Advance Auto Parts. My '70 340 has about 15000 miles from a previous vehicle I had it in. It is standard bore with factory 10.5:1 forged pistons, .480 lift cam, airgap intake. Before I put it in my 67 Dart I pulled all the freeze plugs. The block cooling passages were super clean.
Click to expand...

I bet we have the same Rad.

I just dont think there is enough capacity or flow in these to keep our
cars as cool as we would like. Ive tried pretty much everything else I could try. All parts are new.

As mentioned,I probably am fine at the temps im running,but I would like it to run cooler. I can tell the difference in performance when the car is running at 190 or at 205. Car runs way quicker at the lower temps.
 
duster360 said:
I picked up some water wetter today and a 160* thermostat. My plan is to put the water wetter in first and see if it drops the temp any at idle. I will report back this weekend with the results.
Click to expand...

I know some guys don't particularly care for this stuff, and there may be a different problem that needs addressing......BUT, I had the same chronic problem on my Demon......I used the original "Water Wetter" brand, and a 160 degree stat........From that point, I never had another problem.....

It might not work that well with yours, but I hope it does. This problem is a real pain. GOOD LUCK.
 
pastortom1 said:
I know some guys don't particularly care for this stuff, and there may be a different problem that needs addressing......BUT, I had the same chronic problem on my Demon......I used the original "Water Wetter" brand, and a 160 degree stat........From that point, I never had another problem.....

It might not work that well with yours, but I hope it does. This problem is a real pain. GOOD LUCK.
Click to expand...

The water wetter is definitly going in. Then I will take it one step at a time. Thanks for posting that info.
 
Fan is how close to radiator? What space between fan and side of shroud?
Re-check rubber to radiator support. Cowl rubber only to keep engine fumes from entering cowl/passenger compartment.
 
Fan clutch is 1 1/8" from radiator core. The fan is a 7 blade 18", it is about 1/2" or so from the shroud.
 
Well I finally got to really drive the car a couple days ago. Drove about a 15 mile round trip with a 1 hour stop in between. The car didn't do too bad on the way there, ran about *195, still more than I want but on the way back I ran it a little harder, nothing excessive, and about a mile from the house the temp hand starts to climb. It went to *210 before I could pull in the driveway good. This thing is driving me crazy. I wonder if my 2 row radiator could be made into a 4 row. I think the cooling capacity is what is hurting me.
 
Pull the thermostat and test it in a pot of water on the stove with a good thermometer beside it. I've had them stick, twice in the last 5 yrs., a couple days after installing them from new. Both were Mr. Gasket.
 
I think I will try that this weekend. I am almost to the point of putting an aluminum radiator in it since 3 and 4 row 22" radiators are impossible to find.
 
If you have a rad shop near you,You could get the tanks stretched to add another row. Or have the tubes put closer together that way you will have more tubes. A 2 core rad will have the capacity of almost a 4 core.
 
If your heating problem is at low rpm(crusing at slow speed and idle), you may want to try a smaller water pump pulley. I have gone thru this many times before with my own cars and others, and the smaller water pump pulley solved the issue. You may not be getting enough flow. Its worth a shot.
 
duster360 said:
Well I finally got to really drive the car a couple days ago. Drove about a 15 mile round trip with a 1 hour stop in between. The car didn't do too bad on the way there, ran about *195, still more than I want but on the way back I ran it a little harder, nothing excessive, and about a mile from the house the temp hand starts to climb. It went to *210 before I could pull in the driveway good. This thing is driving me crazy. I wonder if my 2 row radiator could be made into a 4 row. I think the cooling capacity is what is hurting me.
Click to expand...
I read all the previous posts, and one suggested a High Flow thermostat, I have a 2 row aluminum from Jegs a high flow, Flowcooler pump, high flow 185* MR. Gasket thermostat and I have a flex fan direct drive, I have cast iron stock heads, water wetter, and my engine NOW will not get to operating temp, so I am installing a clutch fan, long story short I put all this stuff into my car cause it was overheating and now it wont get hot enough, so did you install a high flow thermostat??
 
I had this problem when I brought my car.(70 340 swinger) stock. It had a aluminum rad with ele. Fans. It ran about 210 deg. With that setup. I like stock look so I pulled the rad and fans and put in a stock rad. With a clutch fan and shroud,ran even hotter 220 deg. Changed t-stats. Also ran with no t- stat still hot. Water wetter still hot. Had the rad recored.(3core) still hot. Got a good deal on another motor(340) rebuilt solid cam,porter,polished heads 0 miles.installed the engine and it also ran hot. I still had stock exhaust manifolds and exhaust system all the way back.
I put in TTI headers and exhaust system (2 1/2 inch) now it runs 180 190 all day. GO FIGURE.
 
412 Stroker said:
I read all the previous posts, and one suggested a High Flow thermostat, I have a 2 row aluminum from Jegs a high flow, Flowcooler pump, high flow 185* MR. Gasket thermostat and I have a flex fan direct drive, I have cast iron stock heads, water wetter, and my engine NOW will not get to operating temp, so I am installing a clutch fan, long story short I put all this stuff into my car cause it was overheating and now it wont get hot enough, so did you install a high flow thermostat??
Click to expand...

Going to try and do that this weekend also. I am also considering getting rid of the clutch fan and going with a 7 blade flex fan. The engine runs even hotter at cruising speed.
 
copper dissipates heat faster than alum. Have local shop fix that($350) for 3 core. Need under hood seal( a piece of plumbing insulation, the round stuff will work) over the top of the radiator support. The cowl seal is only for keeping engine fumes from the cowl, in fresh air mode.
 
If it still run HOT while crusing with a 50mph wind hitting the rad, you need to play close attention to the air flow getting to the rad.

Do you have a multi meter, one with a thermocouple hookup? Try putting a probe in different areas of the rad and see if there are any cool spots. Make a grid and do it one square at a time. Maybe you have a restriction some where.

And yes, if you have a restrictive exhaust, it will make an engine run hot.
 
My exhaust consists of Hooker headers, 2 1/2" pipe with chambered mufflers and dumps at the rear axle. I don't have a multi meter with thermal hookup.

I do have the front underhood seal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top