Running warm
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First question is,,, how long have you had your car on the road? What temps have you seen in the past?? If this is something that has "just come up", then you have a different problem. Which engine are you running. If it just started then has your coolant level dropped in your reservoir? Did you experience an over heat episode recently? If that one is yes your coolant may be low and you may be experiencing air pockets or better stated steam pockets. Have you checked the vent line to the radiator? What is your idle speed?500, 1000? Need more history on the setup.
Bill
Bill
Check the points Bill raised. However I have put a restricter in the bypass that prevents too much flow. In the normal car layout the rad is close next to the outlet with minimal flow resistance, in a GT40 there are long pipe runs with greater resistance. The restricter ensures maximum flow to the rad yet allows the thermostat function control the warm up. Some other manufacturer engines have a t/stat that has a shield or shutoff plate that covers the bypass port when the stat opens.
Steve
Steve
Idle 900-1000 rpm 9 degr advance, drive the A/C compressor strong.
So you mean in a clevlandthe thermostat with neck and that plate in the block close the water feed to the pump for in engine cirkulation !?
And if I put a restrictor in that hose between the thermostatic house and the water pump it could reduce the engine temp. What will happen if it is blocked/cloosed?
So you mean in a clevlandthe thermostat with neck and that plate in the block close the water feed to the pump for in engine cirkulation !?
And if I put a restrictor in that hose between the thermostatic house and the water pump it could reduce the engine temp. What will happen if it is blocked/cloosed?
If you aren't running a vacuum advance distributor, you are putting maximum stress on the cooling system when it's idling or at low speed. Depending on your cooling fan, it's not surprising that it's running hot.
On the other hand, if you are not boiling water out of the system, I'd grit my teeth and leave it alone.
Alternately, add a bigger fan and/or an auxiliary water pump booster (or a vacuum-advance-type distributor).
On the other hand, if you are not boiling water out of the system, I'd grit my teeth and leave it alone.
Alternately, add a bigger fan and/or an auxiliary water pump booster (or a vacuum-advance-type distributor).
Mike Pass
Supporter
If the temperature is OK when running at speed down the road and overheating in stop/go traffic then you are getting enough airflow through the radiator when moving but not when stopped or slow then your fans are not giving enough airflow when stopped. This seems to show that your fans are not moving enough air through the radiator. Get better fans and/or ensure that they are close to the radiator or they will just spill air round the edge rather than pulling air through the rad. Maybe some pics of your rad and fan setup may help.
Cheers
Mike
Cheers
Mike
Ian Anderson
Lifetime Supporter
Sounds stupid but are your fans actually running the right way?
So the airflow is from front to rear of car
I have seen two fans push air forwards car stationary and the temp was good but slow traffic the air stagnated and caused overheat
Someone even managed to get one fan running forward and one backwards.
Ian
So the airflow is from front to rear of car
I have seen two fans push air forwards car stationary and the temp was good but slow traffic the air stagnated and caused overheat
Someone even managed to get one fan running forward and one backwards.
Ian
doesnt look like a 40 to me, have I missed something.
Is the pump to slow at idle to push the water to the radiator
Jim
Is the pump to slow at idle to push the water to the radiator
Jim
Jim,
I have to agree. Not a 40. What I do see though is not much room for the hot air to escape from the radiator area. I guess a better pic of that area might tell me different. So my suggestion is to work on the area that the air has to follow in order to get out of there. If generating pressure in that area behind the fans then it will stagnate at low speed. May have to open some vent holes in the fender wells??
Bill
I have to agree. Not a 40. What I do see though is not much room for the hot air to escape from the radiator area. I guess a better pic of that area might tell me different. So my suggestion is to work on the area that the air has to follow in order to get out of there. If generating pressure in that area behind the fans then it will stagnate at low speed. May have to open some vent holes in the fender wells??
Bill
What is the antifreeze to water percentage in your coolant mixture? Remember that antifreeze holds heat. My system holds about three gallons. Since I don't drive my car in cold weather (under 40F), I only use 1 gallon of coolant for the corrosion package. So my coolant mix is only 30% antifreeze. The car stays cool even on very hot days and I only use the fans when stuck in traffic. You can basically set your running temp by adjusting the percentage of antifreeze in the coolant mix.
Mark C.
Mark C.
I mention this without any real knowledge of it s validity. I have been told that the early 289/302's circulated water differently than later models. These same people say that there are blocked off water passages from the block thru the heads on the early motors and that if you drill out these missing holes in the block you can improve circulation and lower the operating temp in the early engines. Can anyone verify this concept or have any of you been involved in such a modification?
Anders,
As others have pointed out, there is not a clear path for hot air to exit from out of the front hood on the Pantera and this is a common issue on them. Hood vents will help a lot to get air flowing through and out. This is quite a common modification for Pantera's.
Also make sure that the coolant passages are correct for the cylinder heads and block combination. Cleveland heads have a water outlet passage through the combustion face of the cylinder heads and Windsor heads have the water outlets in the intake manifold face. The heads and block/intake manifold passages have to match up. If installing Cleveland heads on a Windsor style block you have to drill water passages in the intake manifold face of the cylinder heads and block off the combustion face passages or make sure that the combustion face passages are sealed by the head gasket style. If the engine has been running successfully without heating up under heavy use then it is likely that the passages are correct.
