63 Galaxie with 390 gets really hot at idle

I have a 63 Galaxie with a FE390, new 4 bbl Holley 600 cfm carb, a recently re-cored radiator (original radiator), a 180 degree t-stat, and a 18 1/2" 6 blade mechanical fan. When I'm driving down the road, the temp stays pretty much around 190-195. But as soon as I get stuck in traffic or let the car idle for a few minutes, it starts to climb pretty quick. I've let it go as high 230, but then cut it off.

Yesterday I put on a new fan shroud (it didn't have one before), replaced the radiator cap with a new Standt 13 lb. cap, and drained and replaced all of the antifreeze with new Prestone 50/50, and added a bottle of Water Wetter. All of which made no difference at all. None of my hoses are collapsing, and everything is circulating as it should.

This car has an overflow tank with a drain tube that drains under the car. I put a container under the tube to catch anything that it spit out, and let it get to 230 degrees, but nothing ever came out.

I should add that this isn't a new problem. I had the engine rebuilt about 2 years ago, and it has done it ever since. The timing is set at 6 degrees, which is what I have read it should be at. Other than the heating, everything else runs and sounds great. Is there something that I'm missing or could there be an internal mechanical issue like a valve being stuck closed or something?

 

When speeds above 40 mph the air flow through the radiator is enough to cool without a fan. Your problem sounds like a flow issue.

 

Do you have the original square remote fill tank on it, or is the radiator cap on the radiator?

Nevermind, I looked at your pics. If you didn't have the stock tank I was thinking it could be air in the system. I would try adjusting the timing, 6 degrees seems retarted for a non-smog V8. Try 10 degrees and see if it makes any difference.

 

Has the engine been overbored? What's your ignition timing?

 

I had the same problem with my ford. Check your airflow through the radiator. (See if itll pull paper up against the rad). My problem was my after market trans cooler was blocking air on an idle. Also make sure ur fan is pulling air.


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I believe you have an airflow issue at idle. The fan blade should be 3/4" from the core and a fan shroud is probably needed. Is the fan the correct one or has it been replaced over the years.

I can't stand electric fans. I know it is an easy way out but I always ask what did they do before electric fans? It got hot then too.

 

If you're running timed port vacuum try switching over to full manifold. More timing at idle usually gives for a cooler engine. Worth a try!

 

When the engine was rebuilt, it was bored .30 over. It is the original radiator (recored of course), puke tank, and fan set up. The fan is pulling. If I drop a shop rag in front of the radiator, it gets sucked up agains it pretty tight. And I put a shroud on yesterday. I was told that the fan should only be about 1/4 inside the shroud, which is how I have it. The fan is about 2"-2 1/2" away from the radiator. My timing is currently at 6 degrees.

 

I know this is an anoying question and you probably did it right, but the thermostat wasn't accidentally put in upset down was it? I've seen it done, thats the only reason I'm asking.

 

Thermostat is in correct. I replaced it 2 weeks ago because I wasn't sure if when the engine was rebuilt, they put in a 195 or not. So I wanted to make sure it was a 180. It is working as it should. When I start it up from cold, if you watch the gauge, when the temp reaches 180 it drops back down a few degrees then keeps climbing from there as it idles.

 

I would take the t-stat out and see how it behaves. One other thing that gets missed on the FE Fords is that little bypass hose between the water pump and manifold. Make sure that isn't kinked or collapsing.

Bob

 

Since the problem has been there since the rebuild, make sure one or both of the head gaskets are installed correctly.

You can look down at the front corner of each head and you should be able to see where the gasket is squared off, if the gasket follows the contour of the head the gasket is reversed.

 

Try a spacer that puts the fan within an inch of rad. The shroud should straddle fan blades 50%. Again down the road it stays cool. Standing still it over heats. F L O W issue.

 

Sounds like an air flow problem to me too. Make sure the fan to rad spacing is no more than an inch or so. The fan should be sitting about 3/4 of the way into the shroud.

 

Are you sure your gauge is reading correctly? If its not puking antifreeze, maybe its not as hot as it indicates. In contrast of posts by others on this forum, my experience has been that FE's tend to run in the 200-210 range in slow traffic down south where its hot. My 427, 67 Fairlane was running (indicating) 230-240 but never puked antifreeze, turned out it was the wrong sending unit. After rebuilding the engine and going to a larger radiator it still ran in the 200 range. I would think a quick check with a IR heat gun around the thermostat housing may give some indication as to how hot it really is. There is also an article in the just released (June 2013) issue of Street Rodder that may be if interest, "Fixing Cooling Woes Once and for All". Some of the statements conflict with the Premier post on this forum regarding cooling, but if you read both you'll have some suggestions for troubleshooting your problem. Biggest reason in my opinion is what "vh1950" pointed out...reversed head gaskets. It'll do it everytime and is a common mistake made by overhaulers not familiar with FE engines.Good Luck.

BOutlaw

 

Is 3/4 of the way in right? I had always heard that the fan should be 3/4 outside of the shroud. But maybe I'm wrong. But still, would that make a 30 degree temperature difference when it's idling?

 

Fan should be 1/2 way in the shroud.
Fan should be an inch from the rad as Slammed said.

 

X2 on blades half way in. Thats the way I've always heard, and my factory OT truck is setup that way. Withen reason, the fan distance from the radiator doen't matter if the shroud seals well. Has anybody seen those old impalas with the shroud that looks like a metal oil drum mounted between the engine and radiator with about a 5-8 inch span?.. haha! Plus from what you've said it seems like its pulling plenty of air at idle, I would check the head gasket like others have mentioned.

 

Here are some photos I just took of the head gasket and fan shroud.

 

you may want to look into changing the pulleys.... Back in the day the crank at pump pulleys where equal, in the 70s the water pump pulley was smaller and the crank pulley slightly bigger thus over driving the pump.....


I love that shroud, it looks like the stock one on a 67 elcomino with a 327.....I need to find one myself

 

It all looks OK. I would buy, rent, borrow, an infra red heat gun and check to make sure the gauge you are looking at is right. Then look at the head gaskets again.

 

Unfortunately I had it in a shop last week to get a new starter, and the mechanic told me that he shot it with a heat gun and the gauge reading was on the money. I have a heat sync issue with my starter because of the high temp of course. The mechanic told me to solve the high heat problem first or I would just be throwing my money away on a starter. He said if I can get the engine cooler, I probably won't even need a starter.

When you guys say "flow" issue, do you mean water or air? Or both?

 

What head gaskets were used? I'm betting all in not right gaskets impeding coolant flow.

 

Bad fan clutch can cause overheating!

 

Have you ever checked the water pump impeller. I have seen them with a steel disc and the blades were all but gone, causing water not to flow very well at low speeds. Iceman

 

your fan is way out from the shroud,move it half way in the shroud,man put that timing up to about 12 degrees,or about 35 degrees at 3 grand...........

 

Also if I was you I woud use a 7 blade fan off a Caddy with a clutch fan assembly

 

Retarding the timing 2-4 degrees may make all the difference, todays fuel isn't the same,also I've seen some real crappy rebuilt water pumps with slipping vanes and stamped piece of garbage vanes that don't move the water adequately, but retarding the ign timimg is free and easy and worth a try.

 

cars run cooler when you advance the timing

 

I had the same problem with a 64 Galaxie. There are a number of seals around the radiator that need to be in place. Once I replaced all of them like the factory had them installed, my cooling problem went away. They seal the sides, bottom and top to the hood so that all the incoming air is forced through the radiator and shroud. Are all of yours still in place? Dearborn Classics I think carries them all.