The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 lower radiator hose

I have a 1956 235 in my 49 chevy truck that I had to replace the head on it.The machine shop check the replacement head for cracks and warping. After a clean bill of health they worked some magic hardened seats, surface the head new valve guides were they where needed. I had the radiator checked. The radiator guy said he flushed it and was able to get good flow. He could not guaranty the radiator and to keep the pressure under 7 lbs. and it should be fine. He also said it was a low pressure system of about 4 to 7 lbs.
I put the motor back together and in the truck and fill it with oil and water and start it. When the engine is idling its fine but when you raise the idle water comes out the overflow and the lower radiator hose collapse. Thanks for all your help!

Did you flush the block when u had the head off from the water pump holes thru the rear petcock? If not you probably pumped old dislodged crud back into the radiator. Just drain it again and see if more stuff comes out of radiator, if so you may as well pull it and flush the block.

Make sure the thermostat is working at its indicated rating.

start with replacing the hose, find one with the spiral wire embedded in it

Bill

I agree, you can't make any progress with a hose like that. You are fortunate that you noticed it. That can be a very frustrating problem.

Agree. Most lower hoses come with a spring inside to keep them from collapsing.

OK it looks like I'm going to start with a new water pump and a universal lower hose. The universal hose has a spring inside it and the rubber is tuffer then the pre-formed hoses. So they say! I here ACE hardware has the springs I'm going to check there first before I throw away my new hose. I took off the water pump it looked OK to me but I don't know what to look for. I'll let you know what happens when I can afford the new $90.00 water pump.
Thanks again for all your help!

I feel like the guy who only goes to church when he needs something.

I wouldn't start with a new water pump Chuck49. If that was a new hose, even if it didn't have a coil inside, it should do the job for a while at least. The fact that it collapsed would say the water pump is working. The pump is pulling water from the lower hose and returning to the radiator with the upper. If the lower is collapsing then there is too much restriction which would indicate a blockage, most likely in the radiator as mentioned above. I would agree to flush the radiator first. If you are lucky you could do it installed with the garden hose. Else it is a trip to the radiator shop. They can also flow test it in the truck if you can drive it that far the way it is.

Here's a quick check, and it might solve your problem. Pull the lower radiator hose at the water pump, and find a pipe coupling about the right size to slip into the hose and clamp into place, probably one for 1 1/4" pipe or so. Adapt it down with a series of reducers until the nozzle of an air blow gun can be threaded on, usually 1/8" or 1/4" pipe.

Now, pull the upper hose off at the thermostat housing off, and aim it in a direction that won't spray rusty crud all over the engine compartment- - -maybe out over the fender or somewhere. Fill the radiator with water, then goose air into the bottom tank with the blow gun, just a quick 1-second blast or so. The shock of the air meeting the radiator full of water will blow any crud out of the radiator core and send it flying, usually without springing any leaks in the core. That's what a radiator shop calls a "reverse flush" and it's exactly how they do it. All it takes is a little time and pocket change scavenging up and assembling fittings. You'll be amazed at the crud that blasts out of the radiator!
Jerry

I have a question I have a 235 in the 49 chevy truck. The water pump wasn't suppost to fit. The water pump I had, had on problems. Here's the question for you, is it possible that the water pump pulley was to small and pumped to much water? The water pump that is supposted to fit has a short shaft and a larger diameter pulley then mine does. It's to late for my old water pump, I tried to take the pulley off and I bent the pulley and broke the impeller off in the process.
Thanks again!

I had the guy how cleaned the radiator for me recheck the flow. He showed me the test. He filled the bottom of the radiator with water till it came out the top pipe. The water flowed out the bottom pipe. It took know time at all for all that water to come back out.
When I was waiting for the head to come back from the machine shop I cleaned out the water galleries in the block.
Thanks Chuck 49

yes the pulley could be too small so the pump is sucking hard enough to collapse a good hose

Bill

Even if it is trying to move too much water it should not be enough to collapse a good hose.

