Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

FORUM RULES: Users agree to these Rules when using Forum.

The site administrator reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of the user agreement without prior notice to the user. It is the responsibility of the user to regularly review the terms of this agreement.

The user agrees to the following terms:

All information that you provide to us for your membership is correct.
You will not use your membership to spam, harrass, or exploit other members in any way.
Vulgar, Abusive, Racist and Sexist Language will not be tolerated.
Commercial-type sales postings will not be allowed.
No mass posting or flooding of the boards is allowed.
No Advertising of parts or cars; no Ebay or business/commercial ads (please use the "Classified" for ads Wanted or For Sale).
VIEWING MULTIPLE TOPICS ON SCREEN: You can choose to see more than 10 Topics at a time ... Log In and choose "Preferences" from the top bar on the Forum page. Scroll down and Change the "Default Topics Returned" parameter to 25 or 50, and save the changes. Since this setting is stored in your browser 'cookies' (if enabled), it seems to use that stored value even if you are not logged in. So, if you use a PC that you haven't logged into the forum from, the setting still seem to remain at the default.
EXTERNAL PHOTO LINKS ON FORUM: You can still use external photo links in your posts on the new forum. They follow the rules of any link in that they have to have the URL link qualified down to the full image file name (example: .jpg). The links will open in a new browser window, the same as an uploaded image attached to a post. Since an image attachment to any post does not display inline with the post, the results are the same. You can use multiple external links within a post. This link is from photos on a site from Don Clink's 'Deuce@75' albums:

http://donclink.com/deuce_75_1/images/dscn2950.jpg

Using links from photo sites such as Photobucket can help in "size" issue with uploaded attachment files. For best viewing in web browsers, photos should be around the 800x600 pixel range, and probably not more than 1024x768. Most cameras today store HUGE jpg image files, as the default settings are in the 7, 8, 10, and 12Mb image sizes. The image files that are then attached are very large, and the browser can't display the full image size without using the scroll bars. Use the re-sizing functions of your photo editing software to reduce the image to 800x600, which reduces the file sixe and the image load time in the browser. Don uses Google's free Picassa3 software, which is an excellent photo management product. All of the photo albums of the Deuce, Grand National, and Auburn that are links on the NORG site were built using Picassa's web creation functions. And it's free? (THANKS to Don Clink for the info!)
HOW DO I SHOW MY EMAIL ADDRESS ALONG WITH MY USERNAME? You can LogIn on the Forum, and select PREFERENCES. On this page Members can add optional information such as their City,State, Country; Occupation; Hobbies: list a Homepage; list AOL Instant Messanger Handle; Signature; "Make Email Address viewable to others;" and even change the number of Default Topics shown on a page. WHEN others click on your profile, they will see this information.

EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / overheating

Reply to Discussion | New Discussion

<< previous || next >>

Posted By

Discussion Topic: overheating

supereal

08-06-2012 @ 9:33 AM

reply profile send p.m.

Senior
Posts: 6819
Joined: Oct 2009

Tom said it all. I run 160 thermostats year around. They help the engine warm up sooner, lessening sludge formation. In addition, they provide a slight back pressure in the block to reduce hot spots in the water jacket. Many run just water in the summer with a container of anti rust in it. Plain water is a better coolant than antifreeze.

TomO

08-06-2012 @ 8:31 AM

reply profile send p.m.

Senior
Posts: 7277
Joined: Oct 2009

Your symptoms are typical of not enough water flow, so adding washers to slow down the water flow would probably make things worse.

You add in that your engine begins to strain at 55-60, which changes the things that I would look at first.

Connect a vacuum gauge and check for a plugged exhaust.

http://autospeed.com/cms/title_Using-a-Vacuum-Gauge-for-Engine-Diagnostics/A_2393/article.html

Check the vacuum hose to the distributor advance for cracks or leaks. Check all other vacuum hoses as well.

Check the vacuum advance for correct operation.

Connect the timing light to cyl 1 and increase engine speed. You should get 10-11 degrees total advance in a smooth curve from idle.

If all of those things are OK, then I would look at coolant circulation or radiator efficiency.

Tom

4ford

08-06-2012 @ 7:13 AM

reply profile send p.m.

Member
Posts: 88
Joined: Oct 2010

Supereal.
Just asking, so if you would not have any stats in the system and the cooling system was in good shape it should not get hot? I rember when my dad would take out the stats in the summer and put them back in in the winter months an no over heating would happen

supereal

08-05-2012 @ 12:01 PM

reply profile send p.m.

Senior
Posts: 6819
Joined: Oct 2009

One of the enduring Ford myths is that you need to slow down the circulation of the coolant to "allow more time for the radiator to work". Actually, the reverse is true. The longer the coolant stays in the block, the hotter it gets. A radiator has a finite ability to transfer the heat to the air, and a hotter load doesn't expand that capacity. Most of old car cooling problems stem from a radiator that is partially plugged or limed internally, or with fins that are full of bugs, etc. Tthere are other possibilities, of course. They can be as simple as a brake master cylinder that allows pressure buildup, causing dragging brakes, or as complicated as a gasket leak or block crack that require expertise to diagnose. Find the cause before you start changing parts, or you will likely complicate the process.

tomlud

08-05-2012 @ 11:07 AM

reply profile send p.m.

Member
Posts: 23
Joined: Jan 2011

I've owned my 51 ford custom v-8 for 2 yrs and it has 46k miles showing which is believed to be correct and unsure if engine was ever gone thru. Lately it has started to overheat and few wks ago got hot lost coolant so i replaced both thermostats which open at 165 degrees. This helped some however yesterday i drove it 80 miles round trip to a car show and after about 20 miles the temp needle is at 3/4 (not sure what that temp degree is ??) If i reduce speed it gradually comes down. While the car idles wisper silent and runs great at 45-50 mph the engine seems to strain at 55-60 mph. (does have overdrive) My radiator neck is 1 inch deep and my 4 lb cap is only 3/4 inch deep which i will replace, howerver after 3/4 temp and 80 miles yesterday had no loss of coolant. A couple of oldtimers have told me to: 1. place washers on top of the thermostats and reinstall them and 2. slide smaller hoses inside the existing top radiator hoses to slow down the amount of circulation?? Do either of these suggestions make any sense? I'm not a mechanic and somewhat new to this hobby and would appreciate feedback from you older pros who know these old flatheads. Thanks. Tom.

<< previous || next >>

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.

Early Ford V-8 Club Forum

Merchandise Questions

Membership Questions