i have the same problem george has with his 67. it runs excellent but as soon as i hit traffic or idle for any reason after running it, my temp starts to creep up to about 205-210. i have repleaced the water pump and flushed and filled the radiator to see if i had a clog somwhere, i also replaced my 192 thermostat with a 160, and i have a 6 blade fan witha shroud.....still nothing does the trick. the wierd part is when i turn off the car the coolant boils and spills out. id appreciate any help. and id like to hear some theories on A/F ratio affecting the cooling system. its the only thing left i can think of. Thanks Sinclair
Sinclair, This is no theory, just fact. Water transfers more heat than antifreeze. Antifreeze is for freeze protection. The less antifreeze concentration you run, the cooler the motor will run, simple as that. You can run straight distilled water with a corrosion protector if you want in the summer. Red Line Oils makes a product called water wetter. It lowers the surface tension of water and lets the water transfer more heat. You can get it at any speed shop or Pep Boys. You can run water wetter with 100% distilled water, it provides corrosion protection. I run 25% antifreeze and one bottle of water wetter, along with distilled water(available in gallons in a drug store). Your cooling system should run under pressure. The cap should be 15 lbs. This raises the boiling point of the coolant. If it is bubbling over after you shut it down, I would immediately suspect the radiator cap. It may not be holding the pressure. Change it and see. If your motor temp creeps up in traffic, you need more airflow. A good seven blade fan with heavy duty fan clutch, a shroud that seals to the radiator, should do the trick with the above mentioned suggestions. Good luck.
Sinclair, I have the same problem with my 72 GS 455. Larry has a good suggestion as the watter wetter does help cooling capacity. One quick question, you are running a radiator shroud? If not htis is an absolute must. If your are like me watter wetter it will not solve the problem. I have been told that my 4 core radiator is the problem in stop & go traffic. Because there is insufficent airflow at a stop, the first two cores of the radiator disipate the heat but the last two core reabsorb the some of the heat thus creating the problem. I have been told this is becasue I have a remanufactured 4 core that is just not efficient enough to disipate the heat from the motor. My motor is 30 over, GS118 cam, 71 stage one heads and from what i am told it generates a lot more heat than a stock 455. I am going to a Summit all aluminum radiator ($169) next spring and am hoping this solves the probelm. Anyhow, let me know when you solve you problems and it possibly could help me out as well. Please let me know if you have any qeustions
In my case before i installed my aluminum radiator about 2 years ago when i had the stock A/C radiator i used all that crap,water wetter,40 below and so on,anything to try to get it to cool,it didnt do sh@t for me so i ended up getting my aluminum radiator and solved my problem,just my experience on these liquid so called coolers. Thanks
thanx Rosey for the tip. i do have a radiator shroud. i have a number of things to try out still, such as the A/F ratio and a 7 blade fan. i am currently running a 6 blade. but i wil try the water wetter but i do not think it will solve the issue. i will probaly end up getting a whole new aluminum radiator. i am pleased to hear they are that cheap at Summit. I appreciate everything...and i will let you know how evrything goes WHEN i solve this. Thanks, sinclair
