I am trying to fix a cooling problem on my car . The temperature hits over 220 only if the car is not moving for a few minutes. I flushed the block twice. Replaced the 1932 ford 4 cylinder radiator with a new four core unit from US Radiator. I planed to fix the old radiator but it was patched and changed so much over the years and was a mess. I am now installing a radiator shroud. My car came with four blade fan that the builder had cut down to clear the cross member and he chromed it. I also have a new six blade fan that will fit. Will the six blade fan move more air? I like the look of the old blade and would like to use the old blade. My thought is with the shroud both fans will move enough air. Thanks for all the help. Ron
Have a thermostat in it ? If so, what temp ? 6 blade should move more air, won't hurt and the shroud should help. Your Temp gage may be off as well. Presuming you a running a Hi-Po motor tend to run a little hotter. Unless it is boiling over, 220 in a Hi-Po motor sitting at a light on a hot day isn't terribly unusual.
First of all radiators have only one core, they have several rows, 220 isn't over heating , and gauge might be off,
Your 6 blade fan looks like a "flex fan", they don't move air for chit in my experience. They are designed to flatten out and reduce drag on a race car which is the opposite of moving air. I'd try a larger factory fan off an a/c car, and check your gauge as others mentioned. Shroud will definitely help. Running 210/215 is about perfect for a cruiser IMO so you're not too far off as long as it stays steady. I've had a brand new autometer gauge read 20deg off at the hot end so verify actual temp first.
I had a radiator from US Radiator and it wouldn't cool my hemi at all....Had a one built by Total Cooling Products in Rexburg ID and never had anymore issues....
Try using a '55-57 Chevy HD steel 6-blade fan in addition to the shroud. You can buy a new repro one, which looks more correct than the flex fan you have and you can trim the tips if needed to clear the radiator hoses. Will post later a pic of mine on a SBC short pump adapted to a 354 Hemi in a '28 A with a homemade fiberglass shroud.
It doesnt help that you are cooling the bottom of the rad when most of the heat is at the top. The shroud may help draw air from higher up the rad
Is car New to you? That Flex fan is pretty much a race only , They donot pull much, If car new to you , Correct rotation water pump , Pulley combo , some times when going from original donor application , need to play with pulley combo , Same with fans , ( shroud will always help in cooling ) Thermostat brands & different openings , Air in system , pour coolant in slow, easy to get air trapped between top hose & thermostat , Water transfer heat better the antifreeze, Brass better then Aluminum, (aluminum lighter) Your initial timing , 15-18 degs & sometimes higher , Gauge temp location will give different readings ,, Know if your gauge is accurate within five plus / minus . Fan can pull hot air from rad & cause higher readings on front ends of cylinder Heads, Even Engine RPMs can do /play with cooling temp , not just heat friction , moving coolant faster thew system . As you can tell many things can cause High temps , & other not mention!! Start with the easy & work threw It would be better more efficient to have the fan in the middle of the radiator, For chevy they make relocation that raises water pump up, I do not know of one for a ford , So you will have to experiment!!!!! Especially on your Ford fan shroud is A """Plus"" Just not Hot Rod Look! There are many that can improve on the cooling by trial and error
So does it overheat setting still or going down the road? If it overheats setting still but not going down the road it points to an air movement problem. If it overheats both ways it points to not enough cooling through the radiator. Have you measured the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the radiator?
Check distributor vacuum chamber. If leaking can cause running and engine temp problems. Also, is vacuum line connected to port or manifold? Connecting to manifold vacuum will advance the ignition timing and help with engine temp at idle.
You might try using an infra red temp gun and checking the temp of water entering the radiator and exiting the radiator to see how much it changes when passing thru the radiator. If you can juryrig a way to check it both when sitting still and driving......and with and without fan turning, you should see what effect the fan and radiator are having, or how much they change when you go from driving to sitting. I plan to install temp senders at those places on a project I'm working on so I can see not only what the engine temp guage reads, but whats going on in the radiator during different situations. Any chance you have air trapped in the engine ? As for the 220 being acceptable......not for me. Smaller margin for hot days and hotter engine oil temps and resultant wear. Remember that the oil will most likely be even hotter than the water. I'd shoot for about 190 with hopefully only 205 on a really hot day.
Without a shroud a fan some distance away from the radiator will mostly just circulate air behind the radiator - it's easier to pull air in from the side between the fan and the radiator, than pulling air in through the radiator. Some air will come through the radiator right in front of the fan, but a lot will be coming in through the gap on the sides. Nature is lazy, if you give it the opportunity to do things the easy way it will. The shroud will force almost all of the air the fan moves to be drawn in through the radiator, and spread all over the entire radiator, not just the spot in front of the fan. I'm betting that the shroud will fix, or at least vastly improve your overheating standing still situation. Get it done and see if anything more has to be improved.
I think you are going in the right direction. Cools fine going down the road, gets hot sitting is, generally, a sign of lack of sufficient airflow when sitting. 220* should not be a concern, most modern cars are designed to operate in that range. A functioning 15# cap and 50/50 anti freeze will take the boiling point of coolant to slightly above 260* .If it runs hotter going down the road with the shroud, I've read you can cut holes in the shroud and cover them with flaps. This is supposed to allow the shroud to function when sitting but also allow more air flow when moving.
Not cooling parked but cools cruising usually =s air flow issues. The shroud should help. Or for some reason not moving enough water at idle I don’t consider 220 parked as running hot for a modern engine. (Non flathead) Is it boiling over? I’ve got 2 using products from US/Brice Thomas. Works great.
I have a 190 thermostat . The water temp gage and sender are new Stewart warner. I bought them as a pair so the ohms are correct. The temp is always good when the car is moving. Only heats up when no air is being pushed through the radiator. Yes it is a Hi-Po motor solid lifter.
The fan is at the lower section of the radiator i can't change that. I am hoping the shroud will force more air through the radiator to fix the issue. I will post the results after i get this job finished.
Hi Po motors / solid lifter etc. usually run hot sitting at a stop on a hot day. If it isn’t boiling over - 220 is must the nature of the beast. Change of fan and adding a shroud will probably help. I have had good luck using Water Wetter to lower my Hi Po motor by probably 10 degrees cooler. Here’s the link. Look it over - you might consider giving a try - follow the directions. https://www.redlineoil.com/waterwetter
I am running a 13# cap. The temp has gone up as high as 240 which is as high as the gauge goes. The car has not boiled over. The car stays about 180-190 when driving. I get worried when i see the temp around 220 when the car sits for a short time.
Looks like your fan (w/o shroud) is too far from the radiator. With a shroud, and the fan sitting right in the opening, it will probably cool better. Ditch the flex fan. They're crap. You could always mount an electric pusher fan high on the front side of the radiator to cool the top (hotter) part better. looks may suffer...
If the temp. sensor is in the head it will read a little higher. I like putting them in the intake near the thermostat. My thinking is that its awful close to the exhaust for an accurate reading, especially when sitting/idling. I’ve also been told I’m full of it but that’s another story……
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