| LanceD | -- 10-08-2011 @ 9:55 AM |
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My car it's still having some overheating problems. So dumb question, where are the thermostats? I'm mechanically included but seriously lacking in thee knowledge department! -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance
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| supereal | -- 10-08-2011 @ 10:24 AM |
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If there are thermostats, they can be found inside the upper radiator hoses just above the outlets on the cylinder heads. If you don't find any, don't be surprised, as many owners removed them in the hope it would help cooling. The stats sit atop the head outlets, and are supposed to stay in place. However, a good idea is to place an extra hose clamp on the upper hose just above the stat. Be sure that the bellows side of the stat faces the head, not the radiator. The most common rating is 160 degrees. If yours are old, place them in a pan of water on the stove, and heat them until they open, as you observe a thermometer in the water. Thermostats are not precision devices, but should open near or just above the rated temp.
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| LanceD | -- 10-08-2011 @ 11:29 AM |
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Okay well then that explains why I can't find it, there aren't any! So the question of why my car is running hot remains. Would not having a thermostat make the motor run hotter? Also if I do get thermostats for it do I have to get ones specifically for this car? Our can I use one from the local auto parts store -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance This message was edited by LanceD on 10-8-11 @ 11:40 AM
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| TomO | -- 10-08-2011 @ 4:43 PM |
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Lance, when does your car overheat? Driving on the highway? Driving around town in heavy traffic? Idling in the driveway? A lot of us have problems when idling for long periods. It seems like the fan cannot draw enough air through the radiator at idle. The original Ford radiators dissipated heat better than the cores that have been available in the last 40 years. I don't use thermostats in my car, because I do not drive it in winter. I don't think the auto parts stores have the correct thermostats. Tom
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| alanwoodieman | -- 10-08-2011 @ 5:14 PM |
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has the car been sitting for awhile-I believe you just got the 39 ?, I would flush the motr/cooling system before attempting any other remedy, Put some flushing agant in the engine, run until it is warm then flush out and see what you get
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| LanceD | -- 10-08-2011 @ 5:16 PM |
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The car was over heating all the time. I did a lot of work on the car today. Flushed the cooling system again. Then I replaced the radiator cap as the old one didn't seal, it's not original but it works and this isn't a concourse car anyways. I picked up two thermostats, they aren't original or remans either. Finding one that works wasn't hard, just took a radiator house with me and a picture of the original one and found one that would fit, really wasn't a big deal. Then I refilled with 15% coolant, demineralized water and Water Wetter. Ended the day with a test drive, a little bit of city and a lot of highway. The car heated up to 180 very quickly then stayed between 180 and 200 the entire time and held 180 on the highway. Seems like maybe I have fixed it! Then again I thought it was fixed last time so we'll see. -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance
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| alanwoodieman | -- 10-08-2011 @ 7:43 PM |
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I drive two flathead vehicles, put about 120 miles on my 41 today-run the new style water pumps in both, water wetter, no thermostats,50/50 mixture and drive like I stole them. Since I changed the pumps to the high flow and no thermostats no matter how hot the weather is, nor how hard I drive them neither one overheats, I do like the highflow water pumps. PS I live in SC
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| LanceD | -- 10-09-2011 @ 12:21 AM |
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Well pulling the motor out to change the pumps isn't really an option at this point. I pulled the top hoses off the motor had some water running in the radiator and ran the motor for a second. Both pumps were pushing a good amount of water and they've kept the motor cool for longer then I've been alive so I'll let them keep at it. If anything is gonna get replaced it's gonna be the radiator. Water flow through it well, and water coming out is thirty degrees cooler then water going in but that probably could be better. -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance
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| fomocoloco | -- 10-09-2011 @ 4:36 AM |
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It's hard to follow your train of thought when mention pulling the motor to change pumps. Have the radiator rodded out. Skip Haney in Fla. rebuilds pumps w/ an improved impeller that almost doubles the amount of water to the radiator. weezer
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| supereal | -- 10-09-2011 @ 6:48 AM |
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You don't have to pull the engine to change water pumps. I won't go into details unless you are ready to do it. As for having the radiator cleaned and repaired, unless you know of a shop that actually knows what they are doing, it is likely a waste of time. The last one we sent out came back in worse shape than went we sent it out!
