The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop to hot? chevy 235

I realize the temp gauge goes up to 220 on the original cluster.

I'm temp using a sun pro temp gauge that goes up to 280.

My question is what is too Hot for a 54 chevy 235 car engine? (In my 50 3100)

I was in the drive thru yesterday with my 4 year old boy. Stuck waiting for his meal the temp climbed to over 210.

why didn't you shut it off? what's the point of idling in a lineup? got money to burn?

how hot it can get depends on your particular setup, fan position in relation to the rad [high/low or far away, shroud or not], the fan is the only thing that keeps air flow across the rad when you're stopped - 210 isn't going to hurt it, but it should be able to keep the temp pretty close to the thermostat rating unless the fan is poorly positioned and it's quite hot out .... and you're sitting in a line breathing someone elses hot exhaust

Bill

It was about 90 out side

When the temp started to rise I thought about shutting it down but decided not to.

Here's how the fan is set up
...pic...

160 stat

looks decently centered, but waaay too far away, should be within 1/2" [factory] or have a shroud, maybe you could find a spacer to fit and push it forward - the 235's in my experience tend to run cold and need the stat to prevent running too cold .... no reason to not turn it off instead of idling, unless you're afraid of it not starting, I do it frequently cuz I always keep engines in a condition to start instantly

Bill

Have you checked the timing lately? Retarded timing will cause them to run hot.
I can not tell for sure from your picture if you are running the truck or pass fan. If a pass fan swapping for a truck fan would help. All else looks fine.

I'm about 9/16 away
...pic...
I believe it's a truck large fan
The first pic was deceiving because the fenders were not attached.

I have not checked the timing lately., but I will. It been running real good lately.

Temp started climbing in drive thru. Otherwise it's been fine

Last time I set timing it was 8 degrees advanced. (pertronix)

Of course once we started moving it went right back down. I just didn't know at what point I should shut it down of if it should maintain it temp event at the drive thru.

Sounds like everything has been done right.
What is the condition of the radiator?
How Many miles are on the engine? Is it broken in?

Last compression check was in January


Radiator 2 years old 4000 miles on it.
I have not idea when the engine was gone thru last.

What coolant ratio are you running?
Seems like that is one component of overheating problems that gets overlooked sometimes and is an easy one to fix if it's not optimum and everything else looks ok.

I wouldn't worry about 210 sitting in 90 temps. As long as you have at least a 4lb pressure cap on it and the radiator isn't boiling you will be fine. You can always bring it up off idle and that will usually cool it down some also. My stuff will get in the 210 range or even a bit more in summer and I have never had a problem. If you do shut it off and restart it to shut it off again will more than likely cause it to puke out antifreeze and make things worse.....

I am surprised with a 160 therm that it would get that hot,
my 235 never came close to running hot, well it did once,
we were in a very long fourth of July parade with very slow movement and at the end of the parade it was getting hotter then normal and then cooled down as we got on the hi-way........now my 52 car with the 350 and air is another thing, in stop and go traffic it can go to about 215/220 in a hurry, I just click on the electric fan to keep it from getting hotter.........

probably nothing for you to worry about unless it has just started doing this..that still seems really hot for 90 degree weather, I think of hot weather being above 104...

I think the fan is too far away from the radiator also!,It does look very clean, nice job!

I notice in the pictures you have the fenders off. The aftermarket radiators can be hard to fit right with original fenders and grill. When the fenders are put back on did it pull your radiator in? The fan is a bit far, there should be a slight pull in off the fan towards motor when running. Whaddaya think?

I don't see that second pic showing 9/16 to the blades, it should be so close you can barely get the fan belt off, 1/2" is very important, other wise you're drawing most air in from the sides, not thru the rad

Bill

The pic with the fenders off is a few years old, I was showing the position of the fan.
(thank you for your comments)

the fan is 18 inch.
7 lb cap

I took another measurement closer to the center of the fan. At that point I'm within 1/2 inch.
...pic...
here is the earlier pic closer to the outer end of the fan
...pic... Drove home from work with no issues, didnt stop at the drive thru with the boy.

After it cooled off I checked the coolant. I WAS LOW!

Tested the coolant and it measured right between +10 and +5 on the scale for ethelene

Then I added coolant and checked the oil, no evidence of coolant in the oil.

