Overheating at idle

[mailmaninvette]

zzzzz

 

[Tom Bryant]

overheating.

Welcome to the Corvette Action Center. This is a subject that has been discussed at length and you are not the only one with a cooling problem in a solid axle. Click on the search above and search the '53-'62 Forum for cooling, radiator or overheating and you will get a few threads where this has been discussed. Some have been successful in finding the cure too. Feel free to add to those threads if you have a quesstion or comment and it will come back to the top of the page again.

Need further help let me know.

Tom

 

[vettefinderjim]

How is "real" vs"gauge" temp

Chevrolet still sells temperature sending units that screw into the intake manifold that look correct but have different resistance values and hence do not give proper readings to the dash gauge.

Remove cap carefully and let engine heat. Using a portable temp gauge read actual coolant temp and see if dash gauge is the same. There are now laser guns that read temps all over the engine. Point and shoot.....and check temps in hoses, going in to radiator, coming out of radiator etc. Your friendly Mr. Goodwrench probably has one in his tool box.

Finally , if you have a brass service replacement radiator in the car, it is probably running 25-30 degrees hotter that the orginal allumium units. DeWitt Manfacturing in Brighton, Michigan makes the proper service replacement alluminum unit that are NCRS correct even to the date stamp if you want it.

Of course, I assume all your engine timing specs etc are correct. These cars should not overheat. I know of a 57 Corvette vintage racer that runs 13.00 to 1 pistons and runs hard at Launa Seca and others, and never runs hotter that 200 degrees.

Good luck,
Jim

 

[60w427]

Mailman- Recall what you did in '71-'72? I'm trying to remember what degree therm. I put in 2 yrs. ago. I'm not sure I was here in '71. My drivers license say's I was though.

Tom - Finally got some pictures of the '60 put on a floppy. I'm going to try and post them here late one night this week. If I screw it up I can delete it and no one will know I'm computer stupid.;stupid

 

[Tom Bryant]

I don't have an angle finder or I would check mine. I also don't find the installed angle in the AMA specs. I'll have to think on this.

'60,
Posted the first pics from floppy myself the other day. This could get fun.

Tom

 

[JohnZ]

Just checked my '57 (same geometry for rad support), and it's about 14-15 degrees. Design position for the fan blade is half in the shroud, half out. Make sure any extraneous holes in the rad support are plugged, and it helps to seal the rad itself to the support (foam strips, etc.) to make sure all incoming airflow is forced through the radiator, not allowed to go around it. My '57 270 cooling system is all stock, and it runs at thermostat temperature (verified with my I.R. gun) under all conditions.

 

[Tom Bryant]

In an earlier thread I mentioned that my '59 always ran at thermostat temps and I had a friend in the early 60s with a low mile '57 270 that he had a hard time getting above 140. He even ran an extra mechanical guage on it for varifaction for awhile. He still has that car too.

Another friend in the same time period had a '57 FI bored to 301 that never overheated either. My statements were questioned so I'm glad to have another cool running solid axle to back me up.

Thanks John,
Tom

 

[JohnZ]

I've been helping others solve their cooling problems for decades, and 99% of the time it's basics - either the radiator or airflow. Cooling systems are very simple - assuming the thermostat and hoses are OK, there's not much left (have NEVER seen a water pump responsible for a cooling problem). Only two things matter - the efficiency/abillity of the heat transfer device (the radiator) to transfer heat from the coolant to the outer surface so air can carry it away, and the adequacy of the airflow through it to carry off the rejected heat. The former is affected by age/internal scale and corrosion (nobody ever expected Corvette radiators to last for 20+ years when they designed them), and the latter is a function of sealing the radiator to the support, correct shroud, fan, and clutch. The stock system ALWAYS works best if it's maintained properly - it was designed to do the job. Electric fans, "water-wetter", etc. are "band-aids", usually found on butchered aftermarket cooling systems that "look cool" (but don't really cool) like a "race car". If you add more motor (that rejects more heat), just add more radiator, but leave the rest of the system in place - never had it fail me.

 

[jcsmith]

Check to see if you have the proper radiator shroud or possibly the fan blade may not be the correct one. If so the pitch could be a problem. Is your radiator partially plugged?