Hello Eddie,
Very good suggestions all, thanks very much. It is looking like the
problem is the radiator. I will report back after it has been replaced.
Meantime, does anyone happen to know what brand of fan belts have the
longest life?
Best regards,
Rik
> Rik,
> The 180 thermostat is proper and will allow the coolant time to be
> cooled in the radiator. I strongly discourage use of the 160
> thermostat, and no thermostat. Make sure the fan shroud is there and
> complete around the fan. If not, just make one out of tin. It MUST BE
> THERE! Make sure there are no obstructions to air flow, front, rear,
> or in the fins of the radiator. Make sure the fan blades are complete,
> straight, AND NOT CAKED WITH DIRT!
>
> The radiator should have it's intake (top) tank removed and checked
> for tube blockage build up. It should not cost more than $80 to $135
> to have the radiator top tank removed, core cleaned, tank reinstalled,
> and the radiator leak checked and painted.
>
> The four most common causes of overheat are clogged radiators,
> stuck-open thermostats, bad fans and wrong timing. Seldom if ever does
> a water pump fail to pump or cavitate. Once overheated, the thermostat
> is always ruined and must be replaced.
>
> If you have a fan clutch, check the front small temperature coil for
> any discharge. If the little coil is dirty with ANY gooey-like
> grease-dirt, the fan clutch has failed. Remember, fans cannot
> duplicate more than about a 35 mph air flow and are primarily designed
> for air flow at that speed or less. The fan clutch is also active in
> airflow draft affected problems in heavy traffic at higher speeds and
> also at high temperatures. I don't like flex fans on truck-type usage
> engines. They are great on your hot rod with no a/c.
>
> Fans are belt-driven. A clutched and non-clutched fan often is turning
> at insufficient RPM due to simple loose or wrong application belts.
> Check that belt. Is it really the correct pitch filling up the pully
> or is it bent down and inside the groove? Is it really actually loose
> and slipping? Look at the feed-side slop. It should be smooth and not
> vibrating. Did anyone retighten it after first new installation? They
> stretch! That is why modern engines all use serpentine belts on a
> floating tensioner.
>
> The most common overlooked heating problem I find is timing. Even a
> good mechanic will rely on the timing marks of the harmonic balancer.
> The harmonic balancer is a vulcanized-pressed heavy weight round chunk
> of metal rubber mounted on the crankshaft hub. IT WILL AND DOES CRAWL!
> I seldom see a harmonic balancer that has not slowly crawled on it's
> hub, thus making all the timing references wrong! Easy to check, a
> motor timed using wrong markings will run so hot the exhaust manifolds
> will have a dull red glow at night. When the motor is hot, does it
> seem during starting that the battery or starter or both are weak or
> struggling, maybe you have to pump it, etc., but none of this when the
> engine is cold? When shutting it off, does it tend to want to continue
> to run? Is it sensitive to needing premium fuel? Does the engine seem
> to run hot? All these can be blatant signs of timing being wrong, and
> it only takes just a little bit of wrong!
>
> Every engine should run a 50/50 mix of DISTILLED WATER and antifreeze.
> It will make the engine run cooler! NEVER use tap water. Distilled
> water will also clean up a system that has not had distilled water. It
> will clean it up good, and without the horror of acids! Manufacturers
> DO NOT use distilled water in your new car. It saves them at least one
> dollar per vehicle! They do however REQUIRE replacement parts such as
> water pumps be used only with distilled water or the warranty is VOID!
>
> IF YOU USE DISTILLED WATER AND ANTIFREEZE, CHANGE THE SOLUTION EVERY
> 24 MONTHS, YOU WILL NEVER EVER HAVE A DIRTY RADIATOR OR ENGINE SYSTEM
> AND HEATER! I PROMISE THIS IS TRUE! All the components, especially the
> thermostat and water pump will double in life.
>
> -Eddie- Houston TX