318 Overheating...Help!!

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Mr_Sancho1324

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Hi Everyone. Im about to go insane. I have changed everything I could possibly think of and am now on the last thing it could possibly be but before I spend anymore money, I decided I'd check with all the folks on here.

Like I said, after spending $600+ on changing the radiator, water pump, thermostat, hoses, radiator cap and temp switch, I've narrowed it down to the actual gauge.

The gauge reads 210 when its nice and warm but I dont believe thats correct.

So my question to you guys is..

What else could possibly be causing it to overheat... if it really is?

It has never overflowed or spewed coolant. I have also ran it with the cap off and I can see the coolant flowing.

Any thoughts are greatly appreciated... I dont want to dish out another 70 to 100 bucks on an autometer gauge if thats not the problem. THanks!

oh and the oil looks good too and there is no splatter out of the tail pipes... no more than the usual condensation.

THANKS!
 
check your sending unit, get a cheap gauge and see what it reads, most factory gauges are idiot gauges, ie run off of sending units like lights, to where the mechanical gauges for oil and temp give true readings, hope this helps and welcome to the board:cheers:
 
When does it run hot?

At idle?

At cruse?

All the time?



What kind of gauge is telling you it's hot? Factory or aftermarket?



What kind of fan?


Does it have a fan shroud?


Is it tuned correctly…… Timing and so on?


Just some questions that will help narrow it down…….
 
I wouldnt say 210 is "over"heating.....maybe running warm....but it depends on a bunch of factors...such as, is this the reading you getting sitting in sunny california traffic lol?

as was mentioned above....there is still many other possibilities that could be causing the problem.

do you have a worn out clutch fan? or do you have a stationary mounted fan that the blades have slightly bent outward over time? do you have a thermostat that is slightly sticking? ( I have seen junk "new" parts before also lol)....you can check by droping your t-stat is a pan of boiling water and check to see if it opens all the way.

do you have a radiator hose or heater hose collapsing? do you have a plugged heater core? bad intake gasket,head gasket? is your belt tight on your pullys? or does it have room to slip causing it not to spin your pump 100%?

tons of things to take into consideration.

if you want to save the cash on buying a new temp sender you can pick up at your local parts stores pretty cheap an infared thermometer ....good tool to have on the shelf for future work aswell.

just my .02
 
I did all of the above on my 318 and still had problems. Ended up being the carb was to lean. I can sit in traffic no problem now.
 
Tnplumber said:
I did all of the above on my 318 and still had problems. Ended up being the carb was to lean. I can sit in traffic no problem now.
Click to expand...

I believe 1968formulas340 mentioned tuning and timing in possible problems.

but yes that as tnplumber mentioned that is another area that could be causing the trouble.

we all need more specific info on what the conditions are that are causing your issues to give you a better check list to go through that may help your situation.....but you are in good hands! the people here at fabo will help you figure it out!
 
Hi Guys! Wow what a turn out..:-D

Well here is the answer to the questions

I have an auto meter electric gauge that says it runs hot.

The temp shows its hot all the time.

I have a 16 inch 2100 cfm electric fan with no shroud. When I thought the fan was the problem I switched it with a 3000 cfm fan and got the same results.

As far as it being tuned correctly... forgive me but I dont know how to check that... newbie motorhead

I have a 195 thermostat that is opening properly

Ive bypassed the heater core and looped it from the water pump to the intake... not sure if this is a smart thing.

Ive got aluminum flex radiator hoses... not rubber.. cant collapse

DusterDude72.... thanks for the advise.. I ordered an infared thermometer this morning... cheaper than an auto meter gauge set.

Im going to check my carb and see if thats the issue.. now the only problem is finding a good carb guy..

Thanks again guys... I really appreciate all the info.
 
Oh... and Im in Vegas... not 100 degrees yet but its getting there... but thats why I bypassed the heater core
 
i would also try this it lowerd my temp a couple needles lower on gauge.get compressed egine brite or somthing like that a heavy duty degreeser and spray the radiator fins from back to front of the rad it really opened up alot of crud.
 
Thanks 63Valiant*Kiss but the radiator is brand spanking new... just installed it.
 
oh as far as timing.. i recently changed the belts.. Could that be the cause?
 
Well……

You have a new radiator so it shouldn't be plugged that's good.

Your gauge is a good one so it is probably reasonably close.

I would probably drop down to a 180 thermostat (but I don't think that's the problem)

Don't think that fan will cut it in the Vegas heat. This is just a comment. You are getting warm all the time and a fan doesn't really matter when driving at speed (over 30-35 mph or so).

Warm all the time is usually flow or tuning.

If the flow is to fast or slow it can mess up the heat transfer. For example a non-AC water pump with an AC pulley or an AC water pump with a non-AC pulley will change flow speed (this was the issue with one member's car).

Timing and/or AFR could also be the problem.

You could also have crap in the block. Have you flushed the system?
 
You need to run 50/50 antifreeze with water if you haven't already done so.....
A "water wetter" would help too.
Just a few ideas!
Tom.
 
Hi guys... Im actually running about 70/30 coolant and it actually used to run at 190 without a shroud not too long ago.

I was also thinking it could be the pulleys. I have a non-ac water pump but by the looks of it I have a ac pulley...

Here is my setup and the images of the pulley.

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006.jpg

001.jpg


002.jpg


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005.jpg


006.jpg
 
Any suggestions on the size of the water pump pulley? I read on another post that a smaller pulley = more flow... but I cant find a smaller pulley.
 
Hard to see but it looks like you have the standard pulleys. The alternator pulley is just the normal one. The water pump pulley looks like the larger diameter non-ac unit.

I don't know. More guys will be on in the morning that know a hell of a lot more than I do.

At this point i'm leaning towards tuning. What kind of a ride is that engine in?
 
ok...I know Ill get crap for this but my 318 is actually in a 56 ford f100...
 
Mr_Sancho1324 said:
ok...I know Ill get crap for this but my 318 is actually in a 56 ford f100...
Click to expand...

at least you didn't stick a chevy in it:cheers: my brothers truck was over heating and he dropped down to a 160 thermostat and used a water wetter and the truck never went over 160, being in vegas it may be something you want to try, if everything else checks out, good luck and keep us posted, btw any pics of the truck?
 
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