The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop emission parts/ high temps

i had, what i was told, was an emissions hose running from the side of the valve cover to the intake manifold. i also had a hose running from the top of the valve cover to the air cleaner (bypassing the actual filter, which makes no sense to me). i decided to put a new valve cover on (to try and be cool, didnt work) and now she is starting to push 200 degrees where she use to sit pretty at 180 in the heat, in traffic, any where.
i dont know if that has anything to do with it but im stumped. any help would be appreciated.

jeremy

jeremy,

Welcome to the Stovebolt. The hoses you were working on would have no bearing on your engine temperature. If the distributor was smacked out of adjustment it could possibly cause a heating problem, but otherwise you will have to look to your cooling system. Old radiators can plug with gunk and eventually overtax the system. Has the ambient air temperature increased...it's summer in Long Beach!

Stuart

thanks stuart! as far as the cooling system goes, i guess it could be a coincidence that it started over heating. i replace the water pump a month ago and i havent had any problems since. it is very hot out here. starting to reach the 100's but i was out driving all day yesterday and didnt have a single problem. today however is a different story. i changed the valve cover and replaced the gaskets on the carburetor. i let her sit for an hour or so to let the RTV dry a bit and then drove her to the auto parts place to pick up an air cleaner and vacuum advance hose. during this short little drive is when i started having the problem.
i didnt actually overheat to the point where i had to pull over but she was running a good 20 degreees above normal. does this help explain my situation any? im pretty much a novice so any and all advice is helpful.

jeremy

jeremy,

This is mysterious. The cooling system would normally go sour gradually unless there was a drastic jump in the outside air temp and it couldn't overcome it. A sudden heating problem would indicate a mechanical change or problem with the engine proper. Too much advance timing will cause heating but usually involves pinging which might be heard.

You worked on the carburetor and replaced a vacuum advance line...could the vacuum line have been reconnected to the wrong port and the distributor is seeing vacuum all the time.

Check your coolant level, fan belt tension and radiator for loose shop rags that might have covered it...if this was cause and effect, the cause is in there waiting to be found.

Stuart

Not sure what engine we're talking about here, but on my '68 L6 292 there's one hose from the valve cover [forward drivers side] to the air cleaner. This one provides fresh air to the engine, as filtered thru the air cleaner. There's another 3/8 hose that comes from the PCV valve in the rear of the valve cover to the 3/8 PCV input on the front of the carb. This one puts vacuum to the PCV and sucks air out of the engine. Both of these hoses have to be connected for the engine to breathe right. It's a circuit. It may have some bearing on your over heating.

actuallay stuart i havent attached the vacuum advance line yet. when i bought the truck, the guy before me had put a screw in the tip of the vacuum line so it was never working. i decided to get the hose but all this happened before hand. today i will install the new vacuum line. hopefully that helps me to at least get the air/gas mixture right. maybe she was just running to rich? could that make her heat up?

jeremy,

Running rich wouldn't make it heat up. Is this engine a stock 6 cylinder, that has never been clarified. Could the previous owner have blocked the vacuum line because the advance unit has a leaky diaphragm? If you worked on the carburetor gaskets, did you reinstall the base gasket with the notch aligned with the hole in the carburetor base...this allows the power valve to function. If it were blocked, the carburetor would run rich.

So far, none of the things being mentioned would be responsible for a immediate increase in operating temperature. Checking the timing with a light would be a pretty good first step.

Stuart

stuart you are the man! thanks for all the advice. im going to buy a timing gun tomorrow and hopefully see if maybe that will help. as far as the engine goes... it is stock. im not sure why they unplugged the vacuum hose. but i routed one this morning and it seemed to be fair driving around. no real hi temp issues except when i started driving down my street after a good hour drive. weird. i think shes mocking me! hahaha

If you messed around with the PCV system, it is probably sucking air now and you are running too lean.