What is the optimal Temperatur a 383 Engine should running at??

[Super-Bee-69]

i did a lot of research in the web and the forum, but did not come to a real conclusion, yet!

so, what is the right operating temperature for a 383 engine??
and what' the min & max to run this thing?

even after changing radiator, water pump, 180°f stat, radiator cap with 16psi and checked all hoses and installed a shroud to the 22" rad, the bee runs on a 78°f day at 205°f during city cruise.
have autometer instruments.

the original gauge has the "normal" space from 170° to 230° - so, is 200° optimal?

i don't know what's right or wrong - ask 10 people, get 10 answers.

 

[lewtot184]

"optimal" may be subjective. for me, if i have a 180 stat then i want 180 max. unfortunately things don't always work that well. i have a stock 22" radiator core laying around and it's a 2 row with 76 total number of tubes; rather dismal. 205f won't necessarily break anything but for me i prefer less than 190f in these old cars.

 

[Super-Bee-69]

without a stat this thing runs at maybe around 160°-170°f - would a lower 160° stat lower the temp to maybe 180°??

 

[super-bee_ski]

Hi,
Sorry to "Chime-in"
I see a lot of this topic on the Forums.
Everyone wants their engine to "run cold"

I do know that the conventional V8 engine is designed to run as high as 200 degrees BUT somewhere along we line we have been in pursuit of lower temperatures.

Just my two cents...

Remember, 190 is NOT hot for a engine to run at operating temperatures.

 

[69a100]

There is also a term call" thermal efficiency", which mean's that a motor will get better mileage and run better at warmer temps. There's a fine line between that and overheating, relax, you are worrying to much.

 

[Super-Bee-69]

Hi,
Sorry to "Chime-in"

Remember, 190 is NOT hot for a engine to run at operating temperatures.

would like it to run at 190° all day long! then there would be room enough to stuck in traffic on really hot days!!

 

[Bigal75]

I prefer 180 to 200 - if it stays in there then I'm happy.

 

[Super-Bee-69]

mine goes above 200° in traffic

 

[Bigal75]

mine goes above 200° in traffic

It's not overheating but I hate that 200 mark. Make sure your timing is good and that your cooling system is clean and not full of crud. Do you have a fan shroud?

 

[Super-Bee-69]

have a shroud for the 22" rad and timing & carb is alright.
maybe flushing my block could do the trick, this is the last thing, i didn't do, yet.
but don't believe to have it that much full of crud.

 

[lewtot184]

if the car has the factory 22" then it's a 2 row. chrysler did make a 3 row core for a 22", i'm using one. the real issue with re-coreing is the width of the bottom tank. most 22"s are 2", but there are some 2 5/8" bottom tanks that will take 4 rows.

i'm going thru radiator issues now, especially with a 4 row 22" i bought from u.s. radiator, very bad, expensive situation.

 

[Dennis H]

Agreed, relax. Make sure that the thermal clutch fan is not slipping at full warm idle. 180 Napa Superstat by Stant. Green coolant only etc.

 

[HawkRod]

Remember that a thermostat only controls the LOWER end of the temperature that an engine runs at. For example, my 1970 383 is specified to have a 195* thermostat. Cars will typically run about 10* hotter than the thermostat, and my car fits that rule of thumb and runs steady at 206. But it has lots of cooling capacity and it STAYS at 206.

If your car starts to get too hot in traffic, that has nothing to do with your thermostat - than means you don't have enough cooling capacity. This is often due to a missing shroud or a poorly working fan. If those are OK, then your radiator may be partially clogged. Finally, of all those check out, then you may need more capacity.

The point is if your car starts overheating in traffic a different thermostat will do jack squat to fix it...

 

[Super-Bee-69]

Remember that a thermostat only controls the LOWER end of the temperature that an engine runs at. For example, my 1970 383 is specified to have a 195* thermostat. Cars will typically run about 10* hotter than the thermostat, and my car fits that rule of thumb and runs steady at 206. But it has lots of cooling capacity and it STAYS at 206.

If your car starts to get too hot in traffic, that has nothing to do with your thermostat - than means you don't have enough cooling capacity. This is often due to a missing shroud or a poorly working fan. If those are OK, then your radiator may be partially clogged. Finally, of all those check out, then you may need more capacity.

The point is if your car starts overheating in traffic a different thermostat will do jack squat to fix it...

have a new 22" standart us radiator in it.
the last two options could be new head gaskets, though there are no indicators for that and/or flushing my block.
everything else is new or in proper condition.

but where's the range now an engine should run at permanently??

 

[lewtot184]

have a new 22" standart us radiator in it.
the last two options could be new head gaskets, though there are no indicators for that and/or flushing my block.
everything else is new or in proper condition.

but where's the range now an engine should run at permanently??

the u.s. radiator i'm messing with now has 15% of the tubes soldered shut and i haven't counted the partially shut. i've got about $700 in it and i'll have to scrap it.

 

[Super-Bee-69]

ok - i'll let mine check the next week! it's brand new.

- - - Updated - - -

took the bee out for a little ride today and run it to nearly 210°f while permanently cruising at 90°f outside.
shut it off then, cause the gauge kept climbing slowly up when let it idle a bit.

seems to be still not right!!

 

[lewtot184]

i don't agree that it's ok for these engines to constantly run above 200f. these things were designed in the mid '50's so they're just an evolutionary step above a flat head and never were design upgraded. in 1968 the auto manufacturers went from 180f thermostats to 195f strictly for emissions reasons but never did any serious work on cooling. the big block mopar open chamber head is an awful design. i always wonder what someone was thinking when they cam up with it. heat doesn't help efficiency with these old carb engines but makes matters worse. todays fuels operate under high pressure/low heat in modern engines (no fuel laying in a float bowl), and now we are doing just the opposite of their design and expect good result,......? if it's possible i'd try to keep temps in the 170-190f range. i've found that using cooler thermostats only delay the "heat up" in the cooling system. a good radiator and fan control the temps.

 

[Super-Bee-69]

ok - i agree with you, and constantly around 200 would be alright! but climbing above 210 in normal cruising situations takes me a bit on the nervous side.
and i will get in trouble getting stuck in traffic or so...!

 

[lewtot184]

i didn't say a constant 200f was ok. oil cooks-off around 250f and i'm pretty sure oil runs hotter than water/coolant.

 

[slepr1]

Every thermostat I install I drill a small hole in it to let any trapped air out of the block. Also, you could try using a bottle of 'water wetter' to lower your temp. A buddy of mine used it on his 340 with a 22" rad and it worked for him. Be aware too that water cools better than antifreeze so make sure your antifreeze solution is mixed properly.