Hi. Im trying to help out with my friends 65 f100 in LA. I figure see what you guys think since i have never worked on a car this old. I think the block is a 300. Its over heating and there is a lack of power. The owner has already replaced the water pump and thermistat. The first thing that I did was fill the radiator with almost a gallon of coolent. I then pressure tested the coolant system and found a leak at the hose clamp. I repaired that. It still over heated. I did a compression and got around 115psi which sounds really low to me. I also used a block tester and that passed. I tryed taking the thermistat out. The radiator looks fine. Engine sounds like it runs good. I have no idea what to try next. I need your help.

 

is the thermostat right temp,is it put in correctly,how do you no its overheating,is timing off,

 

Heating + lack of power could be a timing issue, not enough advance can cause both conditions. After setting the timing check that both mechanical and vacuum advance are operation properly.

 

the coolant reservoir bubbles up bad after 10 min of driving. I also took the thermostat completely out to see if that did anything. The advance timing make lots of sense. Ill try that out.

 

If you don't have a calibrated elbow, set ignition timing using a vacuum gauge for maximum safe advance and then compare that with the BTDC timing degrees indicated before and after on the damper using the timing light.

Very common for damper outer ring to slip on these old trucks due to the rubber deteriorating. Timing indications will be way off.

 

People replace the thermostat, don't pay attention, install it backwards. Now it won't open (if it opens at all!) until the water reaches the boiling point.

The t/stat element fits in the housing towards the engine, not towards the upper radiator hose.

 

Have you tried something like the Prestone flush to clear corrosion inside the block?

Refill with your own 50/50 mix of antifreeze and grocery store distilled water.


John

 

I had to re-educate my self about distributors lol. First time working on a vehicle with a distributor. First I need to find some one with a timing light and a vacuum pump. How far before tdc should the ignition spark be at idle and at higher rpm? Also I have the tstat out and I also replaced the coolant.

 

First, Welcome to the FTE!

Are you in Mass, or la-la Cali land? Before anyone local can help they'll need to know that,

You should take a few minutes (ha ha) to familiarize yourself with distributors and particularly advance mechanisms, assuming you want to DIY. Lots of websites - the internet is great for this. (When I was younger I would go to the library and check out a half dozen or so books on a subject and "crash course" it till I was dangerous, at least. The internet makes this a lot easier.)

You want a vacuum gauge, not a pump actually. Keep in mind that old trucks typically have defective crankshaft balancers/dampers, that also renders the timing marks useless. Also, distributors wear out, stick, and become erratic/intermittent. Lots of pitfalls to getting things right for the novice.

 

OP's "About Me' profile: MA

LA LA Land is 'Hollywood speak' for Los Angeles and its gazillion suburbs.

 

Well that's why I asked, he says LA in the original post.

 

Mr. Wilson, I think it has grown now to cover the whole state.

Or so I've been told.

John

 

I'm from mass but the truck im working on is in LA.
After watching some youtube videos it was easy to understand what a timing light does. I just made a small adjustment. The vacuum advance seems to work. When I rev the engine it advance the ignition. I found out from the owner that it use to be a 240 engine then he swapped it with a 300. The carb might not have been swapped so I'm going to try and use a 300 carb. I was told there is a difference. Also the radiator looks like it's clogged with this brittle black plastic. I think it might be from a deteriorating radiator hose. I'm going to bring the radiator to a shop to be cleaned and I'm going to replace the radiator hoses. Hope for the best.