Keeping your engine cool?

You fellas got any tips on keeping your engine cool in the summer? Every day here is announced as 'the hottest day of the year'! Being a black car doesn't help either. Radiator's been recored and I check my fluids a lot, but it doesn't take too much for her (327) to overheat in traffic. Any suggestions? Thanks!

 

Check your timing. Be sure your advance is working correctly. Is your carb running lean??
Lean condition will cause heat. Is your engine water passages clean?? Use Straight vinegar to clean it out run it for a week and drain and neutralize system after. A fan shroud increases fan capacity. Lots of stuff to do but do one thing at a time.

 

I run a mechanical fan, electric fan and have a Edelbrock (expensive.....) water pump. Seems to have solved any problems I ever had overheating.

 

20% antifreeze/80% water..... plus a bottle of Water Wetter.

Dropped my temps 20 degrees; in a car that now has a 460, but also still has the stock radiator that was originally designed for a 352.


But dont leave that mixture in there if your car is exposed to cold winter temps.

Also try one of those universal fan shrouds. Fan blades should be half "in" and half "out", and bend it in until its about 1" away from the fan tips.

 

..... And get a factory 5 or 7 blade clutch fan!!
Switch over to a 160 degree stat if you have to...

 

Forget Water Wetter. Use Snake Oil instead. It works better.

 

take a few pictures of what your car looks like under the hood, maybe we could make useful suggestions then.

Generally you want the biggest radiator that will fit in the car, a big mechanical fan (clutch fan is nice) and a good fitting shroud.

 

Are you running a thermostate? if not You should be.

 

She's just a 327 with a Q-jet. Engine driven fan and stock radiator that's been recored. That's about it, really... Nothing special to make it any cooler. Was just wondering if you guys could think of anything. A fan shroud really makes that much of a difference?

 

Yup, always have. Had to replace it once. She'll run about 190-220 on the street, it's just when she starts going up that I get worried. She likes the highways, but stop/go/stop/go traffic makes her grumpy sometimes. She hasn't overheated in awhile, but with it being hotter and hotter out, I just want to prevent it. Thanks, guys!

 

yes a fan shroud makes a HUGE difference.

 

Do you have a proper shroud? A fan just wastes much of its ability without one.

 

I use water wetter and it works. It may be the few products to cool your engine that work. Its not snake oil.....

I have a 18 inch flex fan on my car, it runs about 180. If I turn on my A/C it runs 190.... I am buying 2- 10 inch fans for the front of the condensor hopin to cool it back down to 185 or so.....

Water Wetter is good for 5 or 10 degrees....Depending on your thermostat

 

A shroud makes a huge difference idling in traffic.

 

I made a 3/4 shroud (open at the bottom) so I could remove and install it with the fan in place. I thought I'd have to make a bolt in filler piece for the bottom. It made a world of differance as is so I never made the filler. It would climb to 220 at stop lights before but stays well below 200 now. A mild 327 bored .060 with a 6 blade flex fan.

 

Flex fans usually don't work well.

 

And suggestions on a flex fan versus a seven blade and a clutch? I can't seem to keep my bucik cool when I'm idling... no issues on the freeway, 180 thermo, new, keeps cool, but when I'm uin traffic... 210... 220...

 

Will a shroud like this work? Or do I need something else? http://www.jegs.com/i/Spectre/865/4358/10002/-1?CT=999

 

That's useless - other than keeping your dickskinners out of the fan.

You need a proper shroud - think of it as a funnel to guide the air thru the radiator.

 

Tuning is very important...

My 462 Pontiac never goes over 195.. I use a 160 thermostat, stock clutch fan, stock shroud and radiator.. I try to keep my car in top tune..

 

if it runs hot at idle,it's a air flow problem,,,,,,if it runs hot on the hiway it's a capicity problem,,, small block cooling class # 101 !

 

water wetter works. Used it when we raced dropped about 15 degrees quickly. As others have stated a shroud , a clutch fan helps. Electric fans are the ticket though . Also as for temps short times over 220 will not kill you. get a higher pressure rad cap . it will raise the boiling point . Add an overflow bottle if you do not have one. Once in a while take an air blow gun and blow out the radiator . You will be surprised how much dirt and road grime comes out. If after all of this the temps are too hot add an oil cooler . If you are driving an automatic sit in neutral instead of drive at the light.

 

spammer here really , mods please delete the above it is an ad you can delete this as well , damn commies

 

I use something similar to that one, but I also made a bottom piece to enclose the entire fan in the shroud.

I run a steel engine driven fan and a small 12” electric fan in front or the radiator for backup. I rarely need to use the electric fan and I may remove it.

We have had 18 days of 90+ degrees and I have been driving the car a lot with no problems. Engine is a 385ci small block that is NOT tame at all, and a 180 degree stat. It runs right around 180, if I am sitting for an extended period of time it may get to 190 / 195.

 

I have no doubts that a well designed shroud will take care of your problem. Without a shroud the fan will just beat air around in circles, and throw it outwards. A good shroud should enclose the radiator completely and the fan should be about 1/2 way into the shroud. Take a look at factory designed shrouds to see how they do it. There are some aftermarket shrouds available or you can build one from sheet metal.
Run the car and rev the engine and feel where the air is going. Feel how much air is being pulled from in front of the radiator. Then do the same after installing a good shroud. You will detect a major difference.
The little thing in the photo will provide very little improvement.
Try to make it so that all the air moved by the fan has to be pulled through the radiator.

~Alden

 

Go down to one of your local auto air places and see what they have for fans. I ran a ARA 6 blade on mine and it made a huge differance. I also run Energy Release to reduce engine friction. Friction is heat.

 

I have a 350 in my 47 chevy. Stock clutch (mechanical) fan does great on highway, even in the 109 degree days going to the Lead Sled Nats. But lit would start to over heat cruzing or in traffid. Installed a Spal electric pusher fan in front of the radiator that works off a switch. Problem cured. As indicated in an earlier post the issue was one of air flow.

If you are overheating at highway speeds then it is an issur of capacity and adding a fan won't cure the problem. You need more air flow and a shroud will help with that.

 

My 36 Nash will idle all day with the A/C on regardless of the outside temp. It has a big OEM crank driven fan and a cross-flow rad. The rad is from a mid 60's Bronco application. I've done a ton of cooling system studies at work and cross-flow rads win every time. But...you need space to accomodate the width.

 

Flex fans are junk,use a good steel fan with at least 6 blades or more.

Also check your pulleys,,a smaller fan pulley with move the water through the radiator faster,,that one thing helped reduce the temperatures in my old 40 Ford. HRP