Moparts
cooling problems
Posted By: Anonymous
cooling problems - 05/24/08 09:42 PM
69 roadrunner, everything brand new including recored 054 radiator, 16lb cap, 180 stat, belts, hoses, mopar performance clutch fan, shroud, etc. The car runs past midway on the gauge and pukes everytime I shut it off. It heats up on the gauge within less than a minute after starting it for the first time. I initially thought my lean condition had something to do with it but I have sorted that out.
My thoughts are defective stat? shop screwed up something when they recored the radiator? cap? maybe something to do with the engine build?
HELP! I am running out of patience with this thing.
Posted By: 440_6_BBL
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 09:48 PM
Check your timing. Keep total below 35 degrees if posible. Check for vacumn leak around carb and intake. Change stat to a 160 degree. Try it again.
Posted By: dm69charger
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 10:12 PM
Check your lower radiator hose and make sure that it has not collapsed.
-Don
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 10:32 PM
timing is 34 total, can the antifreeze to water ratio affect anything??
Posted By: Neil
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 10:48 PM
A 50/50 mix is all that's needed.
Air bubble trapped in the cooling system? I don't know how you would cure that short of draining everything and refilling it.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 10:48 PM
looks like trans fluid in the coolant, its all red. what could they have done wrong when they recored this radiator to let this happen??
Sounds stupid but hows your catch can?
Do you have one?
If you do not have one, you are only suppose to fill the radiator just until it covers the core otherwise it will always spit out the water that has expanded.
your only problem maybe that you overfilled the radiator.
Otherwise I would remove the thermostat to make sure there is nothing blocking it. Maybe put a lower temp stat to replace it. Get a thermo heat gun ($40?) from harbor freight and check the actual temp the car is running.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 10:53 PM
no catch can just the overflow hose as original.
That's bad if you got red fluid. But if it is tranny fluid I would suspect it would be foamy and pink? Is it all floated to the top of the radiator?
oh maybe you have Redline water wetter in there!
Water wetter is pink or red (high concentration) to some people and it would be transparent.
I think also some of the newer coolants are reddish now too.
And the level of the coolant when cold?
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 11:11 PM
coolant level doesnt really change hot or cold, its at the top always. no pink foam and no antifreeze in the trans. I did add a clear water pump anti corrosion additive by zerex but like i said it was clear.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 11:12 PM
this is definitely trans fluid by the smell of it.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 11:19 PM
yes its floating at the top you can stick your finger in there and stir it around an d see good antifreeze.
Take the radiator out to the shop who did it. They should be able to fix it. Tell them about your over heating problem too. Don't drive the car until the leak is fixed. Hopefully it is only on way and you are not getting coolant in your trans.
Pull your tranny dip stick make sure it is not foamy pink in there like a milkshake. Water can damage the clutches really fast
Quote:
coolant level doesnt really change hot or cold, its at the top always. no pink foam and no antifreeze in the trans. I did add a clear water pump anti corrosion additive by zerex but like i said it was clear.
The level should be lower if you do not have a catch can. When you get your radiator fixed fill it at least an inch lower and see if it still spits out. Its hard to go by the gauge when you do not have numbers to reference it to. Especially on a 39 year car.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 11:47 PM
trans fluid looks fine but I have $1000 in this trans, is it possible to have it leak one way? I dont want to take any chances, everything on this car is brand new.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 11:48 PM
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Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/24/08 11:48 PM
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Quote:
trans fluid looks fine but I have $1000 in this trans, is it possible to have it leak one way? I dont want to take any chances, everything on this car is brand new.
If the hole is very small yes it is possible for it to be one way. Trans presure is larger than coolant pressure. But coolant presure is larger than tranny presure when the car is off. So hopefully the leak is a pin hole and can only go one way. Note that your coolant pressure maybe higher because of this leak.
Just being safe I would drain and refill the tranny.
I don't know if you will be able to fully remove the remainder of the oil out of your cooling system though
Quote:
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That looks like tranny fluid and the level is too high.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 12:11 AM
if trans fluid keeps pumping into the rad then that explains why the level never drops?
what exactly could have caused this and why would it make it run hot??
