Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Overheating Flathead

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion << previous || next >>

Posted By Discussion Topic: Overheating Flathead -- page: 1 2     Andy0812 10-21-2009 @ 2:52 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 7 Joined: Oct 2009 My 51 Flathead keeps overheating/running hot. It back fires once it starts to overheat. This happens when you let off the gas. Changed thermostats,checked radiator. Have electric fan which is running correctly. Running with distilled water and water pump lube. (helped a little) Other than that it runs perfectly. All of a sudden it just started overheating. 47Fordor 10-21-2009 @ 3:25 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 72 Joined: Oct 2009 Ok, I have a stupid question: is the radiator boiling over or are you going by the gauge? If it's boiling over, and you say you changed the thermostat, look in the radiator, with engine running, and see if the water is circulating. You may have a bad pump. If the gauge is reading hot but the radiator isn't blowing steam, you may have a bad gauge or sending unit. There certainly are a lot of guys on this site that know more about these old beasts than I but my limited experience says that if there's water in the cooling system and it's circulating, the engine should stay cool. The reason for my stupid question: my Dad bought a used '48 in 1955, to go to college. After a few years, he started having problems. He'd be driving along and, for no aparent reason, the oil pressure would drop to nothing. Well, after a new oil pump, new main seals and bearings and much frustration, he finally stuck it in a barn. About twenty years later, we pulled it out and cleaned it up but soon it was at it's old tricks. Dad took it to an old mechanic in town that was really good. It turns out that the problem was the oil pressure sending unit! Who'da thunk it??? Chris ford38v8 10-21-2009 @ 9:16 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2758 Joined: Oct 2009 Andy, check your pump belt. It may be glazed, slipping on the pump pulleys. An electric fan on a flat Ford is seldom the answer to an overheating problem, and can actually contribute to the problem, as the 6V generator has to work harder to supply juice for it. Alan Chevguy49Ford 10-22-2009 @ 5:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 70 Joined: Oct 2009 When you say you are running distilled water and wp lube, are you not mixing that with antifreeze as well? Antifreeze will not only protect the engine from freezing but it has a higher boiling point and much better cooling properties than just water. If you are mixing it then disregard my bs, but if you are not it will likely cure or at least greatly improve your heating problem. Cheers, Scott. 1949 Custom Tudor. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e42/35thLE/49016.jpg Andy0812 10-22-2009 @ 5:58 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 7 Joined: Oct 2009 Thanks for thhe info. Definitely not the gauge. It is boiling over. I'll check circulation Andy0812 10-22-2009 @ 6:00 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 7 Joined: Oct 2009 If it helps I converted to a 6v alternator. But it was overheating before that. Nothing has changed and it just started boiling over or running hot. Andy0812 10-22-2009 @ 6:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 7 Joined: Oct 2009 After I drained the antifreeze added only water it did run cooler. For what it is worth I was told that water is much better a disapating heat than anti-freeze and it did run somewhat cooler. At the time when it was explained to me it made sense. trjford8 10-22-2009 @ 6:44 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4214 Joined: Oct 2009 Andy, how old is the coil and condensor? The backfiring may be a sign of a bad condensor. Had a similiar problem with a '38 I once owned. After installing a new coil and condensor it ran cooler. I would also recomend a set of Skip's water pumps. Chevguy49Ford 10-22-2009 @ 9:45 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 70 Joined: Oct 2009 quote: After I drained the antifreeze added only water it did run cooler. For what it is worth I was told that water is much better a disapating heat than anti-freeze and it did run somewhat cooler. At the time when it was explained to me it made sense. I will agree with you that if the old coolant you drained out was past the end of its life, and full or rust, mud etc, then straight water will definitely work better. You also could be right that plain water will transfer heat better, I don't know that for sure. What I do know for sure though is that the coolant you mix into the water raises the boiling point of the water, along with adding anti-corrosion and lubricating properties. That being said, it is not at all abnormal for a cooling system running straight water (which boils at 100°C) to boil over, since the normal operating temp can range from about 180° to 220°. The fact that the system is under pressure will raise the boiling poiint of the water some, but not enough to keep it from boiling when it gets too hot. Even if you are in a climiate where you don't need the freeze protection from antifreeze you should still run it to keep the cooling system in good shape and to keep the water from boiling. I would not be surprised if this cures your problem. Always look for the simplest solution first. Cheers, Scott. 1949 Custom Tudor. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e42/35thLE/49016.jpg supereal 10-22-2009 @ 10:01 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Antifreeze does not cool better than plain water. In unpressurized systems, such as the Model A. it will usually result in loss of coolant around the radiator cap and/or the overflow. Thus, the addition of the pressure cap on later vehicles which raises the boiling point and contains the coolant. A sudden apparent rise in engine operating temperature can have many causes, ranging from a faulty sender, gauge, or thermostat, to a buildup of brake pressure due to a master cylinder fault which gradually applies the brakes as you drive. Carefully check potential causes before you start to change things, or it is likely you will mask the true cause.

<< previous || next >>

PAGE: 1 2

NOTE: YOU MUST BE A REGISTERED USER AND BE LOGGED IN TO POST (and reply to) messages in this forum. If you are a first time user, please click the CREATE A NEW ACCOUNT in the masthead above to register and Log In. After that, all you do is LOG IN to enjoy using this site.

DISCLAIMER: The V-8 Club does no independent testing of any of the opinions, thoughts or suggestions presented in the website on the Forum, in the Tech Tips section, or any section. A reader should consider the website to be a forum wherein differing solutions to a particular set of circumstances may be discussed. Ultimately, the selection of an item for an individual's vehicle must be based upon the independent study of the vehicle owner in consultation with people in the hobby and restoration experts.

EFV-8 Club Forum Home | Back to Home Page | Contact the Webmaster

Copyright © 2009 - EFV-8.org
Powered by < CF FORUM > v.2.1