Overheated the barge today

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
07/12/2014 at 15:26 • Filed to: None

It was about 28 C here in Toronto today and after about 30 minutes in traffic the big HOT light lit up and I pulled off. I let it sit for 15 minutes and then went about my day. Didn't do any damage and the car otherwise runs fine. Also had the 1960's fashion shoot with it today (no I didn't model haha) and the pics are gonna look awesome!

DISCUSSION (16)

JGrabowMSt > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 15:31

Time to drain the coolant and see if you can get a flow test on the radiator, and possibly do the water pump.

No reason 30 minutes in traffic should overheat it really. Maybe just stick in a couple fans, and a relay for them?

I found a window switch that would help me with active exhaust, maybe you could do something similar that could trigger fans at idle, and have them shut off around the same RPM has higher speed cruising?

dogisbadob > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 15:35

wait, there's a big HOT light? I gotta see this :p

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > JGrabowMSt
07/12/2014 at 15:36

Radiator and fluid are brand new. Water pump is ~3 years old. I think some electric cooling fans would be a good investment to replace the old belt driven fan.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > dogisbadob
07/12/2014 at 15:37

Yeah haha two lights: One is blue and says COLD, the other is red and says HOT. To real temp gauge haha

Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 15:38

You could also paint the radiator black.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
07/12/2014 at 15:40

Actually already did haha I think it's fair for a 45-year-old big block to get toasty in traffic on a hot day. But electric cooling fans need to happen!

JGrabowMSt > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 15:46

Well, to be on the safe side, I would get a new gasket for the water pump, and pull it forward and check it to make sure the impeller looks the way it's supposed to. Considering the car sat for so long, it doesn't hurt to be 100% sure. Since it's an american V8, you're not going to be digging for gold to do this, just get the hoses off, and unbolt it. My HEMI was out and out the easiest engine I've ever worked on, and it's the biggest too.

It would be a good chance to also replace the crap hose clamps with nicer screw type, just to make it easier to work on in the future.

Look at MDS electrical relays to see what you could use. The Window Switch (MDS 8969) isn't really the most ideal thing for a fan relay. Something like this would be perfect. You could probably hide the wiring using a project box and wire wrap so it isn't super obvious. either.

With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 15:51

It's ok, we're holding a spare out here in the desert for you: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/449644…

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > With-a-G is back to not having anything written after his username
07/12/2014 at 15:52

lol no way!

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 20:58

I would try a severe duty fan clutch and lower temp thermostat before I spent money on electric fans.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Jedidiah
07/12/2014 at 21:06

The fan has no clutch. It's driven directly from the fan belt.

Jedidiah > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
07/12/2014 at 21:11

You should get one. It allows the fan to spin at a constant rate even when the engine is sitting at idle.

I wouldn't want to rely on my electrical system just to cool my engine; 40+ year old wiring harness and such.

You can install a triple gauge cluster under the dash. They are almost essential on this old stuff to know how it is running. It should be running anywhere between 170 and 210 deg F (cars run at this temperature because that is where the maximum thermal expansion of metal occurs).

Buick Mackane > JGrabowMSt
07/17/2014 at 01:47

What do you mean by "active exhaust"? What does a window switch do? Also, most new electric cooling fan kits today have automatic or manually selectable start/run temperature and will shut off when the car gets moving and the temperatures drops down.

JGrabowMSt > Buick Mackane
07/17/2014 at 02:40

The electric fan kit uses a temp sensor and works like any modern one does, it's just an independent system.

Active exhaust is able to open up automatically and breath better by itself, for example a set of pipes that bypass the muffler and go straight to an exit, or something similar. Usually also pretty loud when open, and very quiet when closed.

A window switch uses an RPM window to open or close a circuit. For example, it could be set to "closed" below 2500RPM, and "open" above 2500RPM, for electric exhaust cutouts, similar to what I want to do on my wagon.

Buick Mackane > JGrabowMSt
07/17/2014 at 03:13

So basically, the active exhaust you refer to is another name for what the old hot rodder's called an "exhaust cutout".

JGrabowMSt > Buick Mackane
07/17/2014 at 13:35

exactly. Just automatic based on the RPMs. Most cutouts or dumps are manual, this will act by itself.