Very Hot Radiator
Few questions from me.
1966 dart wagon said
hey guys well i finaly went and did a tune up on
my 318 which i believe is stock. i got new plugs, wires, cap and rotar, and it runs way better, like night and day. anyway so i started it up to set the timming and such, so i got it set good and such but by the time i was done 10 minutes tops the radiator was very hot, as in you dont even wanna touch it for more then 3 seconds.
For curiosity, what is the timing set at? Have you looked at the plugs? Possibly running very lean? Ten minutes is a very short time for the radiator/cooling system to get that hot. What is the fan setup? Have you tried running it with the cap off (running it from when its been sitting awhile...cold) and seeing if you can verify that the coolant is moving through out the radiator?
I would have to suggest something like on the radiator it says 73 duster in yellow, probably from a junk yard. I am looking at getting a new radiator anywas cause it does leak around the cap i can see some cracks i was thinking a universal jegs/summit one, im really confused on how to piece together a radiator and electronic fan and help would be usefull, i prefer to buy a kit that is together, and sugestions.
As far as a summit one, make sure you measure your useable area for mounting, the biggest you can fit. The summit radiator is a pretty good bang for buck, anything be-cool, imo, is very overpriced. but maybe thats just because i cant afford one lol. Keep in mind the summit/northern radiators do no come with mounting brackets, transmission coolers, or even drain petcocks. I'm running a summit radiator with a fan off a chevy HHR (pt cruiser things) it stays within range of where it should be even in 105*+ heat. But of course bringing an electric fan into the story also brings up the charging system, id recommend bypassing the amp gauge and such...snowball effect. Depends on your plans for the car down the line. My motor will idle for 15minutes before the fan even kicks on (180* it turns on)...so somethins not right.
Would you guys sugest i just go buy a new thermostate and cap tomorrow to get it drivable, should that fix it up,
I'd go for a 180* thermostat, and you probably dont need a new housing unless its all corroded up. dont forget a gasket, and not a bad idea to replace the bolts that hold it on (we all know about old/rusty bolts right :angry4: )
also my temp guage doesnt work, i even grounded it out and nothing, i need to hook one up. Got any sugestions on where i can find a new plug that plugs into the sending unit cause i will probably get a whole new wire/plug.
A new sender will do nothing for your gauge problems if grounding the sender wire has no effect on the temp gauge. The sender works off a ground. And unless there is damage to your plug i'd just leave it alone. You can also stick a ring terminal on the end of your sender wire and use a nut/lock washer on the temp sender. but again, if its not doing anything when you ground it...there's an issue. you might be able to use a test light/multimeter on the sender wire with the key on and see if there is any voltage going to it (if i remember right its a slight surge in power to the senders). You can, carefully this is OLD wiring, unplug your engine wiring harness from the bulkhead connector (where all the wires are by the master cylinder) and clean the connections, also trace which connector is the temp sender wire and try grounding it there, just to make sure nothing changes. If it does change when grounding, there is an issue with the wire between bulkhead connector and where the sender connector is. you can check the resistance of the wire as well with a multi-meter.
If the new thermostat and cap doesnt make the radiator cooler what else could it be the waterpump is about it right, maybe a blocked passage, how do i check if the waterpump is out?
thanks guys :toothy7:
First off, i'd work on getting a gauge. even wal-mart sells cheap mechanical oil and water gauges for like $10-$15. it may not be the most accurate thing in the world, but you can boil some water and stick the sender in there and kinda get a feel for if the sender is off or not. Atleast you'll have a ballpark, the radiator being too hot to touch for 3seconds after 10mins of running isn't very accurate. :toothy7:
If the t-stat doesnt help, check to make sure its not running lean, there any bubbles in the radiator? water pump could be an issue, if you havent replaced it yet...might as well, it will probably need it one day. better to do it while the car is down rather than once you get it running, and you can check one more thing off your troubleshooting list. dont forget new bolts if you do. (stainless). Other than that, the radiator might just be blocked up, you can try some of that flushing stuff and see if it helps, follow the directions on the bottle.
Good luck, keep us posted. :wav:
