[mcarbaja]

I have a 64 pontiac 389. I have a overheating problem. Tha car when driving its it does not over heat, yet when stoppd or in stop in go traffic (normal in miami) it starts to climb. I put a oil cooler and i have a 16 electric fan in the front to push my car does not have a fan cover (other name but don't know how to spell it) I used to have a straight flexfan but removed it to install fan clutch with big fan blades off a chevy caprice . It goes down when i am driving but goes back up when stop. I am wondering if the 64 came with a fan cover. I have not seen fan cover for sale on any pontiac auto part. I put the timming back some, it just take longer to warm up. I have heard off lean and rich what does does saying mean and if it would help. I have a 160 new thermostat. Thanks MIGUEL

[TheTempest]

The problem with boiling out the radiator is, like a lot of other things these days, the process ain't as good as it used to be. I took the radiator out of my son's '85 S-10 to the local shop for this service(it was suffering from a good case of cooling system cholesteral). The folks there took a look at it and said the tanking process would *not* remove the calcification that had built up inside the radiator core. Hard to believe but they were right...the process did restore some flow capacity to the radiator (and lighten my wallet by $45) but did not bring it back to original specs. I guess the EPA has silently raineth down terror and brimfire on the use of caustic chemicals; save the environment, get a new radiator.

[mcarbaja]

Thanks for all the answers i will try to change the thermostat this week now i looked at the catalog and they don't have the fan shroud for my 64 they only hav eit for the 67 on up . I have a metal one that u put on the radiator and it is held in place by someplastic thing that go tru the radiator(don't like the idea) i will try to reinstall it. I will also put up the timming thank u MIGUEL

[mcarbaja]

I have a 64 pontiac 389. I have a overheating problem. Tha car when driving its it does not over heat, yet when stoppd or in stop in go traffic (normal in miami) it starts to climb. I put a oil cooler and i have a 16 electric fan in the front to push my car does not have a fan cover (other name but don't know how to spell it) I used to have a straight flexfan but removed it to install fan clutch with big fan blades off a chevy caprice . It goes down when i am driving but goes back up when stop. I am wondering if the 64 came with a fan cover. I have not seen fan cover for sale on any pontiac auto part. I put the timming back some, it just take longer to warm up. I have heard off lean and rich what does does saying mean and if it would help. I have a 160 new thermostat. Thanks MIGUEL

[Andre]

How high does your temp gauge go to when you are stopped in traffic, and does it keep going until the car overheats, or does it top out at about 210-215?

[ScottN]

You might wanna try a 180 or a 190 thermstat. The problem with the 160 is once it opens the water temp will keep it open and you will just keep recirculating hot water and never give it a chance to close and cool down.

[mcarbaja]

My car goes to between 220-230 and does not go any higher. at a light or idle but when i Drive it goes to about 190. I put the timming at 6 btdc but it still does more less the same.

[goathead68]

Miguel,

The word(s) you're looking for is the fan shroud. According to the latest PY catalog, a shroud is supposed to be on your car. The fan shroud will help the fan pull air through the radiator. This will especially help while you're idling at a light.

Try changing the thermo to a 180, too, as Scott suggested. Advancing the timing will also help the car run a little cooler. I usually bump the timing up 4 or 5 degrees from the recommended setting, no more. My '68 should be set at 9 degrees BTDC, I've got it set at 14. You'll have to play with it a little to see what works best for you.

Also, make sure that your radiator cap is up to snuff. Any radiator shop or garage can check it for you. It should hold 15 lbs. of pressure; anything less and the cap is junk. Coolant can hold more heat if it is kept under pressure.

The fan shroud (page 32 in the PY catalog) costs $109, a new radiator cap costs $6.

What kind of Pontiac is it?


