hi folks what should i check before pulling the radiator to get it checked...
-water pump is working
-there is no thermostat
-thermostat housing seal is leaking due to overheating pressure
-oil level is good
-it didnt overheat before til i messed with the carb leaving the idle a little high...i never drove it for more than 15 miles a day and now it overheats 2 minutes after i start it on idle....should i check something else or take the rad out...its a 350 chev thanks... as im celebrating right now,cheers

 

You might check your temp gauge and sending unit. Try a meat thermometer in the radiator fill spout and compare it to your temp gauge. 2 minutes is awful fast to be overheating at idle-even in Death Valley.

 

Check the timing could be a issue.

Do you have a mechanical, clutch, or a electric fan?

 

What do you mean by "it is overheating"? Is it blowing water out the overflow pipe near the radiator cap? Or does the gague say it's Hot?

If it "overheats" in 2 minutes from cold start, it isn't overheating, it's got a blown head gasket.

 

..a couple of things I would look at or check before removing the radiator..

..Install a thermostat and new gasket to eliminate the leak..
..Top off coolat level..squeeze the hoses and get as much air out of the system as possable before starting the engine.
..is your cab heater connected?..do the engine heater hoses run thru the heater core? Are they in the right place?..
..you could have an air block/bubble if the heater-core is bypassed,... or a clogged heater-core(clogged with years of crud-buildup),..if bypassed in the engine bay, these hoses sometimes are routed higher than the engine/radiator..creating an air-block...,

..be sure to open the heatercore valve..manualy if need be, to insure coolent flow thru the core..follow the heat..verify where it is and isn't..

.. without letting the engine warm up too fast or too long to overheat..grab each coolant hose and compare the temps..the hoses to the heater-core should be as hot as the upper (rad to engine)..the lower return from the radiator should be somewhat cooler..but not cold(which may indicate a blockage..or a really efficeint radiator..)
..Did you install the fan shroud?..do you have a fan? You can make a quickie fan shroud from cardboard and duct tape to see if it makes any big difference..That's all I have off the top of my head..

 

Well, there you go. LOL Sorry,couldn't resist.

Steve

 

i havent installed the gauge
-the radiator gets too hot too fast.
-i dont have a heater
-but i think the air bubble is a possible idea i hope its not a blown head gasket
-i dont have a shroud
-the mechanical fan is working but not as it shoul be....it was like this before tho...

 

You can run your engine with no water for 60 seconds and not get it too hot ,from a cold start, so if your boiling water or actually getting too hot in 120 seconds you have a issue. Likely combustion gas escaping into water (cracked head or blown gasket). Even if that was the case 2 minutes and getting very hot is not likely. I would suggest you verify your getting hot and tell us the method you used to verify that.
That's very fast from cold engine to hot.
Good luck
Larry

 

Did you posibly mix two different types of coolant since you are running a C***y? I have seen that situation in a friends brand "X" car and the liquid turned to thick mustard or better yet Calf Scours!


I can't resist either! Why don't you try putting your fan on the back side of your engine where your distributor is? HaHa!

 

I can't resist either....what is Calf Scours?

 

The product of sick calves. Very undersirable stuff, you get the idea.

 

hello.i installed temp gauge today,,,the rad was cleaned 2 weeks ago so its doing a better job cooling the engine...the aftermarket gauge says not to use teflon tape so i didnt but now its leaking a little bit of antifreeze,how you guys fix this???do you use tape regardless of the instruction???thanks

 

If it is an electric gauge, it needs to ground through the threads. You can use liquid teflon or RTV, in my experience enough threads will ground.

 

its a mechanical one

 

If you stay with the mechanical fan, I think that you will find that the fan sits too low relative to the centerline of the radiator. I put a "Zips" risor on mine such that the fan centerline is now dead center on my radiator (a 70's Dodge truck radiator). The Zips risor will raise the fan about 5 inches. It uses a GM 6 cylinder pump. You can check it out in my gallery.
You may want to consider it given where you live. You can also check out the SS shroud that I built out of steam table pans.