Macadoo

Okay, so, this summer I changed the color of the interior, replaced the trans mount, put in a new fuel sending unit, and replaced the shocks and rear springs. And then away we went.

The Plan: Head up 66, hop on 80...or was it 90?, and head east until we either get tired or get to Niagara Falls.

What really happened:

First we had to stop at Polka Dot's for a couple of milkshakes, and a little fun with Betty Boop.

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NOW we're really on our way.........until I found THIS! I had no idea it was right on 66. Mary said she hadn't seen me that happy in years.

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Okay, so a few hours later (maybe four?) we were finally really truly on our way. But we got tired and were a little sunburned so we stopped in Port Clinton Ohio for a nights rest...and some fresh sea food.

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Next morning we were back on the road for the five hour drive to the falls. Things were going well until the day warmed up and I turned on the AC. Car temp shot up to 205. That seemed a little warm to me so we shut off the air. It cooled back down to 190 for a while but then shot up to 210 with the AC off and looked like it was going to continue to climb. So, 96 degree day, flying up and down new york hills doing between 70 and 75, three adults (about 700+ lbs) and a full trunk and half the back seat with stuff (maybe another 100 lbs), windows down, and the heater on full. Yup, the heater. Not pleasant but it brought the temp down to 195 and it stayed there. When we got to the hotel I double checked the radiator (no leaks and full), and the recovery tank and vented rad cap. All were fine. So I took a deep breath, we gathered our wits, and jumped on the free shuttle to the Falls.

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We had a fabulous time that night, so many people, races, and languages all as happy and can be and joking and laughing with each other.
Went back the next morning for a few more hours and lunch, then on the road for home. This time, the back roads back to central Illinois. But looky what we found. Auburn Cord Dusenburg (sp?) museum. This place was fascinating!

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One of John Dillinger's cars, replete with bullet holes.

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This was pretty fun too. I had no idea the cockpit was so small.

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1,700 miles in four and a half days. Were pooped but very happy

My thoughts on the overheating.
1. It was loaded much more than usual but it should have been able to handle it.
2. I bought a cheap radiator - two row I think.
3. The AC compressor really pulls the engine down. I'm thinking time for a new high efficiency compressor.
4. The trans is overheating (we're pretty sure of that) and is making it hard for the cheap radiator to dissipate all the heat.

Or I have no idea what I'm talking about. Totally possible.
But we're home, safe and sound.

seansolds

That lookes like a real good time! Glad to hear the trip in the olds went well. The Dusey museum, is that new I don't remember seeing that when I was up by chrysler in 2002?

Fun71

I discovered that some aftermarket radiators have fewer fins-per-inch and fewer tubes per row than the factory radiator, so they don't have the same heat dissipating capacity even though they externally appear the same and are marketed as a direct replacement. You can measure and compare the fins and tubes (assuming you still have the old one) to see if that is the case.

Macadoo

The museum is in Auburn, northern Indiana. I remember reading it opened in the mid 70s. I had no idea it even existed. There was at least one other car museum, right next door but we ran out of time.

Kenneth, I actually do still have the old radiator so I'll have a look. But the one I bought was really cheap; aluminum and plastic.
One other thing; one night when we stopped for the night, the gauge read 195 when I shut the car off. I went out to get some stuff from the front seat and it read 240! But the very second I started it up, the needle dropped to 200. I'm assuming the probe gets heat-soaked and the engine didn't actually get hotter after shutting it down.
Lastly, is there any way to test the fan clutch? It's only a couple thousand miles old but I don't suppose that means it's good. I'm going to have to get this figured out, we're loosely planning on heading your direction next summer.

seansolds

I was momentarily puzzled thinking it was somewhere near the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills Michigan. Thanks for clarifying this for me. By the way Betty Boop is so fine!
Sean

Macadoo

There was also an Elvis, Marilyn, and James Dean

Koda

Good pictures. Glad the Olds made it.

