Posted by Jesse Ybarra
on 5/19/2012, 18:44:53, in reply to "Re: fc 4cyl and 6 cyl radiators"
207.200.116.136
The Thermostats are always a problem, especially when you are far away from home or an auto parts. What I have done is take the thermostat out, twist off or cut off the two arms, then take off any of the remaining arm tabs that hold the element, then that will remove that element with the hold down arms and the spring, what you have left is a large brass reduction ring, put it back together with a gasket, you can make one easily enough. (silicone will get you sealed up temporarily until you get a new thermostat) then drive it, the water will go through the reduction ring and cool as it should with a good thermostat, the difference is it will be a little cold to start, but it is an FC. Now you will know if it was a faulty thermostat, or another problem. If after doing that, you suspect over heating don't expect that it will go away by itself. Here is a few quick things to look at, make sure the fan belt didn't come off, make sure that one or both of the hoses aren't getting sucked shut, reducing the flow. Did I mention to quit driving it until the problem is fixed.
And before doing anything, be sure to check your water, make sure the tank isn't leaking and be sure that you have the 50/50 percent of Antifreeze in it to prevent a cracked block or head, then check the oil, look for clean oil instead of a chocolate malt on the dipstick and check the exhaust look for steam and moisture coming out of the exhaust.
Good luck
Jesse Ybarra
--Previous Message--
: I've had a lot of trouble with thermostats not
: working or failing. When they fail they fail
: closed. The worst is intermittent failure.
: They do make a fail open thermostat but they
: are hard to find sometimes.. I've run a lot
: without any thermostat without any issues
: but never put 100,000 on an engine like
: that. Just ran them without one long enough
: to fix whatever the real problem was. If
: your overheating with all original stuff get
: a 160 to 165 thermostat see if that helps.
: Make sure it works at the correct temp with
: a pan of boiling water and the temp gauge.
: Still having a problem have the radiator
: checked there could be some blockage in the
: rad. If that doesn't work check the
: impellers on your water pump. I've had a few
: old ones when you look at them the impellers
: are all eaten away. While it's off check the
: water ports from the block. sometimes they
: get restricted or clogged from calcium
: buildup.
:
: --Previous Message--
: I would watch the temp. if running with out
: a
: thermosat, I have done that myself in the
: past, but never again. After I got into the
: marine repair and service end, 23+ yrs. what
: I have seen in a inboard engine, like a 4
: cyl. Gm. eng., small & big block Fords
: & chevy's, if run below aprox. 160
: degree all the time, the cyl. wall wear
: increase and some times will go egg shaped,
: even the factory's told us about this,
: Mercury & OMC. The problem is all the
: engines are set up to run at a set temp.,
: most auto's is 180-200 degrees, the marine
: eng's at 160 degree's, if they have a
: enclosed cooling system, then thay will also
: run around 180 degree's. I would get a 160
: degree thermosat and try it,also, when
: thermosat is marked 160, it will
: "start" to open at 160, it may not
: open 100% untill it gets to 170 or so, I
: have tested many to make sure they work OK.
: Another thing we would find, the water pump
: vanes would wear down, hard to see unless
: you have another pump to look at., just my
: 2-cents, good luck with it, Wayne in sunny
: Fl.
:
:
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: Hey Dan:
: Are you not running a thermostat at all with
: no problems?
: Interesting, I had always understood that
: the thermostat not only keeps the engine hot
: enough but also slows down the coolant flow
: so it has time to cool as it passes through
: the radiator.
: Too fast a coolant flow can also cause the
: engine to overheat.
: Will R
:
: --Previous Message--
: That is good info, so I must have the right
: radiator. Finally found my manual, the 6
: cylinder is 11 quats vs 10 for the 150.
: That extra capacity could be in the engine.
:
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