Ken

[ March 25, 2002: Message edited by: goathead68 ]

[ March 25, 2002: Message edited by: goathead68 ]</p>

[mcarbaja]

i forgot to mention that it does not go there just in one time it gets there eventually like about a certain number of time that i have stopped so it not like a quick thing. the bad part is that in miami traffic is very bad sometime and theres a lot of stop and go traffic

[ScottN]

One other thing. How old is the radiator? If it's the original and never been out of the car, you might want to take it to a shop and have it flow tested. It could be clogged. a difference of 3-4 gpm will make a big difference.

[Andre]

I personally wouldn't worry about it, as 190 is fairly standard around South Florida. Even at 230, you've got aways to go before you overheat if you are running a good radiator cap, and coolant.

Next time you are in traffic, and it starts to get hot, turn on the heater, and see what happens.
Report back on your findings.

BTW, are you using a mechanical gauge to measure water temp, or an electrical one. The electrical ones can sometimes give odd readings.

[TheTempest]

Miguel,

A few things to consider or, here's what I'd do:

Unless you know for sure your current radiator is in "like-new" condition, I would replace it with one made by Desert Cooler. They make stock sized and stock appearing replacement radiators with a higher cooling capacity than the factory unit, just the ticket for handling the hot Miami weather.

Your electric fan setup may not be able to provide enough airflow through the radiator especially if you have removed the factory, engine-driven fan.

If you have removed the factory fan I would reinstall it. Definitly restore the fan shroud and, if your car has a fan clutch (you can tell it has if you can spin the fan when the engine is shut down) replace it also. The clutch allows the fan to "freewheel" when the air temp through the radiator is below a certain point (during normal driving) and engages the fan when the temp rises above that point (during "stop and go" driving); if this is not happening then it doesn't much matter what kind of fancy radiator you have you'll overheat in the slow stuff.

I would have to disagree with my comrads on the use of a hotter thermostat. Stick with as low a tempurature thermostat as you can. The purpose of the thermostat is to allow the engine to reach normal operating tempurature fairly quickly. The thermostat opens based on the tempurature of the coolant in the engine block. Once the coolant tempurature exceeds the opening point of the thermostat, it then flows through the radiator. Why wait for most of your coolant to reach 180 or 190 degrees before allowing it to circulate through the radiator? The physical dimensions of the thermostat itself provide the "resistance" needed to slow the coolant flow through the radiator sufficiently to allow it to transfer its heat.

I hope this helps a bit and good luck with your car.

Mike

[gtoguy1967]

what is the number or web address for flow kewl?
what is diferent about these than a stock replacement i run hot and would like to change if it would help! Don

[ScottN]

Mike, just speaking from experience as far as the thermostat goes. Swapping the 160 for a 180 made a difference for me. Just my .02.

[goathead68]

Don,

You can get a Flow Cooler water pump from Summit, part number BRA-1622 ($99.95) for your car. See page 106 in the latest Summit catalog. Call 1-800-230-3030 or go online at www.summitracing.com to get a catalog.

Instead of having an open impeller like a stock pump, the Flow Cooler has a plate welded to the impeller to help increase coolant flow. I'm guessing that this pump dropped my operating temps 5 or 10 degrees.

Ken

[goathead68]

All good posts here. The 180 thermo worked well for me, too. I had a 160 and the car would never warm up. I'm running 185 in town and 195 on the highway with a 4 core radiator, stock 7 blade fan, new fan clutch and a Flow Cooler water pump. I don't think the pump had a great effect on the temps, but I needed a new pump and thought I'd try this one.

If anything, take the radiator to a local shop and have them boil it and pressure test it. This is a lot cheaper ($40) than buying a new radiator ($200 and up). A shop can also recore the radiator for less, assuming the tanks are OK.

If you decide to get a new radiator, a 4 core will help a lot in getting the car to run cooler. You can also reduce the amount of anti-freeze in the cooling system. Instead of running 50/50, try 40/60 or 30/70 antifreeze to water ratio. This may help a little.

A shroud will definately help. Also, block off any holes you may have in the core support.

Ken