Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 24

Thread: English newbie with straight 8 overheating issues

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    London, En
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0
    Ok, so I finally revisited the problem with the '52 so here's where we're at.

    I had the waterpump rebuilt with new everything Inc. bearings, seals, impeller etc - came back like new. Fitted it to the engine but still no visible flow when looking in the rad cap - all that happened was the water level in the rad dropped when revving the engine but came back up when the engine returned to idle speed.

    I ran the car so the block warmed up and then removed the thermostat housing and blocked the internal hole which goes down to the bypass hose and disconnected the lower rad hose. The heater rad is toast so the heater inlet/outlet had been joined with a loop pipe around 10" long - I clamped this pipe so no water could pass through it.

    I then ran a cold hosepipe through the top inlet and warm water flowed from the lower outlet - the cold water from the hosepipe was obviously flowing around the engine and pushing the hot water out - so no blockage there.

    Basically everything has been replaced or rebuilt other than the rad - which I can say is 100% in need of replacement BUT water flows through it and as fast as you put it in the top hose inlet it comes out the bottom hose outlet.

    Can an old radiator which isn't great but still allows water to flow through it cause this no circulation problem ? For the life of me I can't think of anything else that can be causing the problem.

    HELP !!!!!!!

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Central Il
    Posts
    465
    Rep Power
    0
    Crack the Petcock on the right side of the block to purge air. Also. What is the temp drop across the cooler? Is the lower pipe a lot colder than the upper? This would indicate blocker cooler or bad water pump.
    52 Special.
    Tin Militia CC

  3. #13

    Straight 8 overheating

    OK, I should have said this months ago. REPLACE THE RADIATOR. And the bottom hose. remove the neck between the pump and the block and see if there is any flow. As an engineer I worked under years ago would say " this ain't no ouija board, boys".

    If was me, this is the order in which I would continue. Pull the bottom hose. Make certain it is OPEN. Turn it up so the radiator end is pointing up.Get it higher than the top hose. Remove the thermostat , housing and all. Leave it off. . Stuff a water hose into the turned up end of the bottom hose. . Turn water hose on full blast. You SHOULD get water circulating through the engine. I am betting you will. If this proves out, find your self an extra radiator. With 35 plus cars, there is bound to be one that is CLEAN and will jerry-rig up temporally. Hook the bottom hose to this radiator bottom outlet. Leave thermostat housing off. Run water hose into top of the temp radiator until everything is full. Start the engine. I am betting there will be a geyser of water from the thermostat housing. If there is not , remove the pump to block neck and repeat the above test. This will prove pump working or not. If plenty of flow, replace the radiator. Or save your, your efforts and replace it to begin with. I have seen no overheating problem in which the radiator HAS NOT been rodded out or the core replaced that was not the fault of the radiator. Yet we all expect these old things to work.

    Ben

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    139
    Rep Power
    0
    Listen to Ben, he knows of what he speaks, unlike some posters who just like to hear themselves talk. I wholly endorse the previous message, ( and I am not even running for any office.) Couldn't find the like button Ben!

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    London, En
    Posts
    11
    Rep Power
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by firstofeight View Post
    OK, I should have said this months ago. REPLACE THE RADIATOR. And the bottom hose. remove the neck between the pump and the block and see if there is any flow. As an engineer I worked under years ago would say " this ain't no ouija board, boys".

    If was me, this is the order in which I would continue. Pull the bottom hose. Make certain it is OPEN. Turn it up so the radiator end is pointing up.Get it higher than the top hose. Remove the thermostat , housing and all. Leave it off. . Stuff a water hose into the turned up end of the bottom hose. . Turn water hose on full blast. You SHOULD get water circulating through the engine. I am betting you will. If this proves out, find your self an extra radiator. With 35 plus cars, there is bound to be one that is CLEAN and will jerry-rig up temporally. Hook the bottom hose to this radiator bottom outlet. Leave thermostat housing off. Run water hose into top of the temp radiator until everything is full. Start the engine. I am betting there will be a geyser of water from the thermostat housing. If there is not , remove the pump to block neck and repeat the above test. This will prove pump working or not. If plenty of flow, replace the radiator. Or save your, your efforts and replace it to begin with. I have seen no overheating problem in which the radiator HAS NOT been rodded out or the core replaced that was not the fault of the radiator. Yet we all expect these old things to work.

