1967 Buick GS400 Overheating

[joshhirst13]

Hey guys. Now I'm noticing a strong bitter sweet smell/taste in the passanger space that won't go away. I'm thinking this is because my heater core is bad??? I haven't noticed any leaks or the carpet being wet though. Would this also be causing the overheating problem as well as the bad flow in the radiator tubes? Should I replace the heater core & see if that solve the overheating problem before I mess with the radiator?
Thanks,
Josh

[raycow]

That smell could indicate a coolant leak, but the leak wouldn't necessarily cause overheating unless the level in the radiator got so low that it would be obvious. What I am saying is, you may need to replace the core anyway because of the leak, but don't count on that to fix the overheating problem.

I would suggest first checking the converter switch as described by Dr. Frankenbuick, and if that doesn't turn up anything, then look for some other cause of insufficient air or coolant flow at idle. Do you have a tach? If yes, what is your idle speed both in and out of gear?

Ray

[joshhirst13]

So heres where I'm at so far. Today I brought the car down to a radiator shop & had the system pressure tested. The system held & did not lose pressure nor did he notice any leaks. As for the high idle, when the car is in park the my TAC is reading 900 rpm & while holding the brake & stopped with the transmission in drive the RPM is at about 500 or 600. The Radiator shop seems to think its the radiator. As for the smell is it possible that the coolant that got sprayed all over the engine compartment when it first overheated a few weeks back is still burning off & entering the passenger space or should it have burned off by now. I'm getting pretty tired of tasting antifreeze in my mouth.
Thanks,
Josh

[raycow]

Ok, if there is no heater core leak, then the antifreeze smell is likely getting in from the engine compartment like you figured.

Were you able to tell if the converter switch is working? Probably the easiest way to test it would be to disconnect the wires and see if that makes any difference. That's quite a big rpm drop you are getting when you put the transmission in gear. You might want to find out what the service manual says about idle speed in neutral.

Ray