'29 A Town Sedan, over heating

[burner31]

Fill your radiator with vinegar and drive around for about a week or so you'll smell like a Russian restaurant but it does a very good job when you drain it do not get any on your paint and make sure you flush with baking soda

[Jacksonlll]

You say the radiator was flow checked. I bet not. A good radiator should flow about 36 GPN.
Torque your head. Could be a leaking gasket, but very likely, your core is plugged. Get a new one. If there is no flow in a tube, you can’t clean the tube no matter what you flow on top of it.

[1crosscut]

We still need to know if you are actually overheating??
Get a thermometer and find out for sure what the temperature of the coolant is.
To me it doesn't sound as if you are really sure the timing is set correctly. The simplest way to do so is to use the inexpensive NewRex timing wrench to set your timing.
Also you need to make sure your spark advance lever travels fully side to side in the slot on the distributor before setting the timing and then make sure the spark lever is fully in the up position when you set the timing.
Putting vinegar in the radiator and the block will help with getting some of the rust out but what if grease build up from someone in the past putting too much grease into the water pump is the problem?
This time around pull the radiator out and pour 1 gallon of undiluted Simple Green into the radiator. Slosh it around several times a day for a few days and then flush it out. I think you may be surprised at what you get out of it. Of course to do this you will need to close off the upper and lower outlets on the radiator with some inner tube material or such held in place with a hose clamp. Also you will need to plug the overflow tube too.

[Gerald1961]

I agree to JacksonIII. Check the timing, then the head nut torque first. The old bolts stretch and need retorqueing.

I had the same issue recently after a 35 mls trip with 45-50 mls/h. Suddenly the engine overheated and- strongest indicator for the head gasket- even maximum enriched GAV didn´t cool down the engine. after that, scrutinize the radiator deeper.

[Ernie Vitucci]

Good Morning all...For an engine that has not run in years, the car may have been set aside because it overheated. Head gasket leakage can be a problem between cylinders
allowing heat to end up in the cooling system. Drain the engine, remove the head, study it for pin holes that can be allowing water to leak around the gasket. I have seen some heads that have become poras (sp) and cause over heating. Let the engine dry out for a day or so and then vacuum through the water channels in the block and then use compressed air and blow down into the block and all sorts of junk may come flying out. I once did this on a block and it turned all the air in the shop orange. Check the head and block for flat and then use a new BEST gasket and carefully torque it down according to the sequence and pounds feet in Les Andrews book. Good Luck...Ernie in Arizona

[DKnapp]

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Sounds to me that you may have a head gasket leak.

Fill the radiator to where you can see the water and start the engine. If you see bubbles coming up the water in the radiator you have a head gasket leak.

That hot air entering the water system will never be cooled enough even with the best radiator and a perfect cooling system.

Easy check - takes five minutes. First thing I do after replacing the head.

[eagle]

If it was my problem here's how I would address it. 1st check head torque. 2nd make sure your timing is correct, quick test is run it down the road at a good pull, if you pull the lever down all the way you'll hear the engine ping, then lift it up until the ping stops, thats where you want to run it. 3rd, use a thermometer to actually see the temperature. If it still is a problem then time to repar or replace the radiator. Some people claim that the Model A has a weak cooling system and you just have to expect issues now and again. I dissagree, if all is good it will not boil even going uphill on a very hot day. Same for the brakes, if they are done right they do a very good job of stopping the A. Lots of cars out there that people put up with poor performance from, simply because they have low expectations. Keep working through the issues, you'll soon have a very reliable car.

[Conaway2]

I suggest either taking it to a shop familiar with Model A radiators, or just buy a quality new one. I never had any luck with my own cleaning fixes. I just had the radiator on my ‘31 deluxe roadster professionally cleaned and repaired for $125. Solved my over heating problem and I no longer worry about it.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Conaway2

I suggest either taking it to a shop familiar with Model A radiators, or just buy a quality new one. I never had any luck with my own cleaning fixes. I just had the radiator on my ‘31 deluxe roadster professionally cleaned and repaired for $125. Solved my over heating problem and I no longer worry about it.

There aren't a lot of GOOD radiator shops left, and it sounds like you got a fair deal on the price. Where is this shop?

[30 Closed Cab PU]

How are things going?
One other tidbit of info, had this happen to me. After struggling for a couple of years flushing/backflushing treatments, with the help of the Barn discovered I had an aftermarket 2 tube row core radiator. Except for Brassworks, 2 row cores cooling capacity is undersized. If you have a 2 row, replace it with a good 3 or 4 row core radiator.


In addition to the idle overheat, my truck also overheated in outside temps 80 degrees and above at 35- 40 mph after 10-30 minutes.