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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / How long to radiator failure?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: How long to radiator failure? -- page: 1 2     carcrazy 02-13-2018 @ 1:50 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1582 Joined: Oct 2009 Something else could be causing the engine to overheat. Are any of the brakes dragging? Does the engine hold good manifold vacuum? You could have a plugged up exhaust system. There could be excessive resistance to air flow through the air cleaner. If the car sat long without being used, rodents or other vermin could have taken up residence in the car's various openings. fordmerc 02-14-2018 @ 6:57 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 OK. More things to check when weather warms up since I am reluctant to start the car at 25 deg just for a test – and the drive is full of snow anyway! TomO 02-14-2018 @ 8:30 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7243 Joined: Oct 2009 What year car are we talking about? Did you change any thing before the problem started? Tom fordmerc 02-15-2018 @ 7:21 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 '39 ; nothing changed (that I am aware of) This message was edited by fordmerc on 2-15-18 @ 7:24 AM TomO 02-15-2018 @ 8:14 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7243 Joined: Oct 2009 A quick check on the radiator is to measure temp on the top tank front, opposite where the hose feeds the coolant and then at the bottom tank, where the coolant leaves the radiator. The typical temp change is 15 degrees. Checking at the hose connections lets you see what is happening on both tanks. Give us a brief history of how the cooling system performed after the radiator replacement and the conditions that you are experiencing overheating. Can you drive along at 35 mph without over heating? Or does it only overheat in traffic? Your "vapor lock" could be a coil or condenser. Did you check the spark when you tried to restart it? Your spark should be good at idle when you start the car and let it run for a few minutes. You can check it in the garage for a good 1/2" spark blue in color. Tom fordmerc 02-15-2018 @ 10:49 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Oct 2009 History: total rebuild, including recored radiator. Had one episode of vapor lock in a parade at 90 degrees a few years ago – I haven’t been in a parade since! Most driving in the past has been at road speed – 35-50 mph. No other “heat” problems until last spring. Since then it will overheat. I have not had the courage to drive far enough away to get to where I can sustain 50 mph, because once it gets hot, it will die at a stop sign or if I have to slow down. (It will restart if I wait 10-15 min, but death recurs a short time later at stops. Skip rebuilt the coil; condenser is a good idea and can be replaced (but when the temp gauge is “pegged” I can’t ignore the heat issue). Given my local weather, I am going to defer startup until I can get on the road at the same time. carcrazy 02-15-2018 @ 2:41 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1582 Joined: Oct 2009 This is a real longshot. Perhaps one or both of the waterpump impellers has loosened up and is slipping on the waterpump shaft. TomO 02-16-2018 @ 7:52 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7243 Joined: Oct 2009 You can make the checks, that I listed in my last post, in your driveway. From your description, I would be careful about driving it. If you have a dwell meter, connect it to the condenser tab on the coil and check for 36 - 38 degrees dwell. Replace the points if it is out of range. If you have good spark and the radiator checks out, and both sides of the engine are at similar temperatures, connect your vacuum gauge to the ww port and check for a low reading. If your vacuum is in the 10-12 inches of vacuum, pull the timing gear cover to check that the timing gear is still lined up with the crank gear. Spring is just around the corner, so I hope that you get your car running right and can enjoy a summer of fun. Tom JohnA 02-17-2018 @ 9:12 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 277 Joined: Dec 2009 I"m leaning maybe towards what somebody mentioned about something getting up tailpipe,depending where stored.I realize a long shot,but after ready to fire check tailpipe exhaust. cliftford 02-17-2018 @ 6:10 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 845 Joined: Jan 2014 All of this online diagnosing is, at best, educated guesswork. that being said, I don't know what your level of expertise is, but I would get another knowlegable person to check these all these things with you. I have seen two or more good mechanics diagnose the same problem and one will find a problem that the others will miss good luck.

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