My 216 engine - I have replaced the thermostat, water pump, flushed out radiator and block. It wants to run anywhere from 180 -200 by gauge.
I take an infrared temp sensor on my engine on passenger side it runs 140-170. However, on the driver side it runs at lower part of engine 170-185 and on upper part above exhaust manifold it runs from front 170-180-190-220 at the back of engine where temperature sending unit goes into top of head. It wants to vapor lock.
The radiator also starts at the bottom of 120 degrees and top of radiator gets around 180 at top. If I look down radiator with cap off / there is no flow of water. When we turn car off after it’s been running it seems to not boil water but gargle water down the radiator. I flushed it out.
I understand there is an exhaust manifold on that side but more toward the back of the motor (drivers side) it gets hotter
What can I do or try? Any suggestions? I sure appreciate the help.
If it's not boiling, it's not overheating. However, rust and crud can accumulate at the bottom of the water jacket, and it tends to get thicker toward the back of the engine. Greasy deposits can be removed with TSP (Trisodium Phosphate), the stuff that's used to clean concrete floors. Use about a cup of the powder with a fresh fill of clean water, and run the engine for 30 minutes or more at a fast idle. Then drain and flush several times with clean water. Rusty deposits need a different treatment- - - - -muriatic acid (technical grade hydrochloric) that's used to clean up after masonry work. 4-6 ounces of the acid- - - -fill with water, and run for 30 minutes. Then flush with a mixture of water and a box of baking soda to neutralize the acid. Both chemicals can be purchased at any big box hardware store. Finally, use a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
What makes you think the engine "wants to vapor lock"?
As you say, "...after it's been running it seems not to boil water..." Water boils at 212F. Clearly your engine is running below the boiling point which is where it belongs on a zero pressure cooling system.
If it bothers you, install a recovery reservoir like a modern car so you can fill the radiator to the very top and monitor the coolant level when the engine is hot and cold.
1950 Chevrolet 3100 (Ol' Roy) 1939 Packard Standard Eight Coupe (The Phantom) | 1956 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (The Bismarck) | 1956 Cadillac Sixty Special Fleetwood (The Godfather) | 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado (The Purple Knif) | 1966 Ford Mustang (Little Red) | 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 coupe | 1979 Ford F-100 | 1976 Ford F-150 (Big Red) | 1995 Ford F-150 (Newt)
" If I look down radiator with cap off / there is no flow of water." This doesn't seem right. There should be some indication of flow. Are you saying you see the fluid level there is no movement at all?
"Do not walk behind me, for I may not lead. Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not follow. Do not walk beside me either. Just leave me alone, you're starting to freak me out."
Drivers side back of the head where the temp sending unit goes into engine it does get over boiling point in that area. It gets up to 220 in thst area but everything else is good.
I’ve flushed it.
It’s like that water sits in the back of head and get hotter and hotter. Doesn’t seem like it’s circulating water out of back of head. I’ve flushed it out and it still looks rusty. Gonna try to what Jerry said above.
Virtually none of the commercial "flush" products are worth the time it takes to use them. The tree huggers have defanged anything that actually works in the name of "protecting the environment", so you have to get creative with the stuff they haven't gotten around to banning- - - -yet! Try finding some "white lead" these days to use as a dead center lubricant on a lathe or a gear tooth contact pattern indicator when setting up a rear end ring and pinion sometime! The 5 pound can of Dutch Boy white lead that I bought on Ebay is about a three lifetimes' supply for me, fortunately! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
If it's not boiling, it's not overheating. However, rust and crud can accumulate at the bottom of the water jacket, and it tends to get thicker toward the back of the engine. Greasy deposits can be removed with TSP (Trisodium Phosphate), the stuff that's used to clean concrete floors. Use about a cup of the powder with a fresh fill of clean water, and run the engine for 30 minutes or more at a fast idle. Then drain and flush several times with clean water. Rusty deposits need a different treatment- - - - -muriatic acid (technical grade hydrochloric) that's used to clean up after masonry work. 4-6 ounces of the acid- - - -fill with water, and run for 30 minutes. Then flush with a mixture of water and a box of baking soda to neutralize the acid. Both chemicals can be purchased at any big box hardware store. Finally, use a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze. Jerry
I actually bought the materials to do these procedures yeaterday. My coolant has gone rusty looking after just one year. Last spring I flushed with a couple commercial products and refilled. Time to get more aggressive.
The Muriatic Acid I bought is 31.45% HCL? Would your ratio still be correct for that product? The lowest concentration listed on the directions is for brightening concrete @ 1/2 pint per gallon.
Obviously don’t want to overdo this. But I don’t want to underdo it, either.
The average stovebolt cooling system holds about 3 gallons or so. I'd suggest using around 1 cup of the acid. Like the high school chemistry teachers used to pound into our heads (back before the "education" system became "indoctrination") pre-mix the flush by trickling the acid into the water to avoid a nasty reaction. NEVER pour water into acid! Use a plastic container to mix the flush, never a metal one. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
jmoore If you can look in the radiator neck wouldn;t that mean the coolant isn't hot --so thermostat is closed --no flow right?? If thermostat was out you would then see flow from a cold start till you had to put the cap on. My big radiator 6400 runs 185 degrees mostly full time year round,even in the hot-soak of a parade is original and clean with a 235 insert upgrade engine.
Will this procedure harm an aluminum radiator? I know that aluminum foil will liquify when muriatic acid is poured on it, and while doing so it will also produce hydrogen gas.
Last edited by Norcal Dave; 07/03/20234:27 AM.
~ Dave 1950 Chevrolet 3600 3/4-ton with 261 engine & T5 Transmission
Less than a cup of acid in 3 gallons of water isn't a terribly strong mix. If you let it sit in an aluminum radiator overnight, it might do some damage, but 30 minutes or so of circulating with the coolant isn't going to do much damage, especially since the next step is a flush with baking soda to neutralize the acid residue, followed by a clear water rinse. Like with a lot of other pretty aggressive procedures, a little common sense goes a long way. That's why commercial "flush" products have been defanged- - - -far too many people were too stupid to use the strong stuff wisely, and manufacturers are scared to death of government regulators and legal beagles. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Drain the acid/water mix, refill with plain water, and dump in a box of baking soda. Run for 10 minutes or so, drain, flush with plain water, then refill with a 50/50 antifreeze mix. Make sure there aren't any tree huggers around when you dump the acid mix. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Drain the acid/water mix, refill with plain water, and dump in a box of baking soda. Run for 10 minutes or so, drain, flush with plain water, then refill with a 50/50 antifreeze mix. Make sure there aren't any tree huggers around when you dump the acid mix. Jerry
Acid will be discarded with great care, of course.
Got any fire ant mounds handy? Those things soak up all kinds or liquid waste just like a sponge! LOL! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
