Overheating and fed up....

[Mike..Yorba Linda]

36 coupe, stock 21 stud, 2 Holley's w/3.5 PV's and 51 jets. Skips water pumps about 10 years ago. Bubba's dizzy 1 year ago. Would run 180 on hot days until 2 years ago. New radiator core and a good vinegar flush and rinse two months ago and I still can't keep it below 200-210 and it boiling over. What else do I need to do? Pull the heads? Small block? Any and all advice considered and appreciated.....Thanks....

[Kahuna]

Hi Mike
1. Check the timing. Retarded timing will cause hot running

2. Rather than vinegar flush, try again using Evaporust. That will
insure removal of all the old rust & give you a clean block

[V8COOPMAN]

Could it be that Gore and DiCaprio really are "globally-warming" us to extremes flittin'-around in their bizjets? DD

[Tinker]

I've always, when the heads are off, taken a long screw driver and/or coat hanger and dug up casting sand out of the water jackets. Amazing how much can be left if the block has never been boiled. Just probe around with the coathanger and flush it out.

You might have an exhaust leak also heating up the coolant. There are a few ways to check and maybe someone else can explain it better then I will.

One way to check is to remove the top radiator hoses with water in the block and look for bubbles.

[Bored&Stroked]

Timing is always worth checking . . . but it seems you had the problem before you replaced the distributor (or rebuilt it).

Have you checked the plugs . . . are they consistent and do you see any sign of 'washing' away the carbon on any of them? If you have a blown head gasket, in many cases some steam or water vapor will get into the cylinder and 'wash' the spark plug.

Have you had the water tested to see if you have compression gasses leaking into the coolant (blown head gasket)? If you warm the engine up and then pull the radiator cap and rev the engine - do you see bubbles or signs of compression leaks?

Are you running thermostats - have you ran it without them? How fast does it heat up and under what driving conditions? Give us a bit more to work with.

[Seth Swoboda]

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I'm going with timing. You may need to recheck the timing.

[Kahuna]

All great info so far

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by Mike..Yorba Linda

36 coupe, stock 21 stud, 2 Holley's w/3.5 PV's and 51 jets. Skips water pumps about 10 years ago. Bubba's dizzy 1 year ago. Would run 180 on hot days until 2 years ago. New radiator core and a good vinegar flush and rinse two months ago and I still can't keep it below 200-210 and it boiling over. What else do I need to do? Pull the heads? Small block? Any and all advice considered and appreciated.....Thanks....

Mike, email Skip [email protected] and follow his instructions to
resolve the problem. To many cooks spoil the soup. G.M.

[Mike..Yorba Linda]

I did use Evapo rust after the vinegar flush. Left it in for a few days, as I did the vinegar, and thoroughly flushed with water. I'm sure the block is clean. No thermostat's per Skips instructions. New spark plugs and no sign of water in the oil or bubbles in the top tank. It heats up normally I would say. I'll email Skip tomorrow for his recommendations. Thanks for helping, I really want to keep the flathead ......

[Mike..Yorba Linda]

I'm willing to check/change the timing, should I use a vacuum gauge? I would think Bubba set it up correctly......

[FlatheadTed]

fit a shroud ,Ted

[Lawrie]

Ted ,the 33 has no shroud and will stay cool towing in 42deg C, BUT with the fan off the generator, it ran 10 C hotter at hiway speeds,put it back on and it dropped the 10 C.
Clean radiator,clean block,good pumps ,timing close enough,no head gasket leaks,no cracked heads, thats what I have found.and we do a lot of miles towing in Hot weather for long distances.
Lawrie

[Ken/Alabama]

Could it be a leaky head gasket letting hot exhaust gas into the water jacket ??

[FlatheadTed]

Yes I agree Lawrie
He had a new radiater ?? so must now be blocked? [
qUOTE=Lawrie;1487856]Ted ,the 33 has no shroud and will stay cool towing in 42deg C, BUT with the fan off the generator, it ran 10 C hotter at hiway speeds,put it back on and it dropped the 10 C.
Clean radiator,clean block,good pumps ,timing close enough,no head gasket leaks,no cracked heads, thats what I have found.and we do a lot of miles towing in Hot weather for long distances.
Lawrie[/QUOTE]

[Kurt in NJ]

Do both sides get hot the same----remember the engine block is 2 seperate systems, i had a truck with duals and under load one side would overheat, I found that the muffler on that side was too restrictive

I don't like any waterjacket treatment that removes ALL ther rust, sometimes the rust seals a small crack or porosity,

Have you drained it down and looked into the top tank of the radiator to see if some tubes are clogged

are you using plain water---or antifreeze ---plain water makes more rust

I have a "ZOO flush gun", it hooks to the hose and air, connect to lower hose, when block full of water hit it with air ---the air pushes the water out very fast bringing the crap with it----then do the same with the radiatyor, (but at lower air pressure and not as much all at once to prevent rad damage)---this has worked for me

how are the plugs burning---white or black, when you drive does it run proper, and have the same top speed

can you push the car easily by hand----could the brakes be dragging

[Mike..Yorba Linda]

After I talk to Skip, if what he recommends doesn't improve things, I'm pulling the heads for a look see....

[Jack E/NJ]

Ardun heads. 8^) Jack E/NJ

[Mike..Yorba Linda]

Both sides get the same temp....hot....It's a new radiator core with bigger tubes than stock. Water and antifreeze and No Rosin. Plugs are a tan color. It sucks trying to diagnose...

[Mike..Yorba Linda]

I wish Jack.....

[aandtman]

If you know somebody that has a gas analizer, check it out, may be running too lean.