Another Temp question, need thoughts...

[74Olds]

Ok,

So I picked up my "new" 74 Cutlass and have had it for a week...
I have noticed that it is getting WAY to hot and I thought some of you could assist... I have the ralley pack and the temp gauge states that after just 10 - 15 mins of driving that I am @ 210 and it climbs just slightly, but when idle it will climb to the 3/4 mark :eek:

I went to see what it could do at the local drag strip, and I overheated before I even went down the track as it is about a 1/2 hour drive and when I got there I was throwing coolant all over the place and when the hood was popped the fluid collector was full and boiling over, something to see, but I know this is def a bad thing.

I just took out the thermostat and put a new gasket on just to see if not having the thermostat in would do anything, but no still hits 210 and climbs. So I am wondering could this be a water pump, rad, both, or other problem.

I know that the shop cleared all fluids known to man in the car including a rad flush before I picked it up but ???

I know I will prob get some good feedback on the site and any assistance would be helpful, Thanks...

[bigredddaddy]

Pop the cap on the radiator, start the engine and you should see the coolent flowing. That's how I've checked if the water pump is good.

[74Olds]

Thanks, will try that before the sun sets here...

[ragz442]

Sounds like it's actually overheating and not a gauge issue if it was boiling over. What kinda shape is the radiator in? You can get a decent new replacement for about $100 at Autozone. Does it overheat going down the road or at idle? Is it an a/c car with clutch fan? Make sure the fan belt is tight and not slipping. If the rad and waterpump are good and it overheats while driving you may have a head gasket on it's way out. Do you see any excessive smoke out the tail pipes? Pull and read the spark plugs, you can buy a cheap tester to check for exhaust gases in the coolant. Oh yea, check and make sure the lower rad hose isn't collapsing also. There are alot of possibilities, but rule out the easiest, least expensive first. Good luck.

[74Olds]

I have an update...

After pulling the thermostat and filling up rad to capacity the car when driving for approx 20 mins stays now in between the first 1.4 and 210 lines... When I am idle at a light or let it sit it goes to 210 and a bit beyond, and then I turned the car off not to see how high a temp it would actually get to. I hope it's not a head gasket. The coolant does flow so prob not a pump, belts are tight, and I don't think it has a clutch fan, but honestly guys no idea what a "clutch" fan is. it's attached to the pump at front of engine...

I will drive it around for the next day or so, but below 210 should be ok, right ??? and a little over is alright if at idle??? I just don't want to kill it as I have placed the green Cutlass in storage as I thought the White and black would be good to go now after the trip to the mechanic... Oh and a buddy did see a puff of black or dark grey puff out the back when I was starting it up, but I have not noticed this, I will check with someone starting the car in the coming days but nothing when revving or driving that is noticeable after start up...

Thanks for all the suggestions and assistance up till now though I really do appreciate it...

PS - no AC, just standard 455 engine...and lower rad hose has the metal ribs it it I believe when I gave it a squeeze.

[texxas8902]

I have an update...

, and I don't think it has a clutch fan, but honestly guys no idea what a "clutch" fan is. it's attached to the pump at front of engine...


.

It's the ribbed oil filled center of your radiator cooling fan. They can go bad and lock up. Your car will sound like a prop plane about to take off if it locks up. They can leak the oil out and make a mess. The fan clutch has an external spring mounted on it that controls the velocity of the fan and varies with the temperature. It will save you parasitic horse power loss over a standard fan with no clutch and is way better than a flex fan.

[442MUCH]

I have an update...

..... The coolant does flow so prob not a pump, belts are tight, and I don't think it has a clutch fan, but honestly guys no idea what a "clutch" fan is. it's attached to the pump at front of engine...



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/3262654355.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/vttedrm/2801370757.jpg
If you have one of these, give it a spin. It it keeps going like the Energizer Bunny...get a new one.

If you don't have a clutch fan, are there any leaks? Smoke out of the tail pipe will be white if it's coolant. Check your oil, make sure there is not a white film in the oil. Check your tranny oil. Make sure that there is no coolant in the tranny oil, otherwise prepare fora tranny rebuild. Check the intake manifold for leaks. Was the engine redone? If so, hopefully they used an aftermarket intake gasket, if not there could be leaks. Check these out and see if you find something.

[GT73]

For the ultimate in cooling...
- run a 4 core rad
- use a new 180 degree thermostat
- green coloured coolant (not orange, formulated for aluminum engine blocks)
- mix coolant at 70/30 (approx. 2.3 jugs vs 1 jug of distilled water)
- use a 7 blade GM clutch fan (Toronado's came with them)
- install a fan shroud if you don't have one (plastic piece around the fan)
- use K&N air filter, tune it, high octane super gas
- closed air filter elements (stock) work better than open air
- make sure your fuel lines are not too close to the block (Delco pump)
- Delco plugs rated at 45R and gaped at .030 or NGK V Power is what I have used, sounds weired but all are contributing factors towards a cooler running engine

My 455 Rocket will run all day at around 190 degrees with this set-up, if the gages climb while stuck in summer traffic, cranking the defogger on hot will help keep it from boiling over