1979 still running hot

1979 still running hot - 8/12/2008 6:02:26 PM

riley6riley

Posts: 108
Joined: 4/12/2007
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My car is still running hot, not sure why. I have 165 degree thermostat in, new stock radiator, brand new water pump, new anti freeze and it still gets up to about 200-210 after I have been driving it at about 60-70 for more that 1/2 hour. When I stop or slow down, it will go back down closer to 200. I have a 350 with a cam (not sure what it is, the guy that did a tune up on (abacus racing) said I had one and a holly 600.

It is always hot in the cockpit so I shut off the heat coming into the heater core, do you think something is wrong with my transmission. My transmission lines also run through my radiator. Don''t know what to do.

Post #: 1

RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/12/2008 6:28:28 PM

73shark

Posts: 1097
Joined: 4/18/2006
Status: online

Make sure your timing isn''t retarded. Also make sure all of the hood and radiator seals are in place. At that speed, temp shouldn''t be a problem especially w/o A/C.

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/12/2008 9:31:13 PM

Rich G.

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Joined: 1/12/2007
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You need to check with a mechanical gauge or one of those infa red temp. guns to see if it is actually that hot. My 75 always ran around 210. I just got my 72-454 on the road and that bad boy ran around 230! Yikes!!! What I did was got a regular thermostat and cut out the guts and put it back in. What that does is allows a much better flow but still has some restriction to keep the water in the rad to do some cooling. Some people say no t. stat will flow too fast and not give the rad time to cool it. Now in this summer heat it takes a bit longer to get hot and now I run around 210 in traffic. This is with a stock fan and rad. and all the hood seals in. I just got that little air dam and I''ll have to see if this helps like it is supposed to do.

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/12/2008 11:18:48 PM

Wedge

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Joined: 11/3/2005
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Stupid question... what shape is your front spoiler in? Mine was broken, so I took it off until I could get a new one. Turns out it is there for a reason... it flows air over the radiator. Just a thought... I looked for days for a mechanical reason, turned out I had caused it myself.

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/13/2008 2:37:04 AM

riley6riley

Posts: 108
Joined: 4/12/2007
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Wedge, is the "front spoiler" the black plastic one that is under the nose? if so, it is broke sitting on a shelf in the garage. Guess I will fix it and put it back on and see how that works. I will get one of those temp gauges. It may be the temp sensor that is reading wrong, it is 30 years old.

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/13/2008 3:23:49 AM

78buckshot

Posts: 654
Joined: 1/28/2007
From: Michigan
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Just my opinion, I don''t trust the point-and-shoot infra-red thermometers, they will give differing results based on the color of the surface and type of material. We use them occasionally in the heating and cooling industry for comparison or to get a rough idea of temperature difference but not to achieve an accurate temp. reading.

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/13/2008 5:56:46 AM

C3 Starship

Posts: 4761
Joined: 7/25/2006
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+1
They are good for comparison, but not all that reliable for specific temp reading.

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/13/2008 8:08:53 AM

Wedge

Posts: 227
Joined: 11/3/2005
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Yeah... that one! Mine got hot for no reason at all, especially at speed, and would cool back down at idle (somewhat). I checked everything but the obvious, the spoiler on my bench. Put the new one on and my problems went away. It will still climb to about 210 on a hot day when I''m cruising at 70 cause that big block do generate some heat... but it drops pretty fast when I slow down.
Good luck, hope you find the cure

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/13/2008 10:41:41 AM

DeeVeeEight

Posts: 502
Joined: 10/24/2007
From: South Jersey
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: riley6riley

My car is still running hot, not sure why. I have 165 degree thermostat in, new stock radiator, brand new water pump, new anti freeze and it still gets up to about 200-210 after I have been driving it at about 60-70 for more that 1/2 hour. When I stop or slow down, it will go back down closer to 200. I have a 350 with a cam (not sure what it is, the guy that did a tune up on (abacus racing) said I had one and a holly 600.

It is always hot in the cockpit so I shut off the heat coming into the heater core, do you think something is wrong with my transmission. My transmission lines also run through my radiator. Don''''t know what to do.

I had the exact same problem. I would drive the car at highway speeds and watch the gauge climb into the red zone.

My brand new 4 row copper and brass radiator would not shed the heat fast enough. I tried a high volume water pump, various thermostats, water wetter, all that stuff. It all helped some (except the water wetter), but not enough.

Do yourself a favor, go to southwest speed (online) and look at their "universal fit" aluminum radiators. Buy one (under $200.00) and install it in your Corvette. Sell your copper and brass unit for whatever you can get. Now you will be able to drive your Corvette and enjoy it without always watching the temperature gauge.

I posted an in depth thread on this site covering my aluminum radiator installation.

I hope that helps!

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1979 L-82, 383 Stroker, Edelbrock RPM Air Gap intake, Holley 750, Headers, Flowmasters, VB&P 400# rear monospring, Richmond 5 speed. American Racing Vector Wheels, Firestone Indy 500's

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RE: 1979 still running hot - 8/14/2008 4:20:56 AM

Texas Jim

Posts: 445
Joined: 12/15/2005
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Yes, check the gauge and I''ve mentioned afew times that the spoiler is the only thing that channels air to the two little holes in the front to cool the radiator.
I had this same type of problem awhile back. It turned out that the thermostat was stuck at a half-open position which made it fine around town and heat up on the highway. I caught hell going from Texas to Louisiana. Over the years, reguardless of brand, I''ve gotten two defective thermostats in a row before. Double check the thermostat, but the I''d install the "spoiler" before I did any more work in other areas of the cooling system. Take a good look at the front of the car and visualize where the air goes when it hits the front, just those little areas you see, and the spoiler channels the air up to them. I''ve bitched at my wife in the past as she would drag that front (the only part of the ''Vette that isn''t in perfect shape) instead of taking the speed bumps and drainage pitches on an angle. I would say that when the spoiler is damaged, the car will sit in the garage as it will overheat w/o it, and I''m not going to spend so and so much money and do the work if you don''t give a crap. I have mentioned the spoiler directing air to the radiator, and we''ve discussed this in afew other topics in the recent past. Check back and read the related topics if you have the time. Let us know what happens. It should cool w/ the stock system in good working condition. I KNOW it must be driving you crazy.

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Post #: 10

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