Temperature Gauge - Hot!

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1970Dart198

1970Dart198

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I have a '70 Dart with a 198 ci slant six. I recently fixed the Temperature Gauge, its almost summer where I live and I'm moving the car down south in a few months.

I drive the car around town, and sometimes on the highway. The temperature gauge rapidly rises all the way to "H". I changed the coolant less than a year ago as well as the upper and lower hoses connecting the radiator to the engine.

Any recommendations on how to cool the engine better?
 
We should be able to help you out, but 1st we need a little more information from you. Does it run hot sitting in traffic or does it tend to run hotter the more you drive it? Does it get hotter the faster you drive it or does it cool down as you get moving? What type of fan are you using? Direct driven, clutch or electric? Stock type radiator or aluminum? Fan shoud or not?
 
Make sure you have a thermostat in place.........contrary to popular lore, they cool better with a thermostat in place.....and the correct temp thermostat at that! Good luck with it.
 
Stock gauge ? Needle moving nearly as fast as a fuel gauge would ? ,
like faster movement both up and down than the water temp could possibly be changing.
 
One of the first things "is not" to rely on a 40yr old factory gauge.
Get a known good aftermarket gauge or a infrared temp gun.
Making sure the radiator is clean and unobstructed would be my next plan of attack.
 
Johnny Dart said:
One of the first things "is not" to rely on a 40yr old factory gauge.
Get a known good aftermarket gauge or a infrared temp gun.
Making sure the radiator is clean and unobstructed would be my next plan of attack.
Click to expand...

Now why do something that makes sense when there are so many other "better" ideas to try? lol
 
.........First thing I'd do is make absolutely sure it's actually overheating, and that the gauge is not wrong

Is the heater hooked up? Does it put out good heat?
 
The Gauge gets hotter the more I drive it. I go pretty easy on it, its a completely stock 198, no aftermarket parts. I believe I have direct driven, stock fan, probably from 1970! Do fans wear out? The radiator is also probably from 1970, I have no fan shroud. I changed the radiator fluid last year, as well as the hoses. I am going to change the oil very soon, hopefully that'll make it a little easier on the engine. The Temperature Gauge is new. My heater actually works really well. These cold Connecticut winters are alleviated by the surprisingly fast heat up on my Dart (for a 1 bbl carb!). To be completely honest I'm not sure if the car is actually overheating, but I want to make sure its not even though the Gauge reads "H".
 
Take your thermostat out and stick it in a pan of water on the stove. Add a thermometer and see if the thermostat is opening at the correct temperature.

That's one thing you can check for little or no cost and could be a cause of your problem.
 
1970Dart198 said:
The Gauge .
Click to expand...

The reason I asked about the heater, is that a water pump which has problems will not move enough to make heat out of the heater.

GET another temp gauge, even if nothing more that a meat thermometer, etc, that you can stick in the filler neck and check against the gauge.

Does it "puke" coolant at any time?
 
67Dart273 said:
The reason I asked about the heater, is that a water pump which has problems will not move enough to make heat out of the heater.

Another good reason to ask if it has heat or not is because an old/blocked heater core will stop the heater from working.

A free flowing heater core is a must have in the cooling system.
Click to expand...
 
Johnny Dart said:
67Dart273 said:
The reason I asked about the heater, is that a water pump which has problems will not move enough to make heat out of the heater.

Another good reason to ask if it has heat or not is because an old/blocked heater core will stop the heater from working.

A free flowing heater core is a must have in the cooling system.
Click to expand...

This is very true, my grandpa gave me his slant six car as my first driver.
I froze my a$$ off the first winter in that car, as soon as it started to warm up in the spring the car was overheating.
The fins had corroded off the water pump.
Click to expand...
 
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