What are some cheap ways i can keep my engine cooler? It seems that AFTER i did a coolant flush and replaced the lines that the truck seems to get hotter faster. Is there an intercooler or a bigger radiator i can get or are there any tricks of the trade? I drive a 77 f150 with the 300 and everything is 100% stock.

 

If everything is good, radiator, heater core, lines, water pump, fan shroud, fan and belts, you can remove the thermostat to run cooler. If you're coolant isn't mixed atleast 50% it will run hotter.

 

Hey pyro;

When does it seem to run hot? While idling or slow speed driving, or out on the road? All the time?

If it is at idle or slow speeds, it could be that the fan is not pulling enough air across the fins of the radiator. That could be caused by a number of reasons including a bad fan clutch or a missing/broken fan shroud.

If it is at highway driving, it may be that the radiator cooling tubes are blocked. In that case you need to take the rad to a rad shop and have it 'rodded out'...which means they take files of the appropriate sizes and run them down through the cooling tubes inside the rad.

If it overheats all the time, maybe the t-stat is stuck.

It could also be that the radiator cap is bad, thermostat may be stuck closed or partially open, not allowing enough coolant to pass. The water pump impeller blades could also be rusted so bad that they don't move enough coolant.

So I have a couple of questions for you.
1. Why did you flush the system in the first place?
2. Was it overheating before you flushed it?
3. Did you change the t-stat after you flushed it?
4. When does it over heat?

Happy truckin'

Dan Harriman 84 F150 lwb
Orange, Texas

 

I would just break down and buy a new radiator. They are really not that expensive, especially compared to cooking the engine. The rad was probably marginal to begin with, and after flushing the system, sediment from the block clogged up some more of the tubes. This assumes the belts are tight, the t-stat is new and you don't have a bad fan clutch, (if you have one), or a missing/broken fan shroud. As the mix ratio of glycol to water is increased the boiling point goes up, the freeze point goes down, and the heat transfer rate actually decreases as glycol has a lower heat capacity, (btu/lb/degF.), than water and is more viscous. 50/50 ratio is usually considered the optimal compromise between these and some other factors, but I doubt the mix ratio is your problem.

 

How are you determining it is getting hot faster ?


Do you have a fan shroud Installed ?
What is the coolant to water ratio ?
Is the engine timed properly ?

Don't ever run without a T-stat.

Lower temps causes more engine wear and reduced fuel economy .
These engines "WERE DESIGNED" to run at about 200*F

 

believe it or not, the same thing happened to me.. I thought it was the thermostat so I changed it, it still got hot but not as hot as it did before I changed the thermostat (still much hotter than it use to)

when I say hot, i mean.. I use to be able to lean on the radiator when the truck was fully warmed up (spinning the tires in the mud for an hour). It was warm, even hot, but not so hot I couldn't lean on it.. when I first flushed the system it got so hot you could hear the water boil in the radiator (just barely). After the new thermostat and another flush, there was no steam but the radiator got so hot I couldn't touch it.

Is it possible that the tstat was stuck open before the flush? and the engine stayed cooler than it should, now after the flush and new thermostat it's running at proper temps.. but because I was use to it running at such low temps, proper temps seem abnormal? Might be the same case with the thread starter.

whatever it is, when you find out exactly caused it, let me know. I just assumed mine got clogged up somewhere.. but the radiator and upper hose on mine get really hot, so water is obviously flowing.

 

I would start by doing a pressure test on the cooling system and radiator cap. If you don't have a tester, most radiator shops will do this for free.

Then check the timing. Incorrect timing can cause drastic overheating.

Beyond that, check the drive belts for condition and tension. I would NOT buy a new radiator just because the engine is overheating. Unless the radiator has had a number of tubes closed off in the past, changing it won't make much difference.

Hope this helps,

 

Tstat upside down?

 

it never overheats, but it runs usually between the m and p, more so on the p when it gets hot, and every once in awhile it will go all the way up. it usually gets really hot when i'm stop and go, or on the highway. (guessing because its only a 3 speed and the limit is 70). i usually do about 60 or so on the highway when pulling so it isn't so bad. it was flushed because we didn't know the last time it was and got an overhaul with all coolant lines etc replaced.
im guessing 200* is right in the middle of the temp gauge, correct?

 

So it's safe to assume you are just going by the gauge and not actually putting a candy thermometer in the coolant to know for sure ?

Don't trust Ford Gauges to always be accurate.

If it pegs at HIGH ( plus the fuel gauge pegs at high at the same time as well)
then you probably have a ICVR grounding out from corrosion.
You will need to remove the cluster and clean all the connections and coat them with di-electric grease