Overheating

[BadBird]

Anyone got any ideas?? I have been concerned with the Falcon running to warm. It is getting up to 230 degrees and I can't find a reason why. I changed thermostats from 180 to 195 to slow the flow down and no change.

I found on the internet that if I had the head gaskets on backwards that would cause what I am seeing. I checked a new set of gaskets and the tab that goes to the front with the large water hole going to the back is what I have installed.

I now pulled the water pump off to check it. MY car is supposed to have a reverse rotation pump since I am using a serpentine pulley. In looking at the pump it looks like it would be rotating the blades the wrong direction, but I'm not sure. See Pic. The direction the blades will turn when looking at the pump from the back are clockwise. When you see the pump from the front side it is the opposite.

Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks Larry

[pbrown]

A serpentine belt can be used for standard or reverse rotation water pumps. A reverse rotation pump would be driven from the smooth side or backside of the belt. There are serpentine belt kits for standard rotation pumps. Is your water pump pulley smooth or grooved?

Are you having overheating issues only when stopped or moving slowly or does it also happen at high speeds? No or slow speed only would indicate not enough air flow through the radiator and you should look at the fan.

What are you using for a fan? Electric? Mechanical? Do you have a shroud?

You are correct about the head gaskets. The big holes go to the rear. This will cause overheating when installed backwards.

Do you know your AFR? Running too lean will lead to overheating. That will lead to a lot of other issues to so I doubt this one.

[modified17]

Could also be your lower radiator hose is collapsing. Look at the hose and rev the engine up and if the hose starts to collapse that could be your trouble. Had that happen to me one time.

[BadBird]

Thanks guys. I have the smooth pulley on the water pump. I have an electric fan in front of the radiator and it blows a bunch of air. It will run at about 195 when idling and then goes warmer the faster I go. Up to 235 is the highest so far. As far as running lean, I don't think that is a problem.

I will check the hose issue also. Again thanks. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Larry, You can just reach down (engine OFF) and squeeze the lower hose. They should have a spring in them to keep them from collapsing, but some do not if they are small diameter or short hoses. Long and fat = suction collapse. This is typical with engine RPM increase as collapse is pump speed related.

[pbrown]

Thanks guys. I have the smooth pulley on the water pump. I have an electric fan in front of the radiator and it blows a bunch of air. It will run at about 195 when idling and then goes warmer the faster I go. Up to 235 is the highest so far. As far as running lean, I don't think that is a problem.

I will check the hose issue also. Again thanks. Larry

That pusher fan has to go. They make okay aux fans but if this is the only fan you have then you will be in trouble.

The Sidewinder fan is the lowest profile high CFM fan I've seen. It's not cheap but would help a lot.

http://www.the-fan-man.com/shop/side-winder-electric-p-176.html?cPath=31

For the lower radiator hose, I'm running a molded one, for a Dodge truck, that had just the right shape. Just cut off the extra bits and take the center section. It works well for V8 cars with the radiator outlet on the drivers side. I'll send the part number when I get home if I remember.

[BadBird]

I went through at least 50 internet sites looking at overheating problems with 302's and 347's and I don't understand why none of them came back with what fixed their overheating issues. Either they didn't fix it or they didn't have the decency to let everyone know what their solution was. Well, any way we tried about everything I could think of and here's what we did.

My neighbor Randy who was a ford mechanic for years and raced sprint cars along with drag racing thought we should try something that sprint car racers do to prevent overheating. He made an aluminum plate the size of the thermostat and drilled to 1/2" holes through it. I installed that, drove it around and the temp stayed below 205. If I was driving it stayed around 190 and it went up in traffic but not above that 205 mark. So, I feel better.

He also decided to rebuild my rear end. He found the pinion bearings were bad. I bought new bearings from Randy's Ring and Pinion and they pressed on one for me. After the rebuild the rear end sounds perfect.

I thank GOD that I have such a helpful and knowledgeable friend and neighbor. Don't know where the car would be without his help. Anyway, I think it is ready to go to Reno. I will take it on a 30-40 mile trip tomorrow to see how everything goes. More to come, I am sure. Larry

[Luva65wagon]

Interesting news Larry. So the pump is too efficient? Can you get an increased diameter pulley for it so it spins slower?

[BadBird]

I sent an email to March Pulley to see if they carry one. That was one of the things that we talked about since the water pump pulley is smaller than the crank pulley. I asked in the email if they are having issues from other Ford small block owners with their kits. I'll let you all know what they say. Larry