IS my car running too hot?
06-22-2010, 09:08 PM
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IS my car running too hot?
Hello again!
When I got my car it was swapped to a carb motor, so the cooling fan did not work...
From the cooling article, I bought:
Hayden makes an adjustable fan turn-on relay (Part No. 3647).
Available at Pep Boys for about $39.
Features:
Adjustable turn-on from 160° to 210°.
Can be turned on automatically when AC is engaged.
Can be wired to augment factory switch, not replace it.
Can be manually turned on with a dash-mounted switch.
Now the thing works, I wired the thing up to work whether the car is on or off. So that when I shut the car off and it heat soaks, the fan can cool it a little after shutdown.
I took a laser temperature gauge to the thermostat housing and I want to say the thermostat opened at about 180F~, and even though the gauge in my car appears to climb correctly, if I let it idle long enough....it will appear to get too hot almost to 260? So I shut it off right before there when I have been testing. I tried pressure rinsing my condensor, and the fan is definitely pulling air like mad! I wish I had this as my house fan! Lol But I am not sure if the factory gauge is correct...
What do you guys think? Pretty sure the pump is new, radiator, cap, hoses, all new...it is so new, I was sad to indent the fins out in one slot for the temp sensor lol...
The driver side of the radiator is the hottest right?....actually now that I think about it, I might have put the damn sensor in the wrong spot...The cooling system wants the heads to receive the cooled coolant first no?
-----------------
Would also like to note, I have an electric carb on there... and it isnt wired up. I remember someone from another post I made said the car may overheat from running to rich. Was he right?
When I got my car it was swapped to a carb motor, so the cooling fan did not work...
From the cooling article, I bought:
Hayden makes an adjustable fan turn-on relay (Part No. 3647).
Available at Pep Boys for about $39.
Features:
Adjustable turn-on from 160° to 210°.
Can be turned on automatically when AC is engaged.
Can be wired to augment factory switch, not replace it.
Can be manually turned on with a dash-mounted switch.
Now the thing works, I wired the thing up to work whether the car is on or off. So that when I shut the car off and it heat soaks, the fan can cool it a little after shutdown.
I took a laser temperature gauge to the thermostat housing and I want to say the thermostat opened at about 180F~, and even though the gauge in my car appears to climb correctly, if I let it idle long enough....it will appear to get too hot almost to 260? So I shut it off right before there when I have been testing. I tried pressure rinsing my condensor, and the fan is definitely pulling air like mad! I wish I had this as my house fan! Lol But I am not sure if the factory gauge is correct...
What do you guys think? Pretty sure the pump is new, radiator, cap, hoses, all new...it is so new, I was sad to indent the fins out in one slot for the temp sensor lol...
The driver side of the radiator is the hottest right?....actually now that I think about it, I might have put the damn sensor in the wrong spot...The cooling system wants the heads to receive the cooled coolant first no?
-----------------
Would also like to note, I have an electric carb on there... and it isnt wired up. I remember someone from another post I made said the car may overheat from running to rich. Was he right?
Last edited by RyanEricW; 06-23-2010 at 12:59 AM.
06-23-2010, 03:12 AM
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Car: 1992 RS
Engine: Carbed 350
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi
Re: IS my car running too hot?
By "electric carb" do you mean it's still a computer controlled Quadrajet carb?
Or do you mean it has an electric choke?
Does the distributor have a vacuum advance on it?
Overheating can be caused by running too lean, I don't think too rich causes it though.
If it hasn't boiled over into the reserve at that high a temp, I'd suspect the temp sender is telling you false reading, and replace it. Should be driver side head, between #1 and #3 plugs, has one wire to it.
Or do you mean it has an electric choke?
Does the distributor have a vacuum advance on it?
Overheating can be caused by running too lean, I don't think too rich causes it though.
If it hasn't boiled over into the reserve at that high a temp, I'd suspect the temp sender is telling you false reading, and replace it. Should be driver side head, between #1 and #3 plugs, has one wire to it.
