Radiator boiling over
 

i have a problem with my radiator boiling over when i go up a hill. can someone help me solve this problem?

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Not much info to go on.
But, the problem is usually the radiator itself. You may be able to take to a radiator shop and have clean it. Or , you buy a new one.
These monsters tend to build up rust in the rear of the water chambers, remove the side water fitting, take a piece of speedometer cable in a drill motor and clean the inside of the engine block.
Are you using a thermostat ? If you are it could be the problem.
This is all assuming the fan belt is tight enough.

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

easy things first ....
overfilled? top up to baffle only ( about 2 inch below rad cap)
crud in rad or engine? - flush thoroughly as in post #2
water pump working OK?

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Either the radiator too small (a Sears unit from back in the day...), or more likely the head gasket. Try tightening it first.

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Have you actually measured the temperature of the coolant?
Stick a cheap dial meat thermometer directly into the coolant and let us know what the temperature is.

Knowing the temperature will help with diagnosis.

I think that your temperature is probably fine but the problem is a head gasket that is letting combustion gases into the cooling system when your engine is under load going up a hill.

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Late timing or not using the hand timing lever improperly, can cause overheating, carburetor running too lean also can cause overheating , lugging the engine at low rpm’s can cause overheating

More information is needed to help you figure out the overheating

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Always go down hills, not up.

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Climbing a hill is requiring more work to be done by the engine, which causes more fuel to be consumed, therefore more heat being generated. This points at the heat ex changer's (radiator) inability to reject this additional heat being generated. The cause for this is usually rust and scale accumulation that reduce flow and the reduced flow that is present and the heat being carried by it is being insulated from the tubes which exchange this heat to the air flowing through them. Double negative, vicious circle....

If this is the case then this same scale has collected in the block causing the same issues. Pull the radiator have it back flushed or do it yourself, and back flush the block with a garden hose. A short piece of radiator hose and a couple of fittings (nipples/house adapters) can easily be fashioned to fit the outlet (you are back flushing, introducing flow in the opposite direction of normal flow to aid in dislodging the scale) to your garden hose. Do not do this if the block is hot, as the cold well water could thermal shock the block resulting in serious issues, possibly warping the cylinder head casting. No risk of this would be incurred at ambient or slightly above ambient temperature.

Does it also overheat if running at high speed for prolonged periods?

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

To test the radiator for proper flow, remove the upper and lower hoses and block the lower outlet with a ball or some sort of plug. Fill the radiator with pain water. Remove the lower plug. The water should completely drain in 2 or 3 seconds. You can do this test with the radiator in the car.

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

I would have to disagree with that test, and here’s why. The flow rate has to match the flow volume. I don’t remember what the gpm Ford designed the cooling system for, so just use a number off the top of your head. If you were to have a radiator with 1/2 of it tubes pinched off, and filled it with water, it would pass the “dump” test, but it would be only flowing half the volume of water it was designed for, and needed, to remove the engine heat. So for an accurate test, you would need to run the design gpm through it, which wouldn’t be easy. Possibly, if the radiator volume capacity were known, you could verify it actually holds that much, and then see if it evacuates in a timely fashion as mentioned. I would think if the radiator holds the design volume, that it would flow properly as well. Jmho

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

totally agree with you Chuck Sea/Tac , and you've summed it up very well. I too reckon that dump test has so many variables it is hardly worth doing

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

i did check the temperature it was 140-160 f. the coolant seams to stay at the top of the radiator tubs. i thought about the head gasket but wanted other opinon's

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

A radiator shop can sense exhaust gas in the radiator that would indicate a head gasket leak. How long ago did you re torque the head nuts?

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Well at that temperature you certainly are not overheating.

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Experiencing a radiator boiling over when going up a hill can be a sign of an overheating engine. Why don't you check coolant levels?

Re: Radiator boiling over
 

Put a roofing nail in the end of the over flow tube.