If it does not go above 108deg C that is 226.4 deg F and your system should handle that OK without boiling over if your pressure cap is OK.
Gord
As others have pointed out, there is not a clear path for hot air to exit from out of the front hood on the Pantera and this is a common issue on them. Hood vents will help a lot to get air flowing through and out. This is quite a common modification for Pantera's.
Also make sure that the coolant passages are correct for the cylinder heads and block combination. Cleveland heads have a water outlet passage through the combustion face of the cylinder heads and Windsor heads have the water outlets in the intake manifold face. The heads and block/intake manifold passages have to match up. If installing Cleveland heads on a Windsor style block you have to drill water passages in the intake manifold face of the cylinder heads and block off the combustion face passages or make sure that the combustion face passages are sealed by the head gasket style. If the engine has been running successfully without heating up under heavy use then it is likely that the passages are correct.
If it does not go above 108deg C that is 226.4 deg F and your system should handle that OK without boiling over if your pressure cap is OK.
Gord
Not relevent to Anders discussion since he is using a Fontana alloy block with Ford SVO alloy heads IIRC along with the thermostat fitting/housing that these heads use in a Windsor block configuration. ( But you are correct that when using late heads on an early block or vice versa that attention must be paid to coolant flow and steam venting from block to head via the head gasket, there are some head gaskets that simply cannot be used in such combinations also.)
Anders, since its Pantera the first thing I would check is the actual engine level to insure its slightly nose up to ensure no steam pockets, & IIRC you have slight pump speed reduction on the pump which might as others have mentioned. As you have a 160° T/Stat its gotta be that as long as all the coolant is going thru the radiator & not thru the by-pass routes. Is it pushing coolant past the radiator cap into the catch tank or do you have a high enough cap pressure to survive the higher temp readings.
Anders,
You mentioned (if I remember correctly) that his just started happening recently and was O K before that. I think we may have over thought this one. One question, then a possible solution. Is the fan controlled only by the thermostat, or is there a fan switch that will turn the fan on manually?? If you have a fan switch, turn your key to the on position without starting the engine. Flip the switch on and check to see that the fans are really turning.
I noticed yesterday that my temps, while moving in stop and go traffic, were creeping up to 180-200F even with the fans turned on(I have a manual switch). It usually will climb no higher than about 170-180. Checked my water level this morning and it was low. I don't have the negative pump for filling so propped the car on its butt and had the nose in the air above the engine level. opened the vent line in the radiator and added water to that port(my radiator has a plugged vent line on top and a return vent line on the rear face,outflow side of the radiator). Closed it off and ran the electric water pump. for a few minutes, then rechecked the vent line and had to add a little more water. Sealed it all up and took it out for a drive. The temps remained normal for the drive. Parked it in the driveway and left it running with the fans going and ran into the house for about 5 minutes, maybe 10 at most. When I came back out the temps were close to 200. Drove it around the block and the temps settled down. After parking the car with the engine off I did the above procedure, and sure enough the fans were not coming on when the switch was turned on. Dropped the dash and found the push on wire connector had become dislodged. Hooked it up and all is well. It may be something as simple as that. My engine is somewhat noisy and I can't hear the fans or the water pump while moving.
If you are controlled with the thermostat, crank the engne. When it passes the thermostats trigger temp, check to see if the fans are moving. If not, then its the fuse, the relay or a wire to one of them is off/broken/loose, or the thermostat is defective. "Occam's razor"
Bill
You mentioned (if I remember correctly) that his just started happening recently and was O K before that. I think we may have over thought this one. One question, then a possible solution. Is the fan controlled only by the thermostat, or is there a fan switch that will turn the fan on manually?? If you have a fan switch, turn your key to the on position without starting the engine. Flip the switch on and check to see that the fans are really turning.
I noticed yesterday that my temps, while moving in stop and go traffic, were creeping up to 180-200F even with the fans turned on(I have a manual switch). It usually will climb no higher than about 170-180. Checked my water level this morning and it was low. I don't have the negative pump for filling so propped the car on its butt and had the nose in the air above the engine level. opened the vent line in the radiator and added water to that port(my radiator has a plugged vent line on top and a return vent line on the rear face,outflow side of the radiator). Closed it off and ran the electric water pump. for a few minutes, then rechecked the vent line and had to add a little more water. Sealed it all up and took it out for a drive. The temps remained normal for the drive. Parked it in the driveway and left it running with the fans going and ran into the house for about 5 minutes, maybe 10 at most. When I came back out the temps were close to 200. Drove it around the block and the temps settled down. After parking the car with the engine off I did the above procedure, and sure enough the fans were not coming on when the switch was turned on. Dropped the dash and found the push on wire connector had become dislodged. Hooked it up and all is well. It may be something as simple as that. My engine is somewhat noisy and I can't hear the fans or the water pump while moving.
If you are controlled with the thermostat, crank the engne. When it passes the thermostats trigger temp, check to see if the fans are moving. If not, then its the fuse, the relay or a wire to one of them is off/broken/loose, or the thermostat is defective. "Occam's razor"
Bill