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| LanceD | -- 10-09-2011 @ 8:23 AM |
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First off remember i'm young and inexperienced! I'm learning as I go here! I just assumed since the water pumps are the front motor mounts if you were going to pull a pump off you would need to get the motor out. I can see how that would be a bit of a design flaw tho. So I don't know guys! However as long as the car continues to run well and not hot I think i'll just leave it be! I don't wanna fix things that aren't broken. -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance This message was edited by LanceD on 10-9-11 @ 8:27 AM
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| 51f1 | -- 10-10-2011 @ 5:17 AM |
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I missed it somewhere, I guess, but what model car are you talking about? Richard
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| fomocoloco | -- 10-10-2011 @ 5:35 AM |
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51f1, LanceD has a real nice 39 sedan. weezer
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| LanceD | -- 10-13-2011 @ 12:03 AM |
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The car is a 39 Tudor De Luxe. It has the original motor which is the 24 stud 85hp. I pulled my spark plugs and checked my oil and I don't see any signs I damaged anything over heating it. Also took the car on a nice drive and the hottest it got was 200F. So I'm pretty sure my issue is resolved. That Water Wetter stuff combined with a 15% coolant water mixture made a big difference. I'm still looking into ways to improve my cooling in the future though and I need some help figuring out which direction to go. First off a question, my hot water is coming out of the motor at 190F and coming out of the radiator at 160F. Is that 30 degrees of cooling good or should I be looking to do something about the radiator since it is also original. Also has anyone had any experience with the water pump rebuilds? There was an add in the last V8 Times for a guy who rebuilds pumps with "better" internals so they move more water. Is something like this worth $125 per pump? Are there any other options you guys have experience with? Thanks -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance
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| TomO | -- 10-13-2011 @ 8:35 AM |
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Lance, First of all, you should make sure that the water temperature is what the gauges are indicating. You can buy a good candy thermometer at the hardware store and use it to measure the coolant temperature. The infrared thermometers are spot thermometers and do not give an accurate reading of the coolant temperature. If your temperature gauge is reasonably accurate, you can then use it to define the problem further. You need to break down the cooling problem into 3 parts. High speed driving :if your temp gets above 180 degrees when driving on the highway, have the advance mechanism of the distributor checked. The vacuum brake could be set too tight or the advance springs weak causing retarded timing. Local stop and go traffic: in light traffic the temp should still not get above 180. In heavy traffic, it may climb to around 190, but get back to 180 in lighter traffic. Timing, low coolant flow, lean mixture, blocked air flow and corroded radiator will cause the temp to go up under these conditions. Idling for long periods: this can cause overheating due to poor coolant flow or insufficient air flow through the radiator. Poor coolant flow can be caused by worn pump impellers, clogged coolant passages or cavatation. If you feel that you want thermostats in your car, look for a set of 160 degree thermostats. These cars seem to run better at 160 than at higher temperatures. A rare cause of overheating is a worn timing gear. If you are still having overheating problems at highway speeds after having the distributor checked, you can pull the timing cover and examine the timing gears for wear. Pay a lot of attention to the crank shaft gear as the cam shaft gear is usually replaced when the engine is overhauled. This condition shows up as erratic low vacuum readings. Skip Haney is the fellow that rebuilds the water pumps for better circulation. The pumps do help some cars. They are also prone to leaking oil. Dennis Carpenter and Bob Drake advertise replacement water pumps with sealed bearings and "improved impellers". There have been reports that these do not always fit well on the car. I have not heard of any other comment about them. Tom
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| LanceD | -- 10-13-2011 @ 7:15 PM |
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First off I know the water temp gauge is correct, it's not the original but an aftermarket one mounted under the dash. I've been using the IR thermometer to get readings on specific parts to look for hot spots and make sure the radiator is doing it's job. It's handy for checking temps of the hoses and different parts of the radiator. The thermostats I got are 180's, seems I chose the wrong ones. The car is doing much better now that they're on though. I'll look into this advance thing you mentioned as it's something I hadn't considered yet. Since the car isn't actually over heating and runs like a champ I'm doubting it's a timing issue so I'll let that wait. Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it -I know I have an old car, that's where my knowledge ends, Lance
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