Overheating Question

[mrkinger]

Hi guys,my Belvedere has a heating problem in heavy traffic .Looks like it has the original rad i flushed it out and seems very clean.I have a 180 deg, thermostat ,and the car has air.Im curious if i could install a electric fan between the rad and a/c condenser there is 3 inches between the rad and condenser.do you think this would help or is it a waste of time and money
I also have a 5 blade fan with a clutch .i tried it without the clutch and it seemed to make no difference ..Thanks for any ideals
Paul

 

[midnightrider1818]

huh. you said you flushed the radiator out. it only does it in traffic. not when your driving it and getting air through the radiator. you could install a fan it would help out. other things to check is the upper lower radiator hoses make sure they arent collapsing.

 

[74sundance]

Do you have a fan shroud? If you don't the fan will have a hard time pulling the air threw all the rad fins.

 

[69 Runner]

Big or small block? Shroud or no? Chocolate or vanilla? Sugar cone or plain?

 

[mrkinger]

I guess i forgot a few details,It is a 318 poly ,Yes i have the factory fan shruod.Has far as i can tell the rad hoses are fairly new

 

[426HemiCharger]

Get rid of the thermostat and Get some hose springs, because repop hoses are not as rigid as originals. Also as mentioned above get a shroud. I also would suggest to switch to a 7-Blade Viscous Drive Fan (one with a clutch) if you don't already have one.

 

[mrkinger]

Are you saying i would be better off with out a thermostat,i have the rad hoses with the coil spring in them .

 

[Crunchy_Frog]

If you have to run without a t-stat, you have other issues. Timing? Running lean? You flushed the radiator, how about the block? How's your spacing between the fan and the rad?

 

[mrkinger]

Yes i flushed the block also.The fan is about 2 inches from the rad .I just had the timming set and the carb,I think i will try installing an electric fan betwween the rad and the a/c condenser.Cant hurt,im thinking the condenser maybe restricting the flow of air a little to the rad.Thanks for the help ,and anymore ideals would be helpful also
Thanks
Paul

 

[74sundance]

Is it 2" from the rad or the shroud? If it's the shroud then your spacing is way to far apart, your fan should be within 1/4 inch of the shroud.Lot's of people say the fan should be half in half out some say the closer to the rad the better.Most cars are half in half out but I was taught in school 1/4 away is the optimum placement.What ever placement you use it's better than a 2" gap.

 

[midnightrider1818]

well if you just had the timing and fuel metering set i bet that is the problem. how many miles are on this engine. if it has some miles she was probably broke in running with that amount of fuel at that timing setting. i bet shes running lean now is advanced a little to far. id try that. see then how it runs starts etc.

 

[midnightrider1818]

disregard the first post for now. :HappyNewYear: are you running a coolant dump tank. if that isnt on it could be spitting out of the cap and loosing pressure. i had this happen once. the system is designed to have that on there and about half way full of coolant

 

[696pack]

Get rid of the thermostat and Get some hose springs, because repop hoses are not as rigid as originals. Also as mentioned above get a shroud. I also would suggest to switch to a 7-Blade Viscous Drive Fan (one with a clutch) if you don't already have one.

Running without a T-stat is NEVER a good idea. In addition to staying closed until it reaches the correct oprerating temp. it also creates the necessary restriction for the cooling system to keep the coolant in the radiator long enough to do its job.
A clutch fan for this situation will do nothing for slow speed or idling as the clutch fan is designed to let the fan freewheel at highway speeds.

 

[mrkinger]

Well i found out my problem .I have the wrong rad ,It looks like the original one but its not for an a/c car.I picked up the proper rad today and it is much heavier and more cores.It didnt dawn on me at the time but that is the reason there was room between the rad and condenser for an electric fan .My a/c is a dealer installation when the car was new,the under dash ,but works good.Thanks for everyone,s help
Paul

 

[74sundance]

All that matters is that your up and running again

 

[426HemiCharger]

If you have to run without a t-stat, you have other issues. Timing? Running lean? You flushed the radiator, how about the block? How's your spacing between the fan and the rad?

well it would provide maximum cooling w/out a thermostat, my friend says he has run all his engines w/out thermostats and he was running 160 with a hemi overbored to 440 CID.

 

[Crunchy_Frog]

well it would provide maximum cooling w/out a thermostat, my friend says he has run all his engines w/out thermostats and he was running 160 with a hemi overbored to 440 CID.

And my friend says he was abducted by aliens....

 

[Crunchy_Frog]

T-stats are there for a reason. Read 696pack's post. He does an excelent job explaining why they are there. Also, the engineers at chrysler probably had more experience than your friend in regard to cooling and reaching the optimum engine operating temperature.

 

[426HemiCharger]

And my friend says he was abducted by aliens....

Really? hthedrama:

Well I agree with the statement about thermostats, I, personally am still skeptical about not running one, he just sys it works so well for him.:edgy:

 

[696pack]

Really? hthedrama:

Well I agree with the statement about thermostats, I, personally am still skeptical about not running one, he just sys it works so well for him.:edgy:

There are several reason to have a T-stat in a car. Depends on driving conditions, ambiant temp, etc. Wait until he drives the car in a cold winter climate and the engine doesn't get warm enough for the heater to warm the car. In later years the T-stats are higher temp as in 205 degrees which help with emmisons due to a hotter, better hydrocarbon burning engine.

Water temp in an engine is usually within about 100 degrees of the oil temp which is the purpose of a cooling system, to cool the lubricating oil and keep it from breaking down. You can actually run higher coolant temps than what is commonly seen, however you run the risk of temp spikes that will boil the coolant and then it wants to puke out of the system.