|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Tough question, probably tough one to answer. I've been trying to get my engine to run a little cooler. Everything has been checked or replaced.....except the water pump. It's the original pump that came with the motor in 55, just wondering if there's a way to check flow or pressure. I mentioned in an earlier post that running the heater helps knock 10 degrees off the top but when it's 90 out the heater isn't cool....no pun intended. There were suggestions that might be the radiator, but it was spotless, the guy at the shop didn't even rod it out. Thanx, Gary
|
|
By Ol'ford nut - 15 Years Ago
|
|
WOW! A 55 year old water pump. Have you looked into the radiator while engine is running to see water flow in top tank? If you have a heating problem you will get pressure from the hot water, not pump. Not sure about your previous post- what thermostat are you using. 180? 190? While your looking into top tank make sure there is not any air bubbles or this could mean head gasket is leaking. Other than that the radiator, thermostat and water pump take care of the cooling. Sounds like a water pump would be next in line to replace. GOOD LUCK
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
I've got a 160 napa #6 stat, the large mouth, got the large valves in the 272, duals, 465, auto, pertronix, it runs fantastic, just want to bring the temp down a little. Yesterday at 80 outside, I was running right around 200, acceptable to a degree, but it ain't hot out yet! Gary
|
|
By Larry D - 15 Years Ago
|
|
55vickey (5/28/2010)
Tough question, probably tough one to answer. I've been trying to get my engine to run a little cooler. Everything has been checked or replaced.....except the water pump. It's the original pump that came with the motor in 55, just wondering if there's a way to check flow or pressure. I mentioned in an earlier post that running the heater helps knock 10 degrees off the top but when it's 90 out the heater isn't cool....no pun intended. There were suggestions that might be the radiator, but it was spotless, the guy at the shop didn't even rod it out. Thanx, GaryHi Gary, When you say everything else checks out OK, have you had the heater core out and tested? I had one in my '58 Ford that was full of crap and caused the car to run hot. Turning the heater fan on would reduce engine heat, but it was the reduced flow through the partially plugged heater core that caused the overheating.
|
|
By Rono - 15 Years Ago
|
|
What is the condition of the radiator? Has it been out and back-flushed lately? Rono
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
no air bubbles in radiator, it's full but I can tell it has some flow, just don't know how much. The heater has an open/closed valve on the intake, its always closed and it should cool fine like that. It's also got a 4 blade fan. The radiator was tested, taken apart, looked at and put back together...it looked great, the pump is the only thing left and it's 55 years old.
|
|
By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
|
Is that 200, at idle, in traffic, cruising? Has it always run that hot? Is it actually that hot, have you checked with a known accurate gauge or thermometer?
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
thats cruising, if idling for an extended period it'll get hotter. Ran like this last year except when it was in the 90's it would be 210+, unless I flipped the heater on then it would drop down to around 200. It's got a 13 lb cap, and last fall I checked it with a gun and it was very close at the sending unit, a little hotter up by the stat.
|
|
By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Have you made sure that the stat is opening at 160?
|
|
By slumlord444 - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Think I would replace a waterpump that old on general principals. My suggestion would be an electric fan.
|
|
By PF Arcand - 15 Years Ago
|
|
If a new pump doesn't fix the problem, how long has the engine been in the chassis? If a long time, maybe you have crud buildup in the block & heads?. I had a somewhat similar problem with a family members very old Malibu. Lots of crap in the system causing it to run hot & I was resistant to the idea of having the system pressure flushed, due to the Rad, Heater Core & Head Gaskets being so old. Eventually, the Heater Core was replaced & we just hose flushed the block & replaced the Thermostat & Rad cap, both which were very cruddy. It seems to run o.k. now. I should mention that due to the age of the car we only run a 7 lb Rad cap on the system, which may not work in a very hot climate..
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
I checked the stat during it's fall teardown, works great, the engine was boiled out when rebuilt in 03. I guess I might as well change the pump, I'll try to put it off till fall. It cooled when it was original although the engines work harder now for the same results with the poor fuel. I don't remember my 55 back in 62 having any overheating problems. I don't want to go to an electric fan if I can help it, but......which one, push or pull, would a push fan slipped in as a test do any harm if the engine fan was left on....just for a test? Gary
|
|
By Hoosier Hurricane - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Fall teardown? Is it possible that one or both head gaskets are on backwards?
|
|
By 55Birdman - 15 Years Ago
|
|
I lived in Dallas Texas a few years ago. One of the hottest places I have ever been other than 'Nam. I had cooling issues with my bird. I change the fan to 6 blades ,new rad cap to 7lbs.,new 180 thermostat, and had the radiator cleaned out. I have A/C on my bird as well and she keeps cool around 190 all the time in traffic. Now I am back home in NC and she runs cooler. I too have the orginal water pump. It was rebuilt but its still original.
|
|
By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
|
Howdy,
This frequently happens in marine engines where the engine runs hot and the first place to look is the "sea" water pump. When it's not the problem people frequently look to the circulating pump (the belt driven water pump bolted to the engine)
(I know, you're all wondering what the 'ell does raw water cooled marine engines have to to do with a Y-block in a car?)
