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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / 59AB Running Very Hot

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Posted By Discussion Topic: 59AB Running Very Hot -- page: 1 2     rbone 04-11-2011 @ 8:29 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 47 Joined: Nov 2010 I am sure this has been covered before, but I am at a loss. My 59AB continues to run at well over 225 degrees. I just had both water pumps rebuilt by Skip Haney, flushed the entire cooling circuit twice, added Purple Ice, and it is still running very hot. I live just north of Dallas, TX and yesterday the outside temperature was about 90 degrees - warm, but certainly not hot yet. I have good oil pressure also. The only thing else I can think of is to remove the thermostats. Any other thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron supereal 04-11-2011 @ 10:28 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I would pull the thermostats to see if it makes a difference. One or the other may not be opening fully, or at all. If that doesn't help, I'd suspect a leaking head gasket. Watch for white smoke from the tailpipe, particularly at starting. There can be lots of other causes, such as dragging brakes caused by a master cylinder without enough free play to allow the fluid to return, or a slipping belt. My '47 wouldn't go around the block when I bought it without pegging the gauge. A compression test showed no problems, and the radiator looked good when I peered down the filler. I "bit the bullet" and bought a new radiator after nothing else proved to cause the overheat. Now, I can run in 100 degree temperatures all day and never go above the two thirds of the gauge, even in stop and go traffic. MG 04-11-2011 @ 12:12 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1301 Joined: Nov 2009 Ron, How are you checking the temperature of the engine? Are you using a meat thermometer or a heat gun? If not, maybe the cars temp gauge is the culprit. rbone 04-11-2011 @ 7:05 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 47 Joined: Nov 2010 I plan to check the guage out this weekend. I have a nice Fischer Scientific temperature probe. I have thought about the radiator as well. If all else fails, that may be my only choice, but I sure hope it does not come to that. Ron ford38v8 04-11-2011 @ 9:51 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2883 Joined: Oct 2009 Ron, Before you go dismantling anything, check your thermostats in this manner: From a cold start, hold your hands on both top radiator hoses. They should both remain cool until your engine gets up to operating temperature, then both hoses should warm quickly almost simultaneously. If this is not the case, then you've discovered at least one problem, and will know that one of your thermostats is non-functional. I agree with the advise that Supereal gave also, but would add that if your radiator is at fault, it can usually be made to function properly again by a good old fashioned radiator shop. Many have gone out of business in favor of simply replacing old with new, but new in the case of vintage iron coasts a bundle if you can find it. A good shop will boil it out, run a flow test on it to see if it needs further action. They can dismantle it, run rods through each tube to clean out the lime deposits, reassemble it, pressure test it, paint it as new, and present it back to you at a fraction of the cost of a modern replacement of lesser quality. Alan 37RAGTOPMAN 04-12-2011 @ 6:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1992 Joined: Oct 2009 was wondering if it is a new rebuilt motor, did this happen overnight? or did it happen a little at a time? if it is a new motor it will need to be broken in, place a large fan in front of the radiator and monitor the temp, use a temp guage in the neck of radiator, and let it run and break in, maybe 1/2 hour at a time letting it cool down before restarting, also be sure your timing is not retarded, this will make it run hotter, DOES IT OVERHEAT at IDLE ? or when crusing down the road ? more info might help,,! my 3 cents 37 RAGTOPMAN TomO 04-12-2011 @ 8:06 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 A candy thermometer is the best investment that you can make when trouble shooting cooling problems. They are accurate and do not cost much. All of the previous advice is good and the only addition that I would make is: find a good radiator shop and have them help you with the cooling problem before you remove the radiator. Timing problems can be due to incorrect setting of the points, worn out distributor, or wear in the camshaft gear or crank gear. Tom supereal 04-12-2011 @ 8:54 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I don't have any prejudiice against radiator shops, but most, at least around here, have closed. This is partly due to the adoption of aluminum cores and plastic tanks, but mostly because they were eclipsed by the relative costs involved for the benefits produced. When I was working for a Ford dealer many years ago, they kept two radiator mechanics busy all day, every day. I understand that good quality radiators for old Fords now cost north of five hundred dollars. Perhaps some areas still have competent shops. We don't. Usually a radiator that has been cleaned isn't as efficient as a new one. If you compare costs of recoring, you already have spent much of the cost for a whole new unit. Old cars already have lost much of their cooling efficiency due to the liming of the block, and need all the help they can get to maintain a reasonable and dependable operating temperature. Stroker 04-12-2011 @ 10:07 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Maybe just use a little Midwestern Acid Rainwater to clean out the lime. dakota 04-12-2011 @ 2:58 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 5 Joined: Aug 2010 If you happen to live near salt water check out your local marina. All diesel boats have heat exchangers, after coolers, and oil coolers. What happens is that salt water clogs these systems and there are plenty of company's that specialize in cleaning and pressure testing these components. I am sure that they can clean any radiator. They come back like new.

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