Hello! Proud (and perplexed) owner of a 1963 Buick Special. Lately, she has been overheating on me, won't go more than 5 miles in 40-45MPH before I have to pull over. The Temp gauge doesn't light up when it happens. She also has been burping a lot of fluid. I was talking to a Chevy guy at my work who said it was probably the thermostat or cap, I have ordered both replacements from Rock Auto since they are cheap and would rather replace than wonder if they are good or not. Currently waiting on the delivery. My main question is, today when I went to check the radiator fluid after overheating there was no fluid visible...and crud coating the fins. Oil is not milky, fluid is not milkshake-colored. Does it sound like a blown gasket, or radiator just needs flushing? Thank you all!
It's hard to say if the problem came up suddenly or over time since your hot light doesn't seem to be working. If the overheating came on suddenly, I'd vote for a bad thermostat. If it got progressively worse over time, I'd think a gunked up radiator. But, as long as you are putting in a new thermostat and cap, might as well have that dirty radiator rodded out and flushed. If it's a very dirty radiator you might need to replace it. Your radiator guy should be able to tell you if it's repairable or not. And, for the future, you should get that hot light fixed. Good luck. Keep us posted.
I would do a leak-down test to check for head gasket failure. What kind of antifreeze are you using? If your running the regular "green" stuff your deteriorating the inside of your motor. Dexron antifreeze (orange stuff) is only a notch better. After you get your running hot and overheating issue figured out, I would suggest installing an aftermarket overflow or puke tank and use Zerex G05 antifreeze. Also you need to install an aftermarket temp gauge, DON'T rely on that dumb stupid idiot light. Keith
You don't say which engine it has. If it's a V6 (196) , which is all cast iron, it business as usual. If it"s a V8 (215), which is a aluminum, it changes everything. 1) the castings on the 215 were so bad that aluminum flaked off the inside of the water jacket and plug-up everything. So you need to give them a good flush on a regular basis.2) If it's been overheated numerous times you need to pull the heads and have them resurfaced. They are not very forgiving, usually being overheated one time will warp the heads. The stuff you see in your radiator is probably a mixture of stop leak and aluminum flakes. To do it really right you should have the block hot tanked, decked, resurface the heads, do a valve job, a fresh set of rings, re-core the radiator and you should be good for a long time. I like 215s but they take extra care, it's worth the trouble.
When the car is cold, fill it up with water. Leave the cap off, and start the car; if you get a geyser and a face full of fluid (which is why this is done cold!) you've got a head gasket problem. If not, then it's probably plugged. Is the water even moving? The water level will fluctuate and as the car heats up you'll see some water movement; if nothing is happening, the pump might be shot. Be advised, once the car starts to heat up and the thermostat opens up fully it'll start to expand and overflow very rapidly, so be careful! If it takes a couple of quarts to fill up the rad from empty, it's plugged; it should take at least 2 gallons.
OK: There is 2 reasons the aluminum flakes: 1) Air is being mixed with the antifreeze ... BIG NO NO on the 215 motor! Thats why you need an overflow/puke tank. 2) Wrong type of antifreeze ... The GREEN & ORANGE (dexcool) are NOT good choices in a 215. You want to use Zerex G05 or equivalent My guess is that his radiator is plugged (if it is its JUNK) and I would replace it with a Champion #1649. I'd also venture to say his head gaskets are leaking or heads warped. Just my .02cents worth Keith
Ditto with Bulldog... I once replaced my distributor and did some other stuff ... I then quickly timed it... It would overheat every time I took the car out. I did the same thing you did ... focused on the cooling system, until one day I re-timed it (it was off) and bam !! there it was, no more overheating !!! I never knew timing could have such a big impact. I'd check it just in case...