I checked the therostat with a cup of hot water. the thermostat is a 160 and seems to open Okay at temperature.
Thanks again! Chuck 49

I have a short shaft pump coming from jim carters.I'm still going too get the spring from ACE hardware if they have one. The short shaft pump should be here early next week and I'll let you know what happens.
Thanks again. Chuck 49

I put a 57 235 in my 37 so I bought a shortened pump with the small 216 style pulley and did not have any problems like I heard about,I do have a custom 4 row radiator made and drove it for years without a working temp gauge but did not loose any coolant out of the over flow but would hear a gurgle in the cooling system after driving it long on hot days when I shut it off. After I had the waterpump break and go into the radiator I installed the adapter to put a 54 on back water pump on the 55 to 62 motors and finally installed a working temp gauge and it does not go much past 180 on hot days.

Doubtfully the difference in the pulley diameters of the 2 different pump pulleys is not significant enough to cause a water flow problem.
I would pursue, as suggested, ensuring that both the block and the radiator are completely free of "crud" first.

I hope to get the new water pump today. I went to ACE Hardware yesterday and as I expected they don't have a spring that size. Looks like I'll have to get the universal hose if my formed hose sucks down. I have checked the block, head and radiator for crud and blockedge, its clean. I will let you as soon as I get the pump on. There isn't any internet at my house. I live in southern California and I can't get DSL at my house! That is why it sometimes looks like I ignore all your advise. I ask for help at the end of one day and try something at home that night. When I come in the next day and check stovebolt, you say bebore you do this try that, but it is already to late.
thank for trying to help Chuck 49

A good brand of hose should have the spring in it. I'm not crazy about the universal hoses. Some don't last long & they look cruddy. Check another brand hose. You shouldn't run without the spring in it.

I have to agree with Wrenchbender on the universal hoses. I don't keep my hoses a lot of years anyway, but they seem to put too much stress on the radiator in a lot of cases. Haven't heard of one actually breaking the radiator but some are really hard to bend. I have made a sample bend out of a coat hanger then gone to the store and they let me brouse around until I got something close enough. Sometimes you find what you want in the middle of a hose so have to trim to fit

I put the new water pump on and that crazy bendy hose. I was worried that the hose was to stiff and would break off the bottom of the radiator too. There's a guy at Econo Trans in Riverside, these guys restore alot of old chevys. He said that he uses the bendy hoses and he doesn't have any problems with the hoses. Will so far so good. The new water pump and bendy hose seems to be working, knock on wood! The truck runs at about 180 degrees. The lower hose isn't sucking in. I finally got to drive it to work this morning. It's a good day! Have great holiday.
Thanks again Chuck 49

Will I did a couple of errands and 10 minutes of driving around in the truck and it started to overheat! I thought I'd take the truck out for a drive. So much for that.

Chuck 49

Is it possible the thermostat is in upside down?

I took out the thermostat. On the way home the engine started to knock . I was almost home and it didn't sound like a rod knock it wasn't that loud. I took off the rocker cover and the number 4 cylinder exhaust valve was stuck open. I don't know what's next but I think it involves the machine shop that rebuilt my head. I'm not sure what I can except from the machine shop but I hope they will help. Chuck 49

it wouldn't be unusual for an engine to overheat if you run it without a thermostat, water moves thru the system too fast - at what stage of this saga was it removed? might be why the bottom hose was collapsing if it was out when that was happening - a good 56 235 should stay at a thermostat temp as low as 160

Bill

If you want to run it without a thermostat gut it and put in the remains,it will have some restriction to keep the coolant in the radiator longer.

Valve problems could definitely give you heating problems. Maybe that is your only issue. Once you get that fixed you might want to feel around the radiator for cold spots. That would indicate a blockage at that point. The fan should also be pulling enough to keep a piece of newpaper sucked to the radiator. I've done that with mine to warm it up in the winter

When I got the head back from the machine shop a buddy of mine said I should take a look at the head before I install it. He suggested I take the valves out and check for clearance and lube. What I found was the rubber bands around the exhaust valves was pushed down. It looks like he did the intake right but not the exhaust. I'm thinking thats what happened before when the number 4 valve got stuck and engine started to overheat. I didn't like the fact he thought it was something I did. He said everthing from no oil on first start to old gas.

Will see what happens this time Chuck 49