???216 waterpump???

I know this might sound like a dumb question, but I don't know the right answer. my '51s running hot!, it's got a new rad, thermostat, hoses the thing is the upper hose is extremely hot but the lower is cool tothe touch. how can I find out if the waterpump is working properly? any help is greatly appreaceated. Brian

 

How hot is it running? What degree thermostat do you have?

 

might you have put the stat in upside down? then only really hot water /steam can get through

makeign the hose really hot the bottom is cold because the pump is just cavitating in the block the water cant flow,,have seen this more than once

or the stat is bad that has happened to new ones also,


is it an orignal pump or remanned? cheapo? some are pressed on vanes and can slip others are cast one piece and cnat slip at all if the pulley is truning it is pumping water

 

Did the car sit idle for many years? The water jackets in the block could be full of mud. Generally speaking, early Chevy sixes were easy to cool.

 

Yes, the car was sitting for awhile { last reg in '89, owner said it had been not moved since '76 } but it firedup to get it on the trailer. It has orignal pump, My neighbor told me to pull the stat out to check if the rad had water flow movement,witch it did, so he thought the pump was working... I put the stat in a pan of water on the stove and it opened when the water started to bubble. {170 degree stat} As far as the jackets being gunked up, what's the best driveway method of cleaning them out. bare with me on my ignorance in my questions, this wagon is my first really vintage american car and I don't want to do more damage to it. thanks for your knowledge. Brian

 

Without tearing it down too far, probably pull the radiator & fan to get them out of the way, then pull the drain plug on the side of the block. If it's like most, nothing will come out. Poke thru the crust & hook up a water hose to flush the scale out the front. Hot water & air used with restraint will help, & I like 10' of discharge pipe hooked to the lower hose so I don't have to wade in the mess. Poke at the bottoms of the freeze plugs you can see, unless like new, now is the time to do them. Don't forget the heater core.