Your questions. Yes, the antifreeze in the intake heat soaks because the block is still a thermal mass. The coolant passages are colder than the block when the car is running because the coolant has been cooled by releasing heat in the radiator. Your temp sender is on the way OUT so it is as hot as it gets in the system (with the exception of some hot spots) when running, but when shut off, it equalizes with the block, which is hotter. It's not a big deal as the engine is not making any more heat and will chill out just fine not running. Pay no attention to the gauge until it stops moving after you re-start.

Fan clutch. There are two ways. The first is to put on welders gloves and grab it while running and you should be able to stop it with some effort. I do not do this; I like my hands. The second is to, when cold and off, spin the fan once hard. It should rotate half a turn. Spins forever, clutch is blown open. Does not spin, clutch is froze.

Some commentary. Ideally, a radiator has more cooling capacity than the car has heat generating capacity under the harshest conditions. The thermostat regulates the temp by opening and closing flow to the radiator to keep the car where it needs to be. If you have a 180 stat, the car temp should hold at 180. If there is very little load on a cold day, the stat will be mostly closed. If there is load on a hot day, the stat will be more open, but ideally, the stat should never have to be totally wide *** open, as at that point, the coolant is too hot for it to control, and it is being regulated by the cooling capacity of the radiator.

Example. I have an all original 350 Chevy. It has a semi-gunked radiator. It was getting real close to overheating, and the factory gauge said 240 or 250. I thought the gauge was wrong. I went to swap thermostats and found the original high temp, low emissions factory thermostat. I put in an aftermarket gauge and a Stant SuperStat at 160.

I learned a few things. One, that factory gauge is right, and it matches my aftermarket gauge closely across the board. Two, the car was that hot. Three, the SuperStat has a little better flow, so it allows a little more coolant flow, which helps. Four, I knew the original thermostat was being overwhelmed by the less than optimal radiator, as my temps would go from 210-250 depending on duty, but now, with the new thermostat with its lower setting and more flow, I go from 160-210.

This is not a good solution for a daily driver, and it is not an optimal solution. I am controlling the temp of the car with the radiator's capacity, and it's almost like running no thermostat at all. The car takes a longer time to warm up in the winter, and the temp varies with load, which means keep an eye on things. The ideal situation is to re-core the radiator, which I will do in a few years in a minor resto. Ideally, you need a radiator that is up to snuff. Your temp solution could be a cooler, performance thermostat, however, until you fix your radiator problem.

Macadoo

Koda, thanks for the detailed write-up. It was right on the money. I still have my old radiator but didn't think it would be worth the $350 (quoted) to recore. In a perfectly functioning system, should load and ambient temp have such a significant effect on the coolant temps?
The wife and I, and a nearly empty trunk, went for an hour drive last night, 60-65 mph, flat Illinois road, outside temp of 82*, with the AC running on full, the car never topped 195*. Throw in another adult, full trunk, hills, and 95* outside temp and I start having trouble. What temp is actually considered "overheating"?

dalilama

Sounds like you guys had fun in a great bunch of destinations! The Falls is a rush just to be there, and if you're a Tesla fan (the person not the car) like I am it's cool to be in the place where he implemented his childhood vision of harnessing the falls to power the world.

Glad the car held up just fine - must have been a blast to be cruising in the new interior!! You were in my backyard at the Joliet Speedway by the way - I cruise past it when I go to my favorite burger dive in Joliet.

See you guys around!

Macadoo

Who?

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I didn't realize you are so close to the track. Maybe the four of us can meet up for a day with earplugs.

Koda

Mac, ambient temp has some effect on car temp, as does load. Thermal efficiency hinges on the difference between the two reservoirs. Cold day, you get a lot better cooling as the difference between the air and the block is big. Big load, you also get a lot better cooling RATE, but your heat OUTPUT is so high that you'll probably overwhelm it anyway. It's like throwing a steak off a grill, it cools off fast in the beginning, then it slows down.

These cars are engineered by GM to operate up to 250 deg F. The idea was that, with proper antifreeze mix, and a proper pressure cap on the radiator, the system would not boil over until above 250. See here:

http://www.tuneruniversity.com/blog/...-radiator-cap/

210 is perfectly acceptable for a car in "hard working activity." Hitting the boiling point above 250 does bad things, as the car gets yet hotter, and something goes boom, like a hose.