    Ben
    Thanks for the input Ben.

    I spent most of yesterday afternoon searching for a rad that sort of fitted into the car to try pretty much what you suggest - everything I have to hand has the inlet/outlet in the totally wrong position BUT I was trying to find one that both the top and bottom hoses (which are new) would fit on to. I have a brand new rad for my '64 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (which has the lower hose outlet on the wrong side) which I'll try to rig up externally somehow for testing using the procedure you've suggested.

    Trying to find a rad here in the UK is impossible which is why it hasn't been replaced yet so it's either get it rebuilt here or bring one in from the US.

    I'll hopefully run some tests today or Friday , I'll let you know the results. 👍🏻

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Sisters OR
    Posts
    454
    Rep Power
    0
    A radiator with a 2 inch inlet should flow at least 35 gallons a minute using natural gravity, so 5 gallons should flow through it in about 8 seconds. If you could rig up a 2" diameter funnel with what ever you have you could flow test your radiator or take it to a old time radiator repair shop and I bet they could flow test it. Now for the water temp sender. If you remove the valve cover you will see that a bolt that holds the rocker arm shaft in place is in perfect alignment with the coolant sensor. It is threaded into the coolant sensor port. It is very easy to exchange bolts and put to long a bolt in that hole and it will reach in and hold the temp. sender in place. I know because this exact situation happened to me. I had to get mine repaired. A man here locally repaired my sensor and it now works great. The system is called a bourbon tube. If you can not find any body over there to repair it, I can help you with the mans name from here.

    Vern

  7. #17
    TexasJohn55

    Couldn't find the like button Ben!


    lower left corner of the post, mouse over the sheriff star looking thing.









    you can add or subtract to 'reputation' in the pop up.



    Rustytractor
    Trying to find a rad here in the UK is impossible



    huh-wut? it's so cold in England you guys did away with water cooling all together?

    i know you're not going to be able to walk into a radiator shop and ask for a cross reference on a 1952 Buick but you should STILL be able to take general exterior dimensions and inlet / outlet nipple locations and cross reference that. there's probably dozens of possible substitute applications.

    just remember, you're in the UK, so use a metric tape measure.

    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    139
    Rep Power
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by bob k. mando View Post
    TexasJohn55

    Couldn't find the like button Ben!


    lower left corner of the post, mouse over the sheriff star looking thing.









    you can add or subtract to 'reputation' in the pop up.



    Thanks Bob, My screem does not show a "star" at the bottom, only an icon that says "Promote to article", whatever that means.

  9. #19
    huh, strange.

    icons in the bottom left of every post for me are, from left to right:
    1 - "Promote to article" ( which i assume is restricted to mods? )
    2 - IP, internet address of the poster
    3 - six pointed star, looks like a sheriff's badge, User Rep
    4 - infraction button ( another mod tool, i assume )
    5 - Report Post, triangle with an exclamation point in it
    The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.
    Vladimir Lenin

    Government schooling is about "the perfect organization of the hive."
    H.H. Goddard, Human Efficiency (1920)

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    139
    Rep Power
    0
    Bob, It is likely due to my outdated system. I am running on XP SP-3 with IE8 with dial up modem at less than 56kbps data rate. It has become less and less functional incrementally over time. I can no longer post on AACA forums but can read and use the "like" button, no posting or PM's. Some websites kick me back automatically, no access at all. At first, I could use CL to buy and sell, then I lost ability to post ads, then recently could not see pics, now I have no access at all. It is a shame that our perfectly good system 5 yrs ago and still functional otherwise is fast becoming useless on the internet. John

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
TeamBuick.com Privacy Policy