I'm not sure how my coolant got so low. I will monitor it.


Should I shim the Radiator closer?
What about the glycol reading?

Thank you

It looks like a stock pump, fan, and radiator so the clearance between the fan and radiator should be OK.
I hope a full radiator does it.
If not you should also check the vacuum advance.

I thought most stock cooling systems for stovebolts in the early years, were non pressurized systems?
Having said that, the temps you described should not be a concern unless you noticed, coolant being pushed out of your system, engine detonation (pinging), loss of power, unusual vapours out the exhaust, oil discolouration, etc.
Airflow can be disrupted by heat dissipation off asphalt, concrete, excessive car exhaust, and quartering winds.
Also thermostats can hiccup on occasion, even when new out of the box.
Head to your local rad shop for an infrared check of your cooling systems accuracy compared to what you gauge says!

you just put on an aftermarket gauge, I would verify that is accurate first. (well after you made sure there was water in it) Did you mean low, as the tubes were exposed, or just as low as it gets when it overflows due to heat expansion? It isn't going to stay full right to the top. I would assume you knew this already, but it comes up more often than I would expect.

The 1954 cars used a 7 lb radiator pressure cap.
The 1954 trucks used a 4 lb radiator pressure cap.

While 210 degrees will not hurt the engine, I agree with Bill that a 235/261 should run cooler than that (in 90 degree weather).

Posts above have suggested many possibilities, but one possibility seems to be missing (unless I missed seeing it). Every 261/235 that I have taken apart has had debris inside the block, often being plugged at the rear of the block. After cleaning an over-heating 261 and a normal temperature 235, both engines ran at noticeably lower temperatures during the summer when idling.

It was well below the tube sheet.

I've been using this temp gauge for two years now. It was suppose to be a temporary thing.

My 235 is a car engine but I could go to a 4 lb cap if that is recommended?

I've driven the truck for two summers now and this was the first time I noticed the temp rising. I've driven it with outside temp over 110 with no issues.

I was stuck in a drive thru for about ten minutes. And noticed it rising.

After the kids soccer game later today I'll check the timing.

Just a little concerned as where the cooland went.

How low was the coolant level?

Id guess it was a few inches below the tube sheet. I added 1/3 jug of 50/50.

I have 4000 miles on this coolant.

The 7 lb. cap will only add a few degrees before a boil-over happens. If the radiator and the heater core will stand the extra pressure without springing a leak, the 7# cap adds a bit more safety margin. The boiling point of water, or a 50/50 coolant mix rises 3 degrees F. for every pound of pressure on the system, so a 7# cap will add 21 degrees, to produce a boiling point of 233 degrees.

It's not uncommon for the coolant temp around the cylinders to rise above the boiling point after shutdown, causing the cap to "puke" a little coolant. Unless you have a recovery tank, that volume of coolant will be lost. With a recovery tank, the coolant will be drawn back into the radiator as the system cools down. It's not an original-equipment item, but it will certainly help the radiator stay full. I have used a 1-quart rectangular metal can like brake fluid or paint thinner comes in as a recovery tank, with a piece of copper tubing soldered into the cap that extends to within 1" or so of the bottom and a vent hole in the top. Just run the radiator overfow hose to the tubing and put a couple of inches of coolant into the can. The can is bracketed somewhere close to the level of the radiator cap, like maybe on the core support or one of the angle braces from the firewall to the core support. You'll need a radiator cap with a one-way valve in it to allow the coolant to be drawn back into the radiator on cool-down.
Jerry

I checked the timing and I was not changed. Still running 8 degrees advance.

Thank you for the info on the recovery system.
I need to be more diligent on checking the fluid level.

I will also do a flush. I've been reading a few threads on this subject

The flush would be a good thing. Also, remove the drain-cock (carefully - use a lot of penetrating oil) from the block on the lower right of the manifold side. Use a large gauge copper wire to loosen the crud at the rear of the block. That location is a high-probabilty spot for clogging.

Here in Arizona, for the last two weeks I have been driving my '59 with a 235 in mid 90 degree temps. I also had to shim my radiator because it was too far away, it's now well within the 1/2" distance from the radiator. Like stated earlier, I chose to install a fluid recovery system and have been very happy with the results. I can see the levels change from cold to hot and have not lost a drop of fluid. It certainly does not look stock, but it also does not look bad either.