Afternoon Gents, ok, it got hot here the past few days, and my TEMP gauge would go to the P on the way up the hills home. So I bought a mechanical temp. gauge, and she will run in the 205-215 up the hills and not really cool down unless your going down hill again. So I am guessing my radiator just can do the cooling job?
Anyone got a spare V8 one layin around?!

 

Some people run a 205* thermostat. I don't think 205-215 is necessarily too high. Temps will rise a bit in the thinner air of higher elevations.

"We all know that water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. For every pound of pressure you put water under, it will raise the boiling point approximately 2 degrees. So a good 15 pound radiator cap will raise the water's boiling point 30 degrees from 212 to 242 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 50 % of coolant and the boiling point of the mixture is well over 265 degrees Fahrenheit."

Cooling system problems, overheating, leak, etc.

 

Well, I ordered a new one from NAPA, it is 6" wider and 3/4 thicker. I had a 90 Lexus that did this, actually the neighbor I bought it from his widow, I had helped him put new t-stat, water pump and flushed it a few times, always got hot. My Excursions tranny **** the bed, and we had to drive it to LAX, it kept heating up going over Grapevine, week later, made it home, wife was drivin car, it overheats, splits radiator. New Radiator, no problemos,,, so THAT is what I am gonna do!

 

I love my van with the 300 in it...trouble is, I hate working on my van with a 300 in it. It overheated about ten miles from home(Phoenix) so I stopped and let it cool off. Drove about a mile at a time between cool-downs. Not losing a lot of coolant but was puking into the overflow tank. Got a white plume from the exhaust and a small amount of water emulsion on the dip stick. I suspect a blown head gasket but haven't removed it yet. It has Castrol Edge full synthetic so I'm hoping that this will not be a major issue with cleaning it all out. Removed the thermostat and boiled it for about ten minutes and it DID NOT OPEN AT ALL. DAMN! Also I replaced the head last year and just discovered, much to my dismay, that the head bolts are torque to yield and should have been replaced. DAMN again. SOOO, I'm thinking that the stuck thermostat plus reusing the old head bolts were both contributing factors here. At this point, I have the EFI intake removed and haven't removed any of the covers. Also, the little red overheat indicator on the rear freeze plug on the back of the head is no longer intact so I have no idea just how hot it actually got. How prone are these engines to head warpage after such abuse? Any comments, advice or observations are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

oldfordvan
I'm partial to the vans too. Got 98 Lariet with a 5.4, but prefer the van.

I've got a 94 E250 and have had similar past problems. On my 3rd head, 1st one cracked with water loss in the rad and 2nd one the new TTY bolts failed and cracked that head. Now have a new heavier casting head from Clearwater Cylinder Head, a little over 300 bucks with free shipping (and return). Got it in a day, but I'm in Ft Lauderdale.
Went with ARP stud kit instead of the TTY around (30 bucks) and a "severe duty" head gasket. Put in a new water pump, but pressed the impeller closer to the casting so the vanes are almost touching the casting. Really improves the flow of the pump.
I use 0w40 Mobile1 that is a real synthetic don't burn any at all. Never had any coolant mixed in the oil with any failures. I doubt you will have any issues as long as you drain it right away.
I tow a 24 ft enclosed car hauler with no heat issues and the engine is used pretty hard at times. You can tell it's working really hard on hills.
Runs flawlessly now.

The work isn't all that bad once you get into it, but it is a real PITA on a van and that's why it was worth it for me to get the best parts I could find.

Cylinder Heads
Call them for the latest info.

 

I wondered the same thing (water pump running backwards) so I removed the water pump just to make sure. The water pump has straight impellers so it will move coolant the same regardless of rotation unlike some other types which have directional impeller vanes, in which case, this is a major issue.

 

Thanks for the info on where to get a decent cylinder head. The one I just removed appears to be warped. Cylinders 1 & 6 were clean and normal. Cylinders 2 & 5 had small amounts of coolant but 3 & 4 had considerable amounts of coolant in them. Before I installed it last year, I noticed the machining marks suggesting that more material had been milled from the ends than from the center. I figured then that it had been previously warped prior to "reconditioning". Did you install the ARP studs before installing the head or install them after the head was in place. I'm not sure if there is enough vertical clearance to get the head in place once the studs are installed. I used a Fel-Pro blue head gasket last time. Is there another one available that is more severe duty? Thanks again.

 

These may help in your posts. Btw...do you happen to live next to a river?

 

There is plenty of room with the studs installed first, that's the way I did it.
Of course you need a second person.
The gasket I used was a FEL-PRO 525SD
Felpro/Head Gasket (525SD) | AutoZone.com

I've got some pics, but can't find them, if I do I'll post them

 

Even in my Pickup, 2 makes life MUCH, MUCH easier!!! Dang that thing is heavy!!

 

Ya mean the coolant river that followed me into the parking lot? The rivers here ain't deep enough anyway...do ya know where I can find a cliff??? Besides, we live in Arizona...rivers are for 4-wheeling, not boating...

 

OK the head is warped. Noticeable daylight under straight edge. Head gasket was still intact. Stuck thermostat plus TTY bolt failure plus warpage was sufficient to allow coolant to get past gasket into cylinders 2, 3, 4 & 5. Plus, in #4 CC, a crack was previously repaired using threaded rod, drilled and tapped into the surface. While this was a fine method for my granddad's ol' Model T, I only installed this head a little over a year ago. I shoulda sent it back thenbut it took almost a month(!) to get it after ordering. Bottom line, the amount of warpage is moot.
My brother says the old head is now a paper-weight. I disagree....it'll make a fine doorstop! Lesson learned...unless you're getting rid of yer ride, if you encounter this type of crack repair, send it back and fork over the extra cash for a new casting. New Head, ARP stud kit and HD gasket are on order.

 

that repair was blatently overlooked just to make a buck.

 

And I got impatient and went ahead and installed the upper hyper-drive anyway, having waited so long to get the Millenium Falcon back to Cloud City. I guess those Jawas screwed me with junk parts. Dammit, Chewie! Give me the hydro-spanner!

 

RRRRRRRRaaaaaaawwwww.....nmnmnmnmnmnrrrrrrrrraaaaa aanmmm