Hi, im new here and I'm having a problem with my 71 cutlass overheating. I recently had a new 4160 holley 4 barrel carb installed and every since then it's been going haywire.... Please help

 

What temp is it reaching?

 

Lean or vacuum advance disconnected?

 

As noted by Eric and 307/403, you really need to give a little more info -- this isn't the Psychic Friends Network. Can you at least define "haywire"?

 

hay•wire (ˈheɪˌwaɪər)

n.: wire used to bind bales of hay.

adj.: in disorder; out of control; disordered; crazy.

Apparently, the usage is derived from the tendency of things that are repaired with baling wire to be unreliable.

That's why I always use bubble gum.

- Eric

 

Please answer question in post #2. What temperature are you running?

 

it gets up to 240-260

 

I've checked all vacuum lines and adjusted according to manual specs

 

I've checked vacuum and manual specs to set carb

 

This is like pulling teeth.

WHEN does it overheat? At idle? On the highway? In traffic?

- Eric

 

my bad...lol, it overheats when im on the highway, it will drop a few degrees when i come to a complete stop but the temp will start climbing if i sit idle to long.

 

Uh, you adjusted the vacuum lines to spec?

All kidding aside, you really need to elaborate and be much more specific in describing the issue and what you have done for troubleshooting.

 

So,

Type of engine? Modified or not? Original or not?
Type of radiator?
Type of water pump?
Type of fan and number of blades?
Type of fan clutch?
Fan shroud?
Condition and adjustment of fan belts?
Lower radiator hose with or without internal spring?
Type and proportions of coolant / water? How old?

You see, unlike Google Search, we can't read your mind.

- Eric

 

I would take some of that haywire, fish it through and around the tubes where the fins are missing in the core. That would cool it off.

 

ur an ***.....lol

 

In all seriousness tho.... Its has the original motor in it (350 rocket) the only modifications that I have made to the motor is the upgraded carburetor in mentioned earlier besides " spark plugs, wire's and distributor cap"The engine size Is the 5.7 liter v8 I'm not sure of the fan size and clutch.. The top and bottom radiator hoses are new from Orileys...

 

So it was not overheating before the carb change? Was it overheating before you replaced the tuneup parts? Did you adjust the dwell/timing correctly? Does it have the original points distributor still?

Is the radiator clean? When was the thermostat changed last?

 

Haha Yeah, sometimes lol. Sorry buddy, I couldn't help myself. Jack started typing and just couldn't stop em'.

Hey you have Eric & Eric helping you out, answer their questions as best you can, they are awesome guys with loads of knowledge.
They will have you running cooler in no time.
Cheers
Eric

 

Before the carb change no... The tune up parts was replaced about 6 months ago and the carb was just put on last week..as far as timing I have not adjusted it yet...and the distributor has been changed... I have not flushed the radiator yet.... And thermostat is fairly new....

 

Ok, then what your saying is up until the carb change, the car driven with the new tuneup parts, distributor, and thermostat with no problems.

 

That's correct

 

Is it overheating at the gauge or is it actually bubbling over? I ask this because the temp sending unit on an Oldsmobile motor is quite fickle and located very closely to the carb.

 

Both....I have a three gauge meter hooked up... Thats reads "water, oil and volts".... And it has boiled over to where it popped the resivor top off...

 

"thermostat is fairly new" What temp thermostat is it?

 

Thermostat is new but is it working? Take it out and drop it in some boiling water to see if it opens.

 

AC Delco
Temperature: 192F

 

i'll try and see wat happens

 

I would remove the thermostat and run the car. It's free diagnostics. Shut it down if it eclipses 200* , or/and what Trip Deuces said.

 

Pull a couple of spark plugs. Are they white, black or tan/brown?
Coolant level good as well as the mix % of water to glycol? (50/50 mix)
Squeeze the lower radiator hose, is it too soft?

What is the base timing set to?
What is the distributors dwell angel(or point gap) set to.
What is the total timing at 2500-3000 RPMs?

Highway speed over-heating can be caused by;
Lean air fuel mixture. White plugs = lean which I think is the problem.
Collapsing lower radiator hose.
Miss guided air flow into the radiator due to missing radiator core seals or air dams
Overheating slipping transmission, (Automatic).
Slipping water pump belt.
Coolant level low or glycol gravity level too heavy.
Cheap T-Stat not working. Pay the $12 for the Stant "HD" version of the correct part number.
Missing T-Stat.

 

speaking of trnsmission i do have a leak in seal "well did" i put in shop 2 days ago to be fixed.
Could that have been cause?

 

If it was slipping due to very low fluid levels or internally worn out parts its possible. But you should have felt that slippage. If you still see fluid on the dip stick and your trans behaves normally you're OK? Though in certain situations high speed slippage can be tough to feel. Lets not go that route yet. Lets get you through the trouble shooting basics then work towards the complex.
You've already split the dictionary so lets keep on track with that. You didnt have the problem before the carb R&R. Thats where your trouble likely lays, if in fact thats the only thing you changed when you did the carb swap. Quick n dirty non-scientific check is to read the plugs and exhaust tips. White = lean air/fuel mix, above 14.9:1-15.0:1 over stoich. Lets exhaust/eliminate this trouble shooting path before we go in another direction.

 

Ok... I got my car back transmission seal has been fixed. I have taken out the thermostat as instructured and drove the car to see if it would overheat and it did..... My next step will be to pull the plugs and see what they look like...

 

It sounds a lot like poor coolant flow to me. If you are unsure of the condition of the radiator I would have it checked. The impeller on the water pump could be poor condition also. If it were running lean enough to make it boil over you would notice some significant drivability issues. If the timing was way out of adjustment that would make it run hot, but again you would have poor drivability. If it seems to be running good and has good power, I would look at the cooling system. The fact that it started after carb replacment could just be a coincidence.

 

CARB IS IDLEING VERY HIGH. I'VE TURNED THE IDLE SCREW BACK AS FAR AS I COULD TO WHERE IT'S ALMOST NOT TOUCHING THE THROTTLE SPRING. BUT STILL RUNS VERY HIGH. "I STOPPED PUT CAR IN PARK THEN BACK INTO DRIVE, WITHOUT EVEN GIVING GAS TO ACCELERATE IT TOOK OFF AT HIGH RATE. IT GOT UP TO ABOUT 40 MPH WITHOUT ANY ACCELERATION GIVING FROM MY SELF.

BELOW IS CARB PIC ANY SUGGESTIONS?



Holley 0-80457SA 600 CFM 4bbl<br/>Electric Choke

 

Have you checked the timing yet? We should know what the timing is and whether the vacuum and centrifugal advance units are working properly.

This is quite mysterious at this point - the usual rule is that whatever you touched last is the thing that's wrong, but I can think of no way that swapping carbs, and having the engine still run well afterward, could cause overheating.

- Eric

 

For the high idle, is the choke disengaged? Are there any vacuum leaks?

Have you looked at your plugs?

Have you looked inside the radiator to see if its clean or gunked up? Disregard the coolant mix comments as it will make no real difference on your temps. You can run plain water for testing and add the necessary coolant later.

 

No i have'nt yet.. Honestly i don't know how.
But i did put a vacuum gauge on carb and it reads normal.

 

You don't know how to what, look at the plugs in in the radiator? What is the vacuum reading?

 

It's an electric choke i would assume so... Vacuum leaks there are none put new hoses on when carb was changed. Haven't looked at plugs yet waiting on motor to cool down... Temp got to almost 280

 

[QUOTE=oldcutlass;904699]You don't know how to what, look at the plugs in in the radiator? What is the vacuum reading?



CHECK TIMING