Summer Overheating
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New User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 9
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From: Steamboat Springs, CO
Summer Overheating
Hi, All - I'm overheating my FE 390 when I'm in summertime parades. All the idling and even lugging the engine trying to go so excruciatingly slow. Juuust a little embarrasing pulling over with steam pouring out of the engine bay, coolant pooling all over with dogs wanting to lap it up... Not good.
So I think Ill install an aftermarket electric fan. Any recommendations / tips / other ideas?
Thanks -
So I think Ill install an aftermarket electric fan. Any recommendations / tips / other ideas?
Thanks -
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 446
Likes: 0
From: Texas
electric fans are great. radiators.com offers a 4 row radiator. shouds will also help. so will running a smaller pully on the water pump to make the pump and fan turn at a higher speed.
If you have a manual choke, you can partialy pull it when you're in a situation where you might over heat. rich mixtures run cooler than lean.
If you have a manual choke, you can partialy pull it when you're in a situation where you might over heat. rich mixtures run cooler than lean.
Elder User
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 662
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Rad. shroud with an electric fan should help. Also, you could add a coolant recovery tank to keep from watering the dogs. Once you have a sealed system, you could try higher pressure caps to raise the boil-over temp.
Elder User
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 909
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From: QLD Australia
when i was driving my 76 cobra ll, i had a bad problem overheating. put in a new rad, still heated up. installed electric fan, still overheated. I needed to rebuild it, and i knew that after boring it and all that it would probably heat up worse.
I went with aluminum trick flow heads and didnt want to chance warping them.
I noticed that on the head and in the gasket there were holes that was not in the block. I thought about it for about 30 seconds and grabbed up a drill bit. using a head gasket for a template, 8 new holes in the block, and opened up a couple in the gaskets using a head as a template. now it cools so well that I dont even have to use the fan on it unless its gona idle for a while. when you turn on the fan the temp drops like a rock. almost funny to have a 60 over engine that you have to force it to get warm.
Im not gona recommend doing that, but thats what I did, and it works almost too well.
I went with aluminum trick flow heads and didnt want to chance warping them.
I noticed that on the head and in the gasket there were holes that was not in the block. I thought about it for about 30 seconds and grabbed up a drill bit. using a head gasket for a template, 8 new holes in the block, and opened up a couple in the gaskets using a head as a template. now it cools so well that I dont even have to use the fan on it unless its gona idle for a while. when you turn on the fan the temp drops like a rock. almost funny to have a 60 over engine that you have to force it to get warm.
Im not gona recommend doing that, but thats what I did, and it works almost too well.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
SCWIDVICIOUS Welcome to FTE 
and the 61-66 Forum. How's things in the BBQ capital of the world.
rabbitearscarver Directional air flow is the problem with our pickups. The fan blades just can't pull enough air as they were built. Adding an electric fan and or shroud from a 70s FE, along some blocking material at the top of the support to make air go through the radiator rather than allowing it to go over the top would be a plus.
No pickup of that era that I have been around will sit and idle in the summer time without over heating. If my trucks guage gets up, getting under way usually brings it right down again.
Keep your water level down at least 2" for expantion.
John
and the 61-66 Forum. How's things in the BBQ capital of the world.rabbitearscarver Directional air flow is the problem with our pickups. The fan blades just can't pull enough air as they were built. Adding an electric fan and or shroud from a 70s FE, along some blocking material at the top of the support to make air go through the radiator rather than allowing it to go over the top would be a plus.
No pickup of that era that I have been around will sit and idle in the summer time without over heating. If my trucks guage gets up, getting under way usually brings it right down again.
Keep your water level down at least 2" for expantion.
John
Freshman User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 37
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Try Redline Water Wetter. It's a radiator additive that actually works. Check it out => http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/redline3.htm
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Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2000
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From: S.C.
I also used an additive called 40 below which worked extremely well got it from Advanced auto parts.
Jaye
Jaye
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