I thought there was a thread some time back about the distributor retard
causing overheating at idle. Even when new, my TR250 would always
overheat at idle in traffic, and taking it off idle cooled it off. I had
always assumed it was speeding up the fan that did it, but to be honest
it always seemed to cool it off a little too quickly and I kinda
wondered about it. After reading that thread some time back, I assumed
that taking it off idle stopped the vacuum retard, and that's what
cooled it off.
Don Malling
Jim Jones wrote:
> Vance:
>
> The easy stuff, short of testing the temp of the coolant to see whether the
>temp gauge is giving false readings, has mostly been done. Shroud intact, new
>180 degree thermostat, new radiator cap, no white haze in exhaust. I have not
>flushed out the coolant system yet, but that will be done this winter. The car
>is on stands now, waiting for me to "get at it". I appreciate the advice about
>the pump pulley. Hadn't thought about cavitation. Is that "Water Wetter" stuff
>that's supposed to make coolant more efficient any good? Just curious.
>
> Following all of the above, I'll have the radiator re-checked and then look
>at ignition adjustments.
>
> Jim
>
> "Navarrette, Vance" <vance.navarrette@intel.com> wrote:
> Jim:
>
> You don't say in your note what you have already tried to fix
> the problem.
> Have you replaced the thermostat? Have you drained and flushed the
> radiator, replacing the coolant with a fresh 50-50 mix of
> antifreeze/water?
> Is your fan shroud intact? Is it in good condition? If not,
> install one. Is your radiator cap in good condition? Have you tried
> replacing it? (The cap is a long shot based on the symptoms you
> describe, but it is cheap and easy...)
> Are there any bubbles in the coolant if you idle it with the
> radiator cap off (when cool)? Are you seeing any white smoke from the
> exhaust? If so, you have a blown head gasket...
>
> Take care of the basics before you start thinking about
> upgrading the water pump. Odds are it is something basic, and modifying
> the water pump would only be a band aid. Besides, if you spin the water
> pump too fast, it will cavitate and overheat when cruising. =:-(
>
> Cheers,
>
> Vance
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-6pack@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-6pack@autox.team.net] On
> Behalf Of Jim Jones
> Sent: Monday, December 29, 2003 7:34 AM
> To: 6pack
> Subject: overheating issue
>
>
> My 72 '6 has dual SU's and headers. It runs VERY well, except that it
> tends to overheat when idling in traffic. (Imagine that - a British car
> that overheats!) It has an electric cooling fan with an override switch
> that allows me to turn it on manually, which I do in that situation.
> Still, the temp guage goes up pretty blasted fast.
>
> I am reluctant to mess with the timing and advance because it runs so
> well otherwise. The water pumps seems okay - no noises. The previous
> owner had the radiator rebuilt. I am thinking that putting a different
> pulley on the water pump to make it turn faster would help. Anybody have
> experience with this? Any opinions? Any shameless self-promotion of
> parts that would solve this problem?
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