Re: Over Heating
 

Great. Knowing the actual temp can help pinpoint what the trouble is.

Re: Over Heating
 

All good suggestions by the other responders. For my car, I had an original radiator which was in good condition. It would dump the water out in 3 seconds when I removed the bottom hose and had the radiator cap off. But it would overheat when the weather was hot and I was pushing the car. I solved the overheating by buying a new radiator from Bergs. http://www.bergsradiator.com/modela.html

Re: Over Heating
 

Today I am back with my car trying to resolve the overheating issue. The first thing I did today was to drain the radiator which is a 50/50 mix it looks very clear. Next I removed by the hoses and plugged the bottom of the radiator, filled it with water and removed the plug, it drained in 4 seconds. I checked the hoses they appear OK & clean. I filled the radiator back to the top of the baffle. I took the car on a 15 minute drive by the end of the trip she was steaming. While the car was still running the temp was 200. After I shut the car off the temp increased to 208. The end of the trip was a hill unlike the previous part of the route.
The fan water pump an belt appear to be OK.

Re: Over Heating
 

Today I'm back with my car trying to resolve the overheating issue. The 1st thing I did was to drain the radiator of the 50/50 antifreeze, it appears to be clean & free of sediment. Next I plugged the bottom of the radiator and filled it with water, when I released the plug it drained in 4 seconds. The water from the radiator and what came from the engine was clear. The hoses, fan, water pump appear to be working will. I took the car out for a 15 minute trip. Toward the end of the run was a hill by the end of the route she was steaming. While but the car was still running the temperature was 200, after shutting it down it was 208. There appears to be churning in the radiator but no oil film. What to check next?

Re: Over Heating
 

Check the price of a new radiator from Bergs.

Re: Over Heating
 

SEE POST 10: Many new owners of Model A's try to keep the radiator topped off and it will look a lot like over heating as the excess coolant is pushed out.

I have an 83 year old guy who wanted a Model A...so he got one. He keeps filling the radiator to the top and then calls me and insists it's overheating. So we take a nice drive, and guess what..it runs great, sprays out the excess and all is well....maybe he just wants me to drive him around...that's OK too but it's not overheating just lowing it's level of coolant.

Re: Over Heating
 

But 200 is overheating. Did you check for exhaust fumes in the radiator?

Re: Over Heating
 

Lets face it, a 93 year old radiator is shot - finished. Recoreing is very expensive and then you still have the old tanks. I purchased the lowly $675 HD radiator made in Chicago from Snyder's and fail to see how the $825 Bergs could be any better. I'll take $150 difference and spend it on something else.

John

Re: Over Heating
 

After a drive of 45 min idling my water temperature is 155-165* the thermostat opens and closes, outside temperature 85*. Gerry Bergs said most of his customers say the radiators cool to much! This fall/winter I may have to put a 180* thermostat in to get the temperature up!

Re: Over Heating
 

Bergs is the best because it looks right, is done right, and won't give you trouble. I have ran across cheaper ones and they sometimes do not fit right or have the reinforced brackets which becomes a problem.

Having your radiator recored is not a bad idea because that would fix your problem probably. The brass tanks don't go bad unless they become extremely damaged. Buying a new one from Bergs is just as good of an option, probably a little better.