Overheating Issues!

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fredsmedina

fredsmedina

6 Dart 7 MOPAR OR NOCAR
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Sacramento / Elk Grove CA
So I'm having problems with my satellite running hotter than it should be lately. It does it both in hot weather and cold weather, so it isn't just because of the california heat here lately. I replaced the thermostat, thermo housing, both radiator hoses, and bypass hose. I CANT figure out why its running hotter than normal though. It wont go past the Hot mark, but its definitely hotter than it should be. And I notice it runs different when its "overheating" like that. I've had the car for a while now and have only been having this issue for past month or two.

Any ideas of what it could be?

Somebody told me it could be that my timing is retarded and just causing my engine to run hotter..could this be possible?

Its a stock 360 from an RV
 
Rad to small or needs flushed? What fan are you running? What is the timing set at now? Need more info.
 
i know nothing about timing. and not sure what its at right now. my dad checked the timing a while back when I first got the car, and said that it was right on though.

I am running stock fan. no shroud though. Thinking about getting an electric fan, but I want to fix whatever problem I am having first. I dont want to "mask up" my problem by throwing a new fan in there before figuring out why it started running hotter in the first place. I'm also thinking maybe It could be the radiator. and was going to try flushing it this weekend, but wanted to get some other suggestions first as well
 
i'm not sure it its the OEM radiator though. I believe what the previous owner did was use the Rad from the RV that they pulled the motor from. So any idea how would I find a shroud that fits?
 
Can you drive on a flat road at 45 mph (A/C off if you have it) without overheating? Any car should be able to do this without a fan, as long as the outside temp is not crazy hot. If it still overheats while driving like this, there are a few things to look at

1. clogged radiator
2. incorrect timing, retard the timing enough and it will overheat.
3. combustion gasses entering cooling system, possibly from a bad head gasket
 
does it get hot sitting there as well as driving along at 45 like was mentioned above?
 
You said it is overheating "lately." Is this something new? If so, it doesn't sound like an issue with the fan size, shroud, etc. I would go with a flush, and maybe try water wetter/engine ice, and/or a clutch fan. If it has been an ongoing issue, start with the basics - bump up the fan diameter, bump up the number of blades, move it closer to the radiator, get a bigger radiator, and add a shroud - oh, and keep your figers crossed. I had issues from the get go, and did all of those, and it solved the problem. GOOD LUCK!!!
 
I haven't been on my FABO in a while. Just been driving other cars than my satellite. Still having those Issues though. It does drive fine at 45mph as long as i'm not driving it hard off of the line and stuff, doesn't over heat at all. When it does "overheat" though is when I get on the freeway or at higher speeds/higher rpms. I bought some water wetter, but just haven't put it in yet. A flush is going to cost me over 100 bucks here in California, and I cant afford that at the time really. I want to mess with the timing a littel bit and see if it does anything, because this is the one thing that costs no money.

Where would be a good place to get a bigger fan at?
is there any way to check the water pump(if its gone bad or anything), besides seeing if it wiggles..? because it doesn't budge at all, but i'm still wondering if that could be my problem.
last question, is there anything I could do myself to fix a clogged radiator?

thanks everyone for any/all input!
 
If the timing is advanced to much wont that make it overheat too? Or is it only when retarded to much?
 
Go to the auto parts store and get a bottle of radiator flush. It will have directions on the bottle.
 
70DusterDev said:
If the timing is advanced to much wont that make it overheat too? Or is it only when retarded to much?
Click to expand...
i've got a buddy who swears that messing with the timing will help. he did it in his car when he was haveing the same sorta issues, and it fixed the problem.

Burntorange70 said:
Go to the auto parts store and get a bottle of radiator flush. It will have directions on the bottle.
Click to expand...
i will do that tomorrow! also going to throw in some water wetter super coolant..cant hurt the engine any.
 
I had an problem like this. Driving easy it was fine, at 65 mph plus it would run too hot. A brand new radiator solved the problem.

Mine was the same way, used to be fine and then one day the motor started to run hotter. Radiators do not last forever.

Its going to cost you more than $100 I am afraid. A shroud might help too, they really do but how come you had no problem a while back running no shroud / maybe cause the radiator was working better back then. Radiator exchange heat, clogged rads do not.
 
Before doing any other work to it(fan,shroud,water wetter)I,d put money on your rad being clogged.Seeing it ran cool before?The only thing that would change this is the tubes being clogged.How are the fins?You should beable to find a rad place that will flush for under $100?Easy to do and will fix your cooling issues before screwing with a good running engine.JMO
 
Highway speed pushes alot of air throught the radiator. If you are overheating at highway speed, the fan and shroud (or lack of) are not the cause of the overheating.

The radiator cannot get rid of the heat produced bythe engine. look at the following:

1. leaking head gasket will be evident by the cooling system becoming pressurized very quickly after starting the car, and you may be able to smell the exhaust inside the radiator with the cap off. Also with the cap off and engine running, you will also see air bubbles in the coolant.

2. Clogged radiator preventing coolant flow and poor heat transfer. Take the radiator out and force water into the lower hose outlet and see what flows out of the top of the radiator. you may need a radiator shop to flush it properly.

3. incorrect ignition timing. Retard the timing enough and you can overheat just about any motor. Check your timing.

4. too much antifreeze in the cooling system. Even in the coldest climate, you should never run more than 60% antifreeze. Pure Antifreeze has very poor heat transfer qualitities. You must mix with water for it to work properly as a coolant. In hot climates, 30% antifreeze/70% water is all you need for corrosion protection.

Start with # 4 and work your way backwards to #1 to solve your overheating problem
 
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