Maybe depending on the amount of oil in the radiator.
Your radiator has a tank for the trans fluid to flow thru. This is to help warm the trans when cold and cool the trans fluid when it gets to operating temp. Sometimes there is a leak in the tank that causes contamination.
I would fix this first and see what your cooling situation is like afterwards
Quote:
if trans fluid keeps pumping into the rad then that explains why the level never drops?
what exactly could have caused this and why would it make it run hot??
It is possible that the tranny fluid in the coolant is preventing the coolant from cooling properly but it could be another problem too.
Posted By: RapidRobert
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 05:28 AM
with the factory trans cooler in the bottom of the rad leaking fluid into the cooling system I would 1st have the radiator shop make good on that & on the overheating my guess is either inadequate radiator, timing retarded or head gasket leaking into the coolant. Good Luck & share with us what it ends up being.
Posted By: Joshs68
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 06:19 AM
I would drain the trans just to be safe.
Posted By: gamagoat6x6
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 11:22 AM
Quote:
I would drain the trans just to be safe.
And make the shop that screwed up the radiator pay for the fluid/filter.
Posted By: Ronnman
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 02:43 PM
While you have the radiator out for repair pull the thermostat out and place in a pot with water. Heat the water to see if the thermostat is opening. Preferably place a thermometer in the water to see what temp it opens at. Also, drill a 1/8" hole on the flat surface next to the thermostat valve. This allows easier filling and air bubbles to pass thru from the block to the radiator. I do this with all my thermostats.
Ron
Posted By: ademon
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 03:09 PM
When you get it all together, leave the t-stat out and add a couple cupfulls of simple green or something close and water to the rad and run for 5 min and flush, do this several times, you may still have trace amounts of oil in your coolant though.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/25/08 10:34 PM
thanks for all the suggestions. I'm going to take the radiator back to him tuesday, I'll post my findings.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/27/08 01:41 PM
radiator shop tells me that my cooler must have a hole in it and that it would have had nothing to do with him recoring the radiator, I think hes full of it since before I took it to him it never had any trans fluid in it and the car doesnt even have 10 miles on everything.
I will be taking him the radiator in the morning and I'll see if he tries to charge me to make it right, he says he will have to pressure it up. I have also talked to another shop about flushing the trans and that will cost $140.
Posted By: TJP
Re: cooling problems - 05/27/08 02:53 PM
I'd ask the radiator shop why they didn't "PRESSURE IT UP" before giving it to you. BS they screwed up should be their dime
Posted By: DZJim
Re: cooling problems - 05/28/08 04:19 AM
Quote:
radiator shop tells me that my cooler must have a hole in it and that it would have had nothing to do with him recoring the radiator, I think hes full of it since before I took it to him it never had any trans fluid in it and the car doesnt even have 10 miles on everything.
I will be taking him the radiator in the morning and I'll see if he tries to charge me to make it right, he says he will have to pressure it up. I have also talked to another shop about flushing the trans and that will cost $140.
Just for info, I think a quality shop would have caught the leak as a routine matter. I had my '72 radiator recored four years ago. I took it in because the filler neck was cracked at the rim. Shop owner does the radiators himself and lets his employees do the Air con work. He showed me where the trans cooler tube running through the lower tank was cracked and leaking. I never had any issues with the trans level going down or the cooling sys level going up, but I took the car to a shop and had the trans fluid replaced as a precaution. Recored, replaced filler neck and trans cooler tube. Works good four years later, 230,000 miles now.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 05/29/08 02:08 PM
went down this morning to check it out and the trans cooler tube has a hole in it that appears to be from corrosion. Its on the bottom side so it wouldnt have been from him recoring it although I feel he should have caught this when he built it. I could have had a nice aluminum radiator in it for what I have in this thing.
Posted By: Anonymous
Re: cooling problems - 06/02/08 09:31 PM
Bob at glen-ray radiators hooked me up with a new bottom tank and 15" cooler assy, nice guy to deal with.
