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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 46 Still running HOT

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 46 Still running HOT -- page: 1 2     Fat40 10-11-2010 @ 5:51 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 15 Joined: Oct 2009 I am stumped on what to do about my 46 still running HOT, took the car to a show yesterday the temp out side was around 90 on the way home. Maybe I will never be able to drive the car when it is that HOT out? I have read on the site that some of you can. I have a new walker Raditor,skips water pumps. I don't know what to do next. Any Suggestion. SID Old Henry 10-11-2010 @ 6:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 A couple of ideas: First of all, flathead engines just plain run hot. With the exhaust going back through the block before exiting, they just plain run hotter. Second, is the engine actually overheating and boiling over? If not, don't worry too much about it. Third, if it's not boiling over but the guage is reading real high, it might be your starboard (right) temperature sensor that needs replaced. Or, if you're still running 6 volts, it might be as simple as the wire from it to the port (left) side sensor being weak or a few strands broken, or even the wire from the port side to the guage having similar problems. Remember, 6 volts needs full wire size and conductivity. Any reduction causes the temperature guage to read high. I'm thinking that your engine is not really running dangerously high, even though the guage reads high, unless it's actually boiling over. At least, these are the experiences I've had with my '47. I drove my '47 on Route 66 in Arizona (from Provo Utah) last April when the outside temperature got up to 108. I just have the stock radiator and pumps. The gauge was always near or at the max but I never boiled over so I quit worrying about it. My 2 cents. Still Old Henry P.S. I assume that, for the summer, you have 1) removed the thermostats, 2) replaced your 50% antifreeze winter coolant with distilled water, one bottle of "Water Wetter" and one gallon only of antifreeze (for rust and corrosion protection. No, "Water Wetter" does not provide that in spite of its claims.) All of those things help. This message was edited by Old Henry on 10-11-10 @ 7:43 AM TomO 10-11-2010 @ 7:32 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7253 Joined: Oct 2009 Old Henry is correct about checking the accuracy of your sending units. The right head sending unit (single terminal) controls the current through the gauge. The amount of current in the circuit determines the needle movement. The left side (two terminal) sending unit is a thermal switch that opens when the engine coolant reaches boiling point. Use a candy thermometer to check the coolant temperature and accuracy of your sending units. You car should run down the road at 180 degrees on hot days with no thermostats or 160 degree thermostats. If it is running hotter than that, the flow of coolant through the radiator is the prime suspect. If you have good water pumps and your radiator is clean, you might want to try the new water pumps that provide better water flow or a set of Skips pumps . If your cooling system is clean and you have good pumps, you might want to check your camshaft and crank gears for wear. Worn gears will alter the timing. If you have not had it done, I would also send the distributor out to be checked on a distributor machine, by a competent mechanic. If you are having this problem in heavy traffic, and not on the road, your fan is not doing its job. Tom supereal 10-11-2010 @ 12:36 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Be sure to check the actual coolant temperature with a reliable thermometer to confirm the dash gauge indication. If the temperature is actually reaching, or near to, the boiling point, the usual cause is a plugged or limed radiator and/or block. As you have a new radiator, examine the coolant in the raditor neck for the presence of bubbles, which would indicate a compression leak, either a bad head gasket or block crack, as you run the engine. Removing the pump belt can make this easier. Also, check the exhaust system, particularly the muffler, which can be plugged with carbon, etc. If your car has an exhaust valve at the outlet of the manifold, remove it. Be sure that your brake system isn't building up pressure and applying the brakes. It happens if the pedal doesn't have the required free play. It is true that flathead Fords always had a reputation for overheating, but millions of these cars and trucks were built and ran, and do run, without the problem. My '47 can be driven all day in 100 degree weather with the heat gauge never much above the half way point. Johns46coupe 10-11-2010 @ 12:59 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 68 Joined: Apr 2010 Not to hijack the thread but what is the purpose of the exhaust valve? My car has one but I'm not sure what or how it does it. Has dual pipes and one exhaust valve. John Old Henry 10-11-2010 @ 2:05 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 My understanding is that such valve is to divert exhaust to warm up the intake manifold for better fuel vaporization when it's cold but not after it warms up. Still Old Henry 37RAGTOPMAN 10-11-2010 @ 5:27 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1961 Joined: Oct 2009 FAT 40. did you install the overflow valve from SKIP.,? This is a MUST DO,when using his pumps,also take the thermostats out, and fill the radiator when warm, follow the directions, it might be that the coolant is low. is it foaming ? belt ajusted correctly, loose belts will cause the engine to run hotter, when slipping. lets hear how you made out,37RAGTOPMAN. an KEEP on TRUCKIN,,,, Fat40 10-12-2010 @ 6:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 15 Joined: Oct 2009 I have not installed the over flow valve from SKIP,will do so today. This car was a two year frame off restoration,am trying to work the bugs out. I got the engine from a close friend who had in a restored 46 and it was completly rebuilt.When I said it was running hot it did not boil over,but was near to the top. When I left in the moring to go to the show the temp outside was 60 the car ran in the middle of the temp gage and carried 30 pounds of oil pressure,on the way home it has maybe 10 pounds on the way home.The car has 50-50 antifreeze and no thermostats,distilled water,one bottle of water wetter. SID Old Henry 10-12-2010 @ 7:14 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 738 Joined: Apr 2010 Sounds like your temperature and oil pressure are just like mine has been on my '47 for the 51 years we've owned it. Not too much to be alarmed about. Still Old Henry supereal 10-12-2010 @ 10:04 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 You don't need the overflow valve on a '47. If it is kicking coolant out the overflow, there is a problem that needs to be repaired. Installing such a valve treats the symptom, not the cause. My '47 will expel coolant until it gets to the bottom of the radiator filler, then never does it again. I run a 60-40 mix of Sierra antifreeze, and when it is heated, it has to expand. Thus, the excess is pushed out past the 7 pound cap. The valve is useful in a non-pressurized system. The purpose of an exhaust system valve is to force exhaust thru the passage under the carb to help warmup. There are two kinds: the one with the weighted arm and thermostatic spring, and another that looks like a "duck bill" that is inside the pipe. It has bimetal wings that are supposed to pull back as the system gets to opperating temperature. Most of the flapper kind eventually rusted in place, and if not fully opened, will restrict exhaust flow and performance. Both should be removed and tossed out. A common cause of poor performance and overheating is a muffler jammed with carbon. We have seen them so plugged that they weighed as if they were made of rock.

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