Customs Thermostat?

I have fresh never driven, but break-in time, 302 motor in my '51 Ford .I have started and ran it in the past with no noticeable issues . Now my new temp guage runs up to 250 plus in a very short time while idling.Still never drove the car any distance The radiator and coolant in the radiator is cool.But the temp fitting and of course intake is very hot. Is this a thermostat (new 160 one) issue.

 

I had the same experience with a fresh built Model A engine. I also had a 160 therm. New engines are tight and will run hotter. I took therm out and it idled with a little throttle for 20 minutes and never got above 165-70. It would go a little North of 200 with thermostat.

 

I'd check the gauge, too.

 

Can you see the coolant circulating if you remove the radiator cap? If no the stat may be stuck, if yes and everything seems normal except for the gauge, the gauge may be bad. Check it with an IR gun to see if the gauge is correct.

 

I had a horrible break in on once on a Olds block, it had an air bubble somewhere in the motor and it wouldn't circulate, think of a vapor lock but with water rather than fuel. It finally worked its way out but it made a big mess doing it during the 20 minute burn in! Reminded me of that scene from Exorcist with the projectile vomiting.

X2 on the IR temp gun.

 

thermostat not opening even if it was at 160 * you would notice it ,

take the thermostat out and check it by the pan method to make sure its working properly , and make sure the water pump to manifold bypass hose is hooked up and not collapsed so the water will circulate in the block and pump out any air . you could drill a 1/16ths hole in the thermostat flange ( and when putting it in the housing try to have the hole at the top ) to help bleed any air they might try to lock flow in the block . that little hole has solved more engine overheating problems from air locking ... the other little fix is sometimes people put the thermostat in backwords not realizing it . even I have done it when not paying attention . it will take forever and a week for the heat to get to the pellet this way to open it up .

 

Hey A,
I have had new thermostats go bad right out of the box. Since replacing them does not take too long if the thermostat is in the front, why not try a new 180 degree unit for your motor? or a stock unit?
Jnaki
Yes, it is a hassle of removing everything and re doing the whole process, but it might work for a few minutes and a few bucks more of your time. Maybe the parts shop will give you a replacement because it is new and does not work. It has happened before...yrmv

 

"Modern" engines like yours w/modern coolant take 195° thermostats, the rate of cylinder wear is reduced by about half and sludge buildup is reduced. Like everything else these days a lot of shitty or counterfeit parts out there. OEM manufacture still seem good.

 

Right water pump rotation ?

 

I run 195 thermostats in my 32 Henry cabriolet hi-boy with strong Flatmotor for power.Anyone who really knows engines will tell you any engine is more efficient and better running at a higher temp(within reason of course) than at a lowly 160 or so. I have over 55 years with hot rod flatmotors(all with NO fan of any kind) and drive my stuff hard with no problems! Flatheads Forever!

 

If the radiator is cool and you have a hot engine its not circulating. A 160 will open before a 190 so the radiator should be hot also. As stated above start with thermostat then hoses, pump and possible air in system.

 

Seen guys put thermostat in upside down!
KK

 

Something else to think about, don't want it to sound like we're beating up on you, though I see you're in Iowa. I don't have to tell you it gets cold in Iowa. Maybe you always put 'er away for the season, but the difference in heater output going from even a 180° to 195° is considerable. My Truck heater would run you out if the fan was turned on in cold weather. Typically just the air through the core cruising is just right. With a 180° installed it's actually a little weak, even with the heater on high, in cold weather cruising. This won't matter to Californy folks or people in Arid Zone A, but the interior where it gets subarctic it's nice to have a heater that works.

 

It is standard rotation new Cardone WP for a 70-73 302. It is a '86 302 block and rotating assembly with a70 timing cover converted to "V" belts. So with this I'm just wondering why would rotation be an issue. Again please explain if this could be an issue and how? Thanks

 

Serpentine belts have a reverse rotating pump......if that engine was changed to a serpentine belt, or the wrong pump used.... just another thing to check

 

with serpentine belts when they came out they drove the the high drag items ( a/c , p/s, alternator ) with the ribbed side of the belt , so to get the ribbed side to make lower pulley contact they drove the water pump backwards with the smooth side of the belt , vs a v belt which only drives with one side ( the v side ) and we had 2-3 belts to drive everything , so the water pump turned the same direction as the crank , if you look at a serp belt diagram you can see what I mean , the reverse pumps the impeller blade are pitched the opposite way and will not pump efficently if at all .

 

Does it have a serpentine belt? Or good old V belts. I have seen a few times where people did the job half way and put the correct pump on, but kept the reverse rotation belt setup. Is the fan correct.... Just went thru this on another thread. Does the pump and timing cover you are using require the cavitation plate on the back of the pump? Is it there?

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1970-73 V belt waterpump. Not a serpentine setup

 

Is a Shaw type thermostat like this?



Or a Stant type like this?

I've never had any luck with the Shaw thermostats- they usually stick open but I've had more than one stick closed.


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I recall Ford having a service bulletin advising warming the thermostat in hot water and using a piece of hard candy to hold it open to allow the air to escape. The candy would dissolve in the hot coolant. I had started drilling a 1/8 inch hole in thermostats in the 70s to make it quicker to fill the cooling system. Mack low flow cooling diesel engines were very time consuming to fill otherwise.

 

So is it a 1/16" or 1/8" hole drilled in the flange?I have to try replacing the thermostat next.and am going to use a195 degree and want to drill the hole also. Any other way to remove the air? I left it run awhile today with the rad cap off and after awhile the radiator overflowed all over but coolant still was not very hot.

 

I do the 1/16th ( I am more cautious than others and when stant puts the rattlers in them the holes are 1/16th ) some others like the 1/8th , the air will push thru quickly on either , and it will not effect any cooling or warm up operations as there is a oem bypass for the water pump to circulate till it warms up to temp . the hole will just get rid of any air bubble that maybe covering the thermostat .

 

Piece of hard candy to jam the stat open, eventually dissolves. Ya know, that's fricken brilliant.

 

but the big problem is trying to make it to the thermostat to jimmy open , as it takes the detour ...

 

Just remove the heater hose that is in the intake and start your fill when coolant comes out of the fitting put the hose back on.

 

The Murray stat I am going to install has a rattler (hole) in it alteady plus I am going to fill into the intake heater hose location first.