Stuck in traffic 340 got up to 220

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Richie

Richie

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Hi everybody:

I never drive my car in this kind of heat, probably 95' F but I was coming home from the shop. Things were okay going along at high 180s until I got stuck at a light the last mile from home when it got up to 220. I was lucky though to pull over and shut down in another trailer park under a big tree in some shade where I just sat for an hour where the temp kept climbing to 230 even though in was shut down. After an hour it was down to 180 and rush hour wasn't too bad anymore so I left the trailer park but the pace was still pretty slow. By the time I reached my place it was up to 200...not too bad. Things seemed perfectly fine. I ordered a better fan about a week ago and a I'm getting a shroud made too but I'm not driving around in that traffic again that's for sure! Do you think anything might have been harmed is what I'm wondering about?
 
If it didnt boil over you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about. Personally i wouldnt have stopped.
 
I wouldn’t worry much about it. My 65 273 would get real hot with the original radiator in traffic or waiting for a train. I swapped to an aluminum radiator and so far it’s been better.
 
I wouldn't want mine to run that hot, but it's not considered over heating. I would still chase it though.
 
Dartsun said:
I wouldn’t worry much about it. My 65 273 would get real hot with the original radiator in traffic or waiting for a train. I swapped to an aluminum radiator and so far it’s been better.
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It has a Norther aluminum radiator in it.
 
Here's the thing with one runnin that warm. It's not running as efficiently as it could and not making the power it otherwise could. Imagine how hot the air fuel mix is going into the intake. That costs power and efficiency, even if technically it isn't overheating.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Here's the thing with one runnin that warm. It's not running as efficiently as it could and not making the power it otherwise could. Imagine how hot the air fuel mix is going into the intake. That costs power and efficiency, even if technically it isn't overheating.
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Just when it's sitting in traffic
 
Coolant will increase boiling point as does having it under a pressure cap.

from evans coolant site

About Pressurized Caps
Using a pressurized radiator cap can raise the system pressure and thus the coolant boiling point. A typical 1 Bar (14.5psi) pressure cap theoretically raises the boiling point of 50-50 coolant to 253°F,
 
This is what I found

What Temperature Is the Boiling Point for Antifreeze?
By Staff WriterLast Updated April 6, 2020




Pure antifreeze, which is the chemical ethylene glycol, has a boiling point of about 388.4 degrees Fahrenheit. However, most coolants are made of a combination of ethylene glycol and water.








A common mixture in a car radiator is 50 percent ethylene glycol and 50 percent water. This mixture has a boiling point of 223 degrees Fahrenheit. A mixture of 70 percent ethylene glycol and 30 percent water has a boiling point of 235 degrees Fahrenheit. Coolant should be about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for engines to run optimally.








A less-common type of antifreeze contains propylene glycol instead of ethylene glycol. This type has a boiling point of 370.8 degrees Fahrenheit.


I would say I just snuck in there..
 
My 51 Fargo 360/727 on a 95 degree day gets real hot too.
But it wont boil. Gets sluggish though.
 
Richie said:
Forgot to mention the cap..20lb
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Why? That's way too high. You're putting undue stress on the entire cooling system. That won't make one run cooler. All it does is raise the boiling point more. You should run as LOW a pressure cap as you can get by with. I run a 13 pound on mine.
 
If it's not some kind of combustion leak into the coolant system and or it has a poor tune ..I'd say that your radiator is too small

At hwy speed you don't even need a fan.
Fans are for stop/idle and pre 40 mph cruising. Your water pump and air passing through the radiator do the cooling at hyw speed. 6 or 8 impeller water pump?
Play with more or less timing maybe.
Check that you have sealed the front core support around the radiator and that the fan is within an 1" of it.
Fwiw Should be using around an 18" fan if without fan shroud.
 
Richie said:
Hi everybody:

I never drive my car in this kind of heat, probably 95' F but I was coming home from the shop. Things were okay going along at high 180s until I got stuck at a light the last mile from home when it got up to 220. I was lucky though to pull over and shut down in another trailer park under a big tree in some shade where I just sat for an hour where the temp kept climbing to 230 even though in was shut down. After an hour it was down to 180 and rush hour wasn't too bad anymore so I left the trailer park but the pace was still pretty slow. By the time I reached my place it was up to 200...not too bad. Things seemed perfectly fine. I ordered a better fan about a week ago and a I'm getting a shroud made too but I'm not driving around in that traffic again that's for sure! Do you think anything might have been harmed is what I'm wondering about?
Click to expand...
So. It didn't overheat did it? Shutting off the engine will cause the temp to rise. Especially if you have a leak or a bad radiator cap. You loose pressure and the boiling point goes down. 230° isn't boiling with a 15# cap. it's closer to 257°.
 
Richie said:
Guy at the shop said the 16lb was too low..I don't know enough about it to argue with him about it
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16# too low? You want to blow the radiator apart? (it's usually the heater core that goes with a new 15# cap.)
 
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