Over Heating?
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Senior User
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 223
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From: Florida
Over Heating?
Have a 74 F100 with a 390, I've had this vehicle for about 3 weeks. It runs in the quarter range between cold and half way hot during the morning driving around town. While on the highway during the middle of the day in Florida it runs in the middle to 3/4 hot. The radiator looks like it was reworked before i got it. Other than putting a mechanical temperature guage in to see what it really is doing what are my options? Someone put a flex fan on the water pump.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 741
Likes: 8
From: Western N.C.
Just my opinion, but flex fans are junk. They flatten out as RPM increases, which means they move less air and may actually function as a barrier for air that wants to pass through the radiator.
You may want to do a flush on the cooling system. I just posted a thread in which I did this and it makes a huge difference in how cool the engine runs. Just because the radiator may have been reworked, you may still have a large buildup of rust/scale/silt within the engine itself that prevents proper cooling. My radiator was only two years old when I got my truck (360 2V), but I found out that there was still a lot of crud in the engine.
Also, a shroud makes a big difference. I am not currently running one, but I am still running the factory non-flex, non-clutch fan. Within the last year I have also replaced my standard water pump with a high flow super cooling unit.
Finally, I will suggest that you go to a car wash or use a pressure washer to blow out the fins of the radiator. I had a lot of bugs and dirt in mine when I got it, so that was one of the first things I did. This is a regular maintenance item on all of my vehicles, as it only takes a few minutes to do and can really make a difference. Normally I do this every time I change the oil.
Good luck and let us know how you fare.
You may want to do a flush on the cooling system. I just posted a thread in which I did this and it makes a huge difference in how cool the engine runs. Just because the radiator may have been reworked, you may still have a large buildup of rust/scale/silt within the engine itself that prevents proper cooling. My radiator was only two years old when I got my truck (360 2V), but I found out that there was still a lot of crud in the engine.
Also, a shroud makes a big difference. I am not currently running one, but I am still running the factory non-flex, non-clutch fan. Within the last year I have also replaced my standard water pump with a high flow super cooling unit.
Finally, I will suggest that you go to a car wash or use a pressure washer to blow out the fins of the radiator. I had a lot of bugs and dirt in mine when I got it, so that was one of the first things I did. This is a regular maintenance item on all of my vehicles, as it only takes a few minutes to do and can really make a difference. Normally I do this every time I change the oil.
Good luck and let us know how you fare.
