The fan could go back, but it would hit the damper...but the damper could be changed, and then there would be room for a bigger fan. Sometimes it takes a few tries to figure out how to get it all "right"
I wouldn't do anything until you've positively identified a problem, so far you just said it ran up to 210*, that's not a problem. If it is running hot, isolate whether that is happening at low rpm, low speed; or at high speed. If at low speed/low rpm it can indicate a lack of sufficient air flow. And the culprit could be that flex fan. If at high speed, you should have sufficient air flow so look elsewhere. Though sealing off the radiator to force all air through it would be a good idea. But do some more basic trouble shooting first.
Why is the neck taped over? You are running a cap aren't you? I would also get rid of the flex fan and try a stock type fan. Dave
thanks for all the info. Im gonna buy a heat gun and write down what the water temperature was on start up plus hoses etc. I'll see if can grab a shroud locally that i can get to make work for now and make something else nicer in the winter. Maybe even change the thermostat for a 180 if it is a 195 just to see. plus see what the temperature does at low and high speeds as well. in regards to the thermostat housing being taped over i was still working on the car at that point.
Does it now, or has it ever puked water? Several thing have been mentioned that are all good ideas, and may give you some peace of mind, but 210 is fine if its not puking. Good Luck
Where is the temp probe for the gauge mounted? If it's in the head, between #1 and #2 cylinders, then 210 is right on the money. Move the probe out under the thermostat and it will read 10 to 15 degrees cooler. My 250 did the same thing, read hot but never over heated. Once I moved the temp probe out of the head, the gauge reads right at thermostat temp, 195. The probe is picking up heat from the combustion chambers, out under the thermostat the probe reads actual water temp. I had to drill and tap the thermostat housing for the probe but mine had a spot GM didn't drill out. Your 292 might already have a hole. Again, all this only matters if the probe is in the head.
hey guys took the car out saturday. drove downtown and traffic was really bad was sitting not moving for a good half an hour water temperature got pretty high. once i got out of downtown and was moving it was fine. so it seems that the manual fan isn't pulling enough air to cool the rad properly when not moving or low speeds. I'm gonna go with a electric fan mounted on the back of the rad cause in order to be able to install a way bigger manual fan i gotta remove the old 3 groove balancer to install a two groove one and thats gonna be a pain in the ass. installing an electric fan is gonna be way easier for me.
If all you’re looking for is easy,leave it in shop, it wont run hot there. The easiest way is not always the best way.Neither is the cheapest. Do what you want to do, it’s what you’re going to do anyway. Good luck.
Is that a technical term? How high is high? You realize it's pretty common for the temperature of cars to increase when sitting and not moving for long period of time, 1/2 hour is a REALLY long time! Also, electric fans are not always the big air movers you may think they are, in many cases they tend to block the air movement through the radiator, causing heating issues. First, you've never yet identified that you have an actual problem (what is the actual temp? Is it actually overheating?) and second, your plan to address this problem may not be effective at all. This reminds me of a saying about politics: "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."
yep totally understand car sitting is gonna cause the engine to heat up. the temperature hit 235 degrees. after i started moving it dropped back down to 210
Did you look to see where the temp probe is located? Like I said earlier, if the probe is in the head, it will read quite a bit hotter then actual water temp leaving the engine. Does it or has it, ever boiled over?
pull the freeze plugs and check for left over casting sand, had a 307 v-8 with that overheating problem. found two cylinders still loaded with the casing sand . just a suggestion!
There seems to be some confusion on what the thermostat does. For The Record: The theromstat has very little to do with what temperature the system operates at under steady state driving conditions in typical hot rod weather (70 deg. F+). All the thermostat does is prevent coolant from flowing through the radiator while the engine is cold (Cold engines are not efficient engines). Once the coolant warms up to the theromstat's opening temp, the thermostat will stay open as long as that coolant temp is maintained or exceed and coolant is flowing freely through the radiator. The radiator rejects the heat energy generated by the engine to the air. The amount of heat rejected to the air is a direct function of 2 things: 1. The amount of air flowing across the rad (this is where your fan comes into play) 2. The temperature difference between the coolant and the air. This means that the coolant temp will continue to increase beyond the thermostats temp until the amount of heat being rejected by the radiator is equal to or greater than the amount of heat being added to the coolant by the engine. The ONLY time that the thermostat will control coolant temp is when the radiator is capable of rejecting more heat than the engine generates at the opening temp of the thermostat. At that point, it will open and close as needed regulating coolant flow. That is not necessarily a good thing for the engine as the rapid temperature shocks / variations can cause component damage. I have actually seen water pump impellers get knocked off their shafts in off road engines that were subjected to sudden drops in coolant temp due to submersion / splashing that caused the thermostat to close very rapidly and cause a pressure spike to travel through the system. All of that was a long way of saying that if your car runs at 205 deg. F when cruising down the highway on a 85 deg. F day. Changing from a 180 to a 160 deg stat isn't going to change the operating temp one bit. It will continue to run at 205, it just may take a few minutes longer to get to the operating temp.
I suggest using a shroud if it’s only heating up in stop and go traffic, because you are not getting enough air flow across the core. A shroud will make the fan much more effective.
A third factor is the size of the heat exchanger (radiator) in relation to the heat producer (engine)
That is the same as the first factor in my list. The larger the frontal area of the radiator, the more air can flow across it at the same pressure drop.
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