The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk 216 water pump pulley size

Hi guys,

My 41 gets hot sitting in traffic on 80 plus degree days. I've cleaned the block, checked the thermostat ( 160 ), drilled a 1/8 hole in the stat collar,had the radiator cleaned and rodded out,new fan belt, upped the idle speed a wee bit, timing and valve clearances, fuel mix ok, hasnt made any difference. Just wondering if a larger pulley would help. The one on the pump at the moment is about 4 inches. Also thinking about a electric pusher fan. I'd be grateful for any comments.

Cheers guys

Bob

Maybe try a fan with more pitch that will pull more air and see if that helps. If the truck runs hot at idle, and then cools down right away when you get moving, I'll bet more pitch helps. If you have room, you could try an aftermarket aluminum flex fan or something similar temporarily to test this theory out.

A larger pulley will make it turn slower. I agree with Barry, more pitch on the fan might do it.
Good luck with it.

Thanks Barry and Rob. There isn't a lot of room between the fan and the radiator but I'll have a look around and try another blade. It takes a mile or two to drop back to normal once it gerts moving.

All the best

Bob

Any idea how to repitch a blade? I have the same problem with mine here in North Centeral Texas.I must point out that I have an AC on my truck and I know the additional blockage with the condencer doesn't help also. "Tie me kangeroo down sport".Nice to here from down under.

mozzie,

It sounds like the combination of engine age/wear/friction/heat combined with a old cooling system won't get the job done when the ambient temperature climbs and the traffic slows.

Although your radiator has been boiled, I will bet it isn't cooling anywhere near new. Would a re-core be an option...maybe another row of tubes. I'll bet this was solve the 'hot day blues'.

Stuart

Hey Beaver, thanks mate, kangaroos are a bit hard to tie down though (ha ha )

Stuart, radiator was stripped cleaned and rodded through. The rad shop reckons it was in pretty good shape.Its a three row, modern core. Engine has about 20,000 miles since rebuild. I just thought that a bigger pulley might slow the circulation speed down a bit and help with cooling.

As always, thanks guys.

Bob

Hey Bob, I didn't think there was, any traffic in western Australia??
I have been kicking the idea around, about bending up or adapting a shroud, there is a lot of loss at the tips of the blade. I'm assuming your savvy enough to be running modern day glycol antifreeze and not just water or alcohol!
Denny Graham
Western Sandwich, IL, USA

If the motor has just been rebuilt is their any chance that you ended up with a later model harmonic balancer. The later 235 balancer is bigger and would turn the water pump faster.

you can get great metal cooling fans, not the aluminum flex fans from vintage air. look for them at vintageair.com. i've used them on my street rods for years. they are a bit noisey.

Thanks again guys,

Denny......there are a few cars out here, does get pretty hot as well this time of year. Yep running ainti freeze and made up a shroud to see if it would help.

ttodd......I'll have to check up on the balancer. What diameter was the original?

lms.....I'll have a look at the vintage air site. Thanks for the info.

Cheers

Bob

i had the same problem on my 47 fleetmaster with a 350. i put a electric fan in front of the radiator in addition to the stock fan i can sit idle on the hotest day in ca and it wont over heat. it sure made me happy cruisin paso when you see a merc built with unlimited funds overheat and you cruise by them.

Mozzie:

Late ignition timing will also make it run a little hotter. Also are you sure the thermostat is not in backwards?

John...thinking about a fan in front with an on/off switch in the dash so I would only have it on when needed.

Kip...timing is fine mate and I double checked the thermostat in case it flipped when I installed it.

Cheers folks

Mozzie

Yet another idea. What is the altitude where you are. Assuming you may not be running a pressure cap at higher altitudes water boils at lower temperatures. Check here. http://www.biggreenegg.com/boilingPoint.htm

This is also a good chart for pressure systems http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/boiling-point-water-d_926.html


Of course this all changes with any kind of antifreeze mixture