All it takes is one little nick on a fan blade that can cause a stress riser and a point of fractureI’m glad that you’ve been lucky, it’s just that I’ve seen and know of countless cases where these devices have let fly after being repeatedly flexed. Here’s a post right here on FABO that illustrates my point.
*MUST READ*--Flex Fan Danger--Be very careful working on old cars
Impressive amount of test data, hats off to you.
One of the duties of the thermostat is to slow the flow of fluid so it has time to remove heat from the engine.
I am not a fan of shrouds, especially ones that are flat and close to the rad.
If you have a 16 lb rad cap and no leaks you should build pressure.
Your test that showed exhaust gas in the fluid should be examined with a pressure test.
I wonder if you replaced your fluid with normal 50/50 mix what your results would be.
I'm also not sure that 220 is too high for a properly functioning pressurized system. iirc 16lbs raises boiling point to 250 deg.
Another thought... air full ratio? Are you running lean?
We will have to agree to disagree on thisLine two is wrong and has been wrong. Slowing flow also leaves the coolant in the block to absorb more heat. You want flow.
Easy to test that get an accurate mercury thermomiter, and setup the sending unit in a pan of water on the stove measure the watter temp every few minutes and record the autometer ( or whatever guage it is) reading that will tell you if your guage is off or not.AutoGage guage was off by 10-15 degrees through out the whole range
Easy to test that get an accurate mercury thermomiter, and setup the sending unit in a pan of water on the stove measure the watter temp every few minutes and record the autometer ( or whatever guage it is) reading that will tell you if your guage is off or not.
Radiator caps can go bad and do go bad all the time. I'd suggest a stock replacement? Bad cap symptoms:I also run the car until I can see coolant flow before I put the cap on which would move any air pockets.
Im not sure what the reason khuebner250 suggests to replace the cap? What lb pressure cap are you suggesting to go to? As for the pump its an 8 vein and it also has the machined plate with a closed back just as the flowkooler pumps do.
Thanks, Rod
We will have to agree to disagree on this
Lots of good suggestions here and I thank all.
As for using a flex fan I saw one come apart or should I say the aftermath of one that came apart and that will always keep me from ever using a flex fan. However I will try to go back and use the factory 4 blade fan I have that was on the 273 originally. If that helps I will look for a 6 or 7 blade for a small block. What is the distance on most cars from the fan blades to the radiator as mine will be less then an inch?
As for a fan clutch I have not found one that will fit between the pump and radiator in my car. Remember I have only 2.5" max for space.
As for the question why use an electric fan there are reasons for it but the biggest is probably the 7-15 HP that it saves. Then as mentioned by J-par there is less chance on lossing fingers or hands.
As for the bleeding the coolant system, since i've had the thermostat out with every change I have tried so far I have always filled the coolant thru the intake until it is just at the top then installed the thermostat and housing. Once thats all back together I fill the rest of the way thru the top of radiator so I dont see issues there. I also run the car until I can see coolant flow before I put the cap on which would move any air pockets.
Im not sure what the reason khuebner250 suggests to replace the cap? What lb pressure cap are you suggesting to go to? As for the pump its an 8 vein and it also has the machined plate with a closed back just as the flowkooler pumps do.
AJ/FormS I do know i dont have any rags stuck in any hoses! lol I dont have that bad habit so I can eliminate that! But im sure it has happened to people before. Im not sure what you are saying when you mention Vcan on distributor? Im running aftermarket distributor and ignition. As for the trans/convertor I havent had a chance to really check anything there since I cant drive without getting hot but I can tell you that the lines and aux cooler are running at 105-115 which I see as pretty cool. The lower hose doesnt have a spring in it and I went to NAPA Thursday but they dont sell springs and I verified that the hose wasnt sucked shut the night i took all my readings. I will do the radiator flow test to make sure that I have plenty of flow.
As for driving the water pump faster then the crank, I bought a pulley kit for a serpentine belt upgrade about a year ago and havent installed it yet. I checked the pulleys for that kit last night before I left and the water pump pulley is 5" while the crank pulley is 6". So I might as well install that system while Im having this issue because that may help solve some problems as it will overdrive the pump.
Again thanks for all the input.
The wife has made me a spring cleanup list that will take me weeks of daylight to complete so I only have about one hour a night to get at this thing. I was hoping to drive it to Ocean City Md in May (175 miles one way) but I dont see that happening at this point.
I will continue to post my changes and results as I go until we have this resolved!!
Thanks, Rod
Jimacuda, great point on a scoop. Yes it does have one and I've tried it while driving. Went the 3 miles with it (plug in) in then after sitting the 3 miles back I took (plug out) it out and still climbed in temp. Thought more air might cool better but it did not seem to help!
Rod
barracudadave67, Do you have any part numbers? Im running the high flow water pump from NAPA. It is for a 70 or later. I will do some checking but all the shorter ones I have seen and we checked have the outlet on the drivers side and my radiator is on the passenger side so if thats the difference I would have to replace the radiator as well.
Thanks Rod