well my flatty is getting hot go figure a flatty getting hot. I flushed out radiator ,new 160 thermostats , radiator dosent leak never over heated or puked out other than a little going into catch can got new radiator cap 7lb . it runs about normal for a few miles then starts reading about 3/4 to hot on the original gauge then fluxuates so I dont know if maybe the temp gauge may be bad . just cant figure it out it runs great other than this issue
You might get one of those infra red thermometer guns. They have come way down since they first came out. My buddy bought one as a toy. If not try to borrow one. They are nice for locating where things are hot. You can locate plugged tubes on radiators and test each thermostat separately from the outside.
Those infrared thermometers are great. I think homedepot has them for around $20-$30. Couple of different brands. $30 Ryobi http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 $50. http://www.homedepot.com/buy/electr...rared-thermometer-w-laser-sighting-92092.html First day I got mine I checked everything on the car. You can also see if you have blockage in the radiator.
thanks guys may be worth just to piss off the cat I did some checking and someone said something about when filling up with antifreeze to loosen temp senders to make sure the fluid goes up to then so they dont give false readings
I don't think that there is anything that will "loosen up" a temp sender as it all works internally. I've seen too many electric gauges that were way off the mark and prefer mechanical gauges for that reason. Hard to do if you want the stock gauges though. I've got one of the infra-red Thermometers and usually use it to tell if I need to add wood to the stove but it works great for checking the temperatures on the engine on my O/T truck. I bought it to be able to check how well each cylinder was firing by checking the temp on the headers.
I was just thinking about this issue the other day on my friend Skeeter's flathead. My flathead runs cool even on the freeway, so why not do a comparison test? Take a infra-red sensor and monitor the top radiator hose vs the bottom radiator hose. Compare the temperature differential between the car that runs hot and the car that runs cool. If there is a substancial difference, the radiator in the "hot" is not doing its job. It might be clogged or have an air flow issue, but that at least would give you a starting place.
Flatheads don't run hot all the time, you have to have a clean block and radiator but it must be timed right.I have had a flathead for Years and have done all the above things to it and NEVER overheated. It's all in the preparation and execution. A reliable and good gauge is a must
I'd like to know the secret to timing these things. The book says 4 degrees advanced, if I set it to 4, it barely idles.
An old way is to install a vac gauge. Advance the timing until your at the highest reading and back it off a few pounds. Done.
yea I dont think my timing is off like I said it runs great just gets hot acoording to the gauge my radiator might be the culprit it has some green spots and bent fins on the front but it dosent leak out maybe could use a boiling out
Well mine ran great but the timing was off and it was over heating when i got off the highway. Looks like we need a thermo gun tech thread, they are awesome little tools. mine works on cats and dogs, and will even scare a chicken or two.
Not quite the same thing but I put a 383 in my 58 Plymouth and it ran hot according to the gauge. I spent an ass load of money trying to get it to cool. A huge radiator out of an Imperial etc. etc. etc. I eventually put the 318 sending unit into the 383 and gauge showed normal temps. I never had a problem. I had the wrong sending unit. Get something that will tell you exactly what the actual temp is. A mechanical gauge or an infrared. Yours has 2 sending units in series and they are different. If the temp is not too high after the check, replace both of them to keep the factory gauge but for me, I'd have a mechanical gauge under the dash. You never said that it boiled over. Did you ever have any steam coming out??
Hey man, I had the same trouble with mine about 6 months ago. I'm not saying this will fix your problem but all I did was fill the rad up till i could see the water,got me a new Rad cap from Dennis Carpenters, 4lbs I have not had the cap off since. Drove the car about 200 miles this weekend 180 going down the road and about 185 in traffic. Ok hope I have helped
yea i got a new cap 7lbs from macs about a month ago maybe I should try a 4 lbs cap. I wanna try the cheap fixes before I buy a radiator or something
My 8BA in the '35 was overheating at "speed". Had it pressure checked and a 7 lb cap put on the '35 radiator. The guys on the flathead forum were probably sick of me. Two years and the rad in and out 5 times, changed pumps, timing, blah, blah. Pulled the rad again and asked the rad guy to get me a new core. He decided to pull the tank top and check the core and.... it was so plugged that he bent his stainless "rod" for cleaning. Up and back to the J Sowdown was the big test this year. Never broke 185 with 180 stats. Got a good rad shop in town? RB
Typical things to note on flatheads. 1. Screw in a mechanical gauge into the head (both heads if you can get two). Check that one before you waste your time on a new inside mounted gauge. Measure at the source. 2. If one side overheats, gut both thermostats and re-install the bodies into the water necks. Leaving the bodies with no guts still provides a minimum resistance but allows full flow of coolant. 3. Timing is everything. Talk to GMC bubba if you having timing problems. Another is to set total advance at 2500 rpm and call it a day. It will affect idle a small amount but timing will be set at operating rpm. 4. My flathead pukes unless the water is below a certain level in the radiator. Once the overheating is solved, check that if there is still a problem.
Thanks guys for all the help everyone is so helpful I no these flattys can be a pain but I just cant bring myself to put in a 350 sb I will get on it and let you know how it goes thanks again
They are not any more of a pain than any other engine. They do have a lot of old wives tales that they have to live down from the people with less experience. I too was afraid at first of their tea pot reputation. The day I brought home my sport coupe on the trailer a guy told me he yanked his flatty because it boiled over all the time. I never had a problem using an original unpressurized Deuce radiator and a Ford mechanical fan. Flatties that overheat need new owners/mechanics IMHO Keep at it you'll get it. Besides you have not proven that yours is overheating yet.
I had a 59a in a 42 that was displaying hot conditions on the "idiot" gauge on the dash. Messed around with everything and limited my driving. I finally bought two cheap mechanical gauges and installed them on the heads. I just left the gauges on the floor of the car. Drove it around and I was happy to see that it ran at 180-190, driving conditions that said it was "hot" with the dash gauge. Verified it later with the thermo-gun. Good luck.
checked with temp gun today let car idle in driveway for about 30 min and the needle on stock gauge went to hot but the highest reading i got on the temp gun anywhere on motor or radiator was 210 213 didnt think that was to bad still gonna install two new temp gauges what do you guys think thanks
I have not been on here for a while. I like these engines. Two new temp gauges would not hurt. If you let that engine run for 30 minutes and you got to 210, i would say in traffic or at speed you will be ok.
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