Overheating Issues, Perplexed

[mr0077]

El, David is right, the shroud you have is compounding your cooling problems, take it off. In general (with electric fans), the air should flow through the whole radiator when moving and get pulled through the electric puller fan when idling. A tapered shroud (which you don't have room for) might let air move through the radiator and through the fan, but at speed the air hits the flat surface and it just blocks air flow.
On timing, if you have the timing too retarded, it will overheat, particularly at idle. When the mech and vac advance come in at higher revs it will "solve" the problem a bit, but you would likely know something was wrong, 'cause the car would run like a dog if it was that far retarded. Still worth checking...

[elmariachi]

Originally Posted by mr0077

El, David is right, the shroud you have is compounding your cooling problems, take it off. On timing, if you have the timing too retarded, it will overheat, particularly at idle. When the mech and vac advance come in at higher revs it will "solve" the problem a bit, but you would likely know something was wrong, 'cause the car would run like a dog if it was that far retarded. Still worth checking...

Okay guys, removing the shroud will back me up one notch to where I was last weekend. Car will run great and cool down the road, but will not cool well at slow speeds or idle. Can I safely advance the timing beyond 20*???

So....

Once I remove this shroud my car runs great at 180* down the road, no knocking/pinging/dieseling at shut-down. Car heats up to 110C if left sitting still long enough.

I am headed to do the coolant eval.

[CobraEd]

If the timing is retarded the engine will run very hot. Check to ensure that your aftermarket pointer is right. Also make sure your fan is wired right and is pulling, not pushing.


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[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by elmariachi

Okay guys, removing the shroud will back me up one notch to where I was last weekend. Car will run great and cool down the road, but will not cool well at slow speeds or idle. Can I safely advance the timing beyond 20*???

So....

Once I remove this shroud my car runs great at 180* down the road, no knocking/pinging/dieseling at shut-down. Car heats up to 110C if left sitting still long enough.

I am headed to do the coolant eval.

Since your main problem is stop/go traffic, add another fan just like the one you have in the rear, but to the front of the radiator, pushing........I did this on my street car for parades, I added a 12" fan (cause I had one)(I'd go bigger,at least 16") and reversed the wiring so it pushed thru the radiator, helped tremedously while doing 45 minute to one hour parades on the Forth of July when the outside temp was 100 degrees!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Put the puller fan to one side and the pusher fan to the opposite side of the radiator and I think you'll be fine is city driving.......

Your radiator is not as large as I would like to see, but that's all you can use on your car, so you need to increase low speed airflow, the only way is to add more fan/fans........

Looking back, your radiator is the same as both my cars,cept mine are 28" wide instead of 27" like yours, not enough to worry about..... I would suggest putting the 16" fan you have in the front, pushing and get a 17" fan like in the picture I posted and put it in the rear pulling, that with a change of pulleys and you should be good to go.........

BTW: put the front fan on a manual switch and use as needed.....Not sure how your prsent fan is wired,but I keep mine on manual switchs, I don't trust those automatic switches to come on.......

David