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Better Cooling 120-130

posted by  66amazon on  Tue Mar 10 16:16 CST 2015
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Anyone know of any tricks to get things running cooler? I just bought a 66 122s and I live in California, everything is doing great so far but when I turn the engine off I notice the temp gauge rises to the lower bar on the HOT 1/3 part of the gauge...is this normal?
Either way, it's gonna be another HOT summer comin up and I'm always looking for ways to cool things down...aside from flushing the rad. fluid what else can I do? Install a tranny cooler?, maybe buy a new radiator? (the one now is OK but a lil beat up)...and it doesn't have an overflow tank...which seems strange...should I upgrade to an overflow tank? Any ideas would help
-Thanks








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    Better Cooling 120-130

    posted by  james_a_sousa on  Fri Mar 13 21:01 CST 2015
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    last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:51 CST 2014
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    Measure the temperature with another gauge.

    I soon found out that the gauge on my '64 544 with a B20 engine was active and scary!

    Even in a 3 hour parade, it cooled well.

    An overflow bottle is a good idea - make sure you use the proper cap with it.







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    electric fan 120-130

    posted by  hairy apple on  Thu Mar 12 10:49 CST 2015
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    This isn't a fix for a cooling system that needs attention, but if once your system is in order and you still have too much heat an electric fan might help. They're automatic and run off a thermal switch. My electric fan sits outside the radiator (in front of it I mean) and the switch is located in the return pipe at the top of the radiator. Looks like a pretty simple installation, although mine could have been better. There used to be several radiator shops in South West Connecticut, all gone now unfortunately.








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    Better Cooling 120-130

    posted by  votx on  Tue Mar 10 17:50 CST 2015
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    last visit: Thu Oct 23 18:48 CST 2014
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    I agree that it's normal for the temp needle to climb after you shut it off, because the coolant is no longer circulating and the engine block is saturated with heat, so the coolant in the block has no choice but to absorb it. Many years ago I had a Pontiac Firebird, which would not even turn over if you tried to restart it when hot. I think it was due to the pistons & rings expanding after shutting it off. You had to wait at least 15-20 minutes for things to cool down before it would crank. Not a very good situation in S. Texas.








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      Better Cooling 120-130

      posted by  66amazon on  Tue Mar 10 23:23 CST 2015
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      OK - Great! So I should be OK here in Grass Valley if San Fernando wasn't a problem. I'll plan on taking a weekend to check hoses and belts and water pump (seems like it's working fine) ...flush the coolant and think about re-coring the radiator with same densely packed fins not a cheap aftermarket...and setting up an actual temperature gauge that clearly shows temp. (and puts my mind at ease.)
      This is probably a stupid question but does the heater core have anything to do with cooling? does that need to be cleaned or looked at? I was fixing the fan motor and was surprised that coolant flows into that thing...I've been working on Corvairs for the past ten years (air cooled) and never had to deal with heater cores in my modern car (91 toyota)







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        Better Cooling 120-130

        posted by  derek uk on  Wed Mar 11 06:17 CST 2015
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        last visit: Fri Oct 24 12:33 CST 2014
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        Everything reads as normal in your first post. As Phil says the original rad is a good one for its size. If it has no leaks that's even better. If you do remove it for back flushing You may find that some of the fins have started to rot away. Not uncommon but isn't good as it reduces the amount of heat they can disperse. Fin rot can be quite bad so don't be tempted to give the core a quick blast with a pressure washer to clean out the bugs, that will only rip the corroded fins off. Make sure your rad cap is good and of the correct depth. It's only a 4 lbs psi one as standard but can be upped to 7lbs. This will put a bit more strain on the rad so keep that in mind.
        The Corvair and most modern cars use an air blend system to control the heated air. Moderns with a fixed temp heater matrix. Amazon uses variable heat by controlling the amount of hot coolant that flows through the matrix along with an air quantity control. It can be used to help with an little extra cooling in an emergency. Perhaps stuck in traffic @110ยบ!Using the heater now and then helps to keep the valve working properly.








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          Better Cooling 120-130

          posted by  66amazon on  Wed Mar 11 21:36 CST 2015
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          Ok - great, thanks! So in other words if I was stuck in traffic in 110 degree heat and the temp gauge looked dangerously high, I could blast the heat in the car and help dissipate the engine heat at the expense of being personally uncomfortable...but the real fix is to have a properly working clean and solid system...particularly radiator. Makes sense...Thanks again!








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            Better Cooling 120-130

            posted by  someone claiming to be p of m on  Thu Mar 12 11:25 CST 2015 [RELATED]

            Fwiw...if you stuck in traffic and the gauge starts climbing rev the engine.,..at idle the engine wp does not circulate enough coolant....usually not a problem but if you have been driving hard and then get stuck in traffic it will get pretty hot....you can of course use the heater core to help cool the engine but this does not shed as much heat as a higher idling engine and the concurrent faster spinning fan.








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    Better Cooling 120-130

    posted by  Phil S. on  Tue Mar 10 16:54 CST 2015
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 13:18 CST 2014
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    It's normal for the gauge to go to hot when you turn off the engine, no cause for alarm.

    My '66 never had an overflow bottle -- I think that started in '67. It doesn't run any hotter or cooler with one.

    If the radiator is beat up, you should consider having it recored (if you can find a shop that still does stuff like that). Note, though, that the original core is dense, with lots of closely spaced fins. You want another core like that, not a generic one with fewer fins.

    I lived in the San Fernando Valley for 10 years, and never had the car overheat.








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    Better Cooling 120-130

    posted by  pageda on  Tue Mar 10 16:33 CST 2015
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    last visit: Fri Oct 24 13:18 CST 2014
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    I don't know whats normal, but make sure the fluid is fresh and you have the correct thermostat installed. If the radiator is questionable you might want to consider a new one. How is the water pump and belts. Might want to get an IR thermometer so you know exactly what you have,

    Dan







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