motor temps

[bigbadchev84]

as posted in another post i was out mudding today, i have a mildly built 350 with a 4 core radiator, fan shroud, and 5 blade clutch style fan, not sure of the t-stat, i usually run 210 around town, well thats what the stock gauge says and i was almost pegging the motor out today i pulled the grille out and threw buckets of water through the radiator is there anything else i can do to avoid this?

 

[k20]

was the motor actually that hot, or is the gauge/sending unit just screwed? If the sending wire comes off the sender, and the connector touches something metal (head, manifold, etc), it will peg the gauge out

 

[btolenti]

when was the last time you flushed the cooling system....and changed the T-stat?

 

[bigbadchev84]

4core is new and so is the fluid, fluid was fine, the temp cam back down to 210 after throwing buckets of water at it, it did feel really hot, motor acted fine though, the motor came out of an 80 el-camino and that is what the sender is from also

 

[Smitty]

4core is new and so is the fluid, fluid was fine, the temp cam back down to 210 after throwing buckets of water at it, it did feel really hot, motor acted fine though, the motor came out of an 80 el-camino and that is what the sender is from also

Might tap in with a mechanical gauge just to check the actual temperature. The El Camino sending unit might not match your current gauge.

 

[smalltowncowboy]

my motor is built a little bit and i had to run dual electric fans to keep mine cool. since its summer you might pull your t-stat all together. 100 degree weather doesnt help keep it cool

 

[bigbadchev84]

yeah i might throw a pusher on there, pulling the stat can make it worse from what i hear cause it wont stay in the radiator long enough to cool

 

[smalltowncowboy]

ive pulled the stat on alot of my rigs and theyve all ran cooler, never hotter.

 

[jarheadk5]

Are you running an auto trans? What's your tire size & gearing? Were you in 4Hi or 4Lo? These things make a difference.

For a quick improvement, put some Redline Water Wetter in the radiator; about 3oz per gallon of coolant IIRC.
Personally, I disagree with pulling the thermostat. All three times I saw it done to a vehicle that was overheating, the problem got worse rather than better.

 

[resurrected_jimmy]

How much mud came out of your radiator when you were pouring water through it?

 

[fabjunkie]

it wont stay in the radiator long enough to cool

This is one of the oldest urban myths. If it isn't in the radiator long enough to cool, what makes you think that it will be in the motor long enough to get hot? More flow is always better.