To all,
My background is British cars and some other imports and have the ASE
certification as Master + L-1 but I have little experience working on the
Buick / Olds 215 except rebuilding one 3500 Rover 215 and pulling down one
Olds 215. I have always heard that the 215 had a history of overheating.
Others with 215 experience tell me they never seen this. Has anyone out
there had any real experience with 215 overheating that couldn't be caused
by the normal things that cause overheating like, radiator problems, lower
hose collapsing, thermostat not opening or not installed, water pump
impeller problems, ignition timing, lean carb, intake air leaks, excessive
carbon buildup in combustion chambers, wrong heat range plugs and a half
dozen other causes. I read the article Dec. 97 Street Rod and can't see what
blocking off a heater port can have to do with coolant circulation unless
none of the cars that used the 215 had heater valves. If the thermostat did
not have a bleed hole or giggle valve and someone did not turn the heater
valve on or had put a plug in the port then that system would be difficult
to impossible to get the air out of the system on a fill up from empty.
As for the article statement of early problems with antifreeze. Could this
have come from Alcohol based antifreeze left over from the early days? I
know from experience that alcohol forms a jelly like substance when in
contact with aluminum. If it does not act as an insulator then it for sure
will clog a radiator.
I guess what I am wanting to know , Is this history of overheating just a
lingering "Old wives tale" like "Don't charge a battery on a concrete
floor"????
Howard
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