06-23-2010, 05:53 AM
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Re: IS my car running too hot?
By "electric carb" do you mean it's still a computer controlled Quadrajet carb?
Or do you mean it has an electric choke?
Does the distributor have a vacuum advance on it?
Overheating can be caused by running too lean, I don't think too rich causes it though.
If it hasn't boiled over into the reserve at that high a temp, I'd suspect the temp sender is telling you false reading, and replace it. Should be driver side head, between #1 and #3 plugs, has one wire to it.
Or do you mean it has an electric choke?
Does the distributor have a vacuum advance on it?
Overheating can be caused by running too lean, I don't think too rich causes it though.
If it hasn't boiled over into the reserve at that high a temp, I'd suspect the temp sender is telling you false reading, and replace it. Should be driver side head, between #1 and #3 plugs, has one wire to it.
I am getting terrible milage as well, so I believe the rich part. I drive the car about 1 mile past couple days burned over a 1/4 tank of gas, I ran it a good 10/20 minutes at the house everyday, but DAMN...
And no... the coolant is not boiling, and the pressure relief/radiator cap has not popped at around that temp, so it stumps the hell out of me lol. Pretty sure I put the sensing bulb in the wrong place...I put it on the driver side top of the radiator...
Last edited by RyanEricW; 06-23-2010 at 06:02 AM.
06-23-2010, 10:52 AM
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Car: 1992 RS
Engine: Carbed 350
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 3.42 posi
Re: IS my car running too hot?
That's going to be your issue I'm sure -without the computer attached to the carb, there's no adjustment being made to mixture. Not sure you can run a comp-Quad without a computer. Ask in the carb section if it's possible.
Does the exhaust burn your eyes? If you were running extremely rich, it would really burn your eyes - and if you gun it in the driveway you'd get black marks from the exhaust tips on the driveway (if they point down), if they are straight stick an old board or something 2ft behind the tips and gun it to see.
I wouldn't run the motor too much at all until I knew - rich doesn't hurt much except foul plugs, but lean can burn holes in pistons and such - not good!
Does the exhaust burn your eyes? If you were running extremely rich, it would really burn your eyes - and if you gun it in the driveway you'd get black marks from the exhaust tips on the driveway (if they point down), if they are straight stick an old board or something 2ft behind the tips and gun it to see.
I wouldn't run the motor too much at all until I knew - rich doesn't hurt much except foul plugs, but lean can burn holes in pistons and such - not good!
06-24-2010, 10:59 PM
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Re: IS my car running too hot?
That's going to be your issue I'm sure -without the computer attached to the carb, there's no adjustment being made to mixture. Not sure you can run a comp-Quad without a computer. Ask in the carb section if it's possible.
Does the exhaust burn your eyes? If you were running extremely rich, it would really burn your eyes - and if you gun it in the driveway you'd get black marks from the exhaust tips on the driveway (if they point down), if they are straight stick an old board or something 2ft behind the tips and gun it to see.
I wouldn't run the motor too much at all until I knew - rich doesn't hurt much except foul plugs, but lean can burn holes in pistons and such - not good!
Does the exhaust burn your eyes? If you were running extremely rich, it would really burn your eyes - and if you gun it in the driveway you'd get black marks from the exhaust tips on the driveway (if they point down), if they are straight stick an old board or something 2ft behind the tips and gun it to see.
I wouldn't run the motor too much at all until I knew - rich doesn't hurt much except foul plugs, but lean can burn holes in pistons and such - not good!
06-25-2010, 09:52 AM
#6
Supreme Member
Re: IS my car running too hot?
The whitish smoke may be steam from your cat. Lean mixture will also burn your eyes, as lean produces excess HC. Camaronewbie is correct in saying that rich will soot up your tail pipe. But honestly, the best way to check mixture is by reading plugs. Pull a plug or two and read them for signs of rich or lean.
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