kd1975 Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hi All, Apologies in advance if this is a very ordinary question.... The 54 Cranbrook gets very hot fairly quickly while driving at moderate speed - suburban driving. The top radiator hose split last week so I've replaced top and bottoms and flushed the radiator three times. The fist time I flushed it looked a lot like the Mekong River after a flood - very brown!! Anyway I've hooked everything back up but I'm not sure how much pressure there should from the water pump. When I flushed it I obviously had the radiator cap off to keep the water flowing from the garden hose so the system wasn't under any pressure, but it was really only a mild trickle. Should I drop the bottom hose again and leave the cap on and see if the flow is any greater? It has been extremely hot here lately 43°C but I'm sure it shouldn't get this hot so I'm wondering what could be causing the overheating? Bearing in mind the car has only recently started driving again after 24 years Any ideas? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 (edited) Might be worthwhile to check the thermostat, also if you feel real keen knock out the 5 welch plugs on the Oz passenger side and stick the hose in each hole and see what crap comes out, also remove the drain cock that should be on that side also.....with the welch plugs & drain cock out use a piece of wire like a coat hanger and push, scrape & loosen the crud then stick the hose in and flush that out............the final thing is that the Water Distribution Tube after 24 yrs sitting could be R/S.....it lives behind the water pump and helps distribute water under the exhaust valves............getting it out can be a PITA or not, depending on its condition BUT ALL of it has to come out before inserting a new one..............the easiest things I'd do would be check that the thermostat works by removing it and sticking it in a saucepan on the stove and checking that it does OPEN, if not replace it........a 180degree one should be correct................the welch plugs are 1 & 5/8" diameter and ideally if you clean everything out of the water jacket where they live then I'd replace them with brass welch plugs although the normal mild steel ones should last a lifetime now