Cooling issues

[MEK-Dangerfield]

Keep in mind, you can only advance the timing to a certain point, then you get ping-city, or it misses. It's amazing what a couple of degrees can do... either good or bad.


  Mike

[Stacked440]

26 Inch 3-core chrysler radiator.  I've tried screwing with the timing but can't seem to get it to where I am happy with it, right now it is set for 0 at idle, I need to adjust my vacuum advance yet as it advances way to much when I rev it.  Could the timing be my entire problem or is that alone not enough?

[MEK-Dangerfield]

26 Inch 3-core chrysler radiator.  I've tried screwing with the timing but can't seem to get it to where I am happy with it, right now it is set for 0 at idle, I need to adjust my vacuum advance yet as it advances way to much when I rev it.  Could the timing be my entire problem or is that alone not enough?

OK, we have the same radiator, and my temp. gauge barely moves 1/4 the way up in hi temps. I'm just wondering about how you are setting your timing. If you unplug the vacuum advance, and plug the line to your carb, your timing should be set somewhere around 12-14* BTDC to start at idle. I understand the vacuum advance being too far, as I had to adjust mine too. You do that by adjusting the screw in the vacuum advance pod with an Allen head screw. Counter-clockwise to retard it. BUT>>> that was only evident at cruising speed. I felt a little miss in my car. Do you feel that? If you are revving to around 2500-3000 RPM's at idle, you should see around 36* total advance on your distributor.


  Mike

[matt63]

I just unplug the vacuum advance and cap the carb port.  Vacuum advance just seemed to make the engine run worse.

[440Charger]

26 Inch 3-core chrysler radiator.  I've tried screwing with the timing but can't seem to get it to where I am happy with it, right now it is set for 0 at idle, I need to adjust my vacuum advance yet as it advances way to much when I rev it.  Could the timing be my entire problem or is that alone not enough?

Stacked, here's my experience:
 
Last summer I was running up to 220 on medium to hot days, even at highway speed with a 3-core radiator, and it would go up at lights.  Since then I've advanced the timing from 6 to about 13 initial, and richened the mixture.  So far it hasn't gone over 190, even on a 90+ degree day. 

If your not running lean, timing alone may solve your problem. 

g/l

[cudabob496]

Or, if timing is not the problem, then running lean was causing the engine to run hot?

[Chryco Psycho]

I would start with disconnecting the vacuum advance totally & set initial timing to 16 * & see if it still runs hot , having the timing set at zero at idle is far too retarded

[ntstlgl1970]

 

See if you can get the timing in the ballpark, plug the vacuum advance port on the carb and see how it drives.
If it still runs "hot" then the next step is verifying the temperature with something other than the stock gauge, otherwise we're all just guessing.

[miketyler]

My car is similar but is a stock small block 340 and is still running too hot. I had planned to replace the carb and did so just this weekend with the identical make/model carb. Somehow I was hoping for some cooler temp improvement but she's still running around 210* and climbing in neighborhood traffic.

During the carb replacement I did find a PCV that was allowing flow both ways. I replaced it with a new unit and still no change. Initial timing is set to 15* BTDC. I did hook up the VA, but never got any pinging or any indication I had too much timing. I do have a spring in the lower hose.

Am at my wits end, am perfectly willing to go back to the stock belt driven fan and shroud but it didn't make any difference before. What am I missing here? Maybe go with a Flow Kooler WP to help restore the ~25% flow loss due to the March under-drive pulleys?  CP - do you ever make it down to Texas? 
                   
            
       
   

[IMNCARN82]

I've heard of the hotter thermostats producing cooler running temps. I am in the process of testing this out. I'm trying 160* and 190* units. I am also trying some diff. makes.   I have found that the better ones operate much more consistently.  The felpro gaskets are much better too...       just one little problem so far...    what a mess.

[Chryco Psycho]

I have been in Texas twice so yeah once in a while

[MyMopar]

Wow, a lot of good suggestions and some info I hadn't even thoguth about.  For some reason I thought advancing the timing would make the engine hotter.  NOw I understand, I had my inital at 18* and brought it down to 14* and I noticed my temp goes up at idle now.  So I will have to do some tuning and try increasing the timing again.

One thing that everyone here did say is you need an actual temp gauge, not the factory dash one.  I have a mechanical one and it reads 210* when the dash gauge is right in the middle of hot and cold.

[miketyler]

Mine reads exactly the same. I bought a SunPro electric and when the factory gauge is horizontal the SunPro is reading very close to 210* which I guess is ok for some but doesnt leave much room for those really hot Texas days.

Has anyone tried the Flow Kooler waterpump? They claim it moves more water up to 3500 RPM than stock. I have an 8-blade on my car now which I had to special order from O'Reilly's over the stock 6-blade unit. They do this by adding a disk to the impeller which helps it "scoop" water better than an open blade impeller. The graph shows 20% increased flow over stock, which is about what my theoretic loss was w/ the March system.

     

Additionally, they advertise a newly developed Mira-Kool impeller which is an upgrade from 8 blades to 16 blades.  They also discuss the benefits and importance of a "balanced" thermostat over the standard thermostat.


     

[MyMopar]

The only upgrade I do for the water pump was getting the A/C unit one.  Of course this is for a BB, so I don't know what a SB would have.

[miketyler]

hmmm...whats the difference in an AC water pump and one without AC?