Well the cause of engine over heats are pretty universal. It's water flow thru the engine/manifolds or heat exchanger. (or coolant and/or air flow thru the radiator)
The circulating pump cannot be a problem if it still has an intact impeller. I.E., unless it has COMPLETELY corroded away (which *could* happen in a raw water cooled engine in salt water), and if your engine has always had a 50/50 mix of AF inside, the only problem a 55 year old circulating pump might have is it could leak.......IT'S STILL GONNA MOVE WATER in sufficient amounts to cool the engine.
OTOH, if the radiator, head(s), block, or other water-hoses, passages, T-stat, etc are blocked or partially blocked, then you either won't get enough flow thru them to cool the engine and in the case of the radiator you won't get enough flow thru it for cooling it.
You also have the added problem of sufficient cooling air flow thru the radiator.
Now having said all this, if I had a 55 year old water pump on my 292, I would probably replace it just to ensure that it doesn't leak in the future.
But it if doesn't leak or squeak now, it's probably not the root cause of your problem.
Also, before you diagnose the "problem". Make sure that you use a known temp gage or get a IR gun like below to verify that you really do have a problem!
Cheers,
Rick
|
|
By Fordy Guy - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Does your cooling system have a fan shroud? If so, does the fan pull enough air through the radiator? Is the fan properly placed to be half way in the shroud opening? Too far in and the fan can't suck enough because of cavitating the air flow. Maybe you could try a six blade fan. I replaced mine with a six blade flex fan and made lots of difference on my 55 Bird. Try sitting with your engine running at fast idle (1000- 1500rpm) and run some smoke through the grill and see how well it sucks it into the radiator. If you block all of the holes on each side of the radiator support, it will allow more air to flow through the radiator instead of going through the openings outside of the rad. I sealed up All of my leaks including using the black foam insulationyou used for water pipes, cutting it down the middle and filling in the gaps between the shroud and radiator where air can be sucked in by the fan. After I sealed my air system I was astonished by how much more air was being sucked through the radiator than before. Just another thing to try after you change that 55 year old pump.
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Just got back from a show, 3rd place, and it was a hot one. I never removed the heads during this last fall teardown, just pulled the pan and valve covers to check things out. The car ran right around 200 today, a little over 80 outside, running just a little under 2000 rpm, not to bad. I'm gonna replace the pump & radiator in the fall, then everything is new except the driver.
|
|
By aussiebill - 15 Years Ago
|
|
55vickey (5/30/2010)
Just got back from a show, 3rd place, and it was a hot one. I never removed the heads during this last fall teardown, just pulled the pan and valve covers to check things out. The car ran right around 200 today, a little over 80 outside, running just a little under 2000 rpm, not to bad. I'm gonna replace the pump & radiator in the fall, then everything is new except the driver.Gary, i think wise to have radiator looked at, just thought if you still had original 3 blade fan to replace it with later 4 blade one, to help increase low speed air flow through radiator. Regards bill. 
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
lready a 4 blade, and the radiator was looked at, didn't even need roddoing, but the fins are a little ragged.
|
|
By Tom Compton - 15 Years Ago
|
|
Not sure it will lower the temperature but I learned 56 cars came from factory with 7# radiator caps. Would suspect same to be true for 55s.
|
|
By BrianL - 15 Years Ago
|
|
My 'bird always ran too hot for my liking. Changed pulley to an overdrive size to spin the fan faster, 4 row radiator in good shape, swapped out the pump to one of Cascos modified impeller models (impeller 'fins' about 2X length of stock. 'Birds have that extra pump spacer with a large free space void behind the impeller), have the lower shroud & 6 blade fan. Newer dizzy with good advance curve. Just added the restrictor in the return hose that was recently discussed & that did add some margin. Gage doesn't stay way up near H like it used to.
|
|
By 55vickey - 15 Years Ago
|
|
As I said on a more recent post I had a pcv not working, put in a new one, now the hot engine gases are getting away and no more mess on the fire wall, I think this was the main culprit, it's cooling better around town and on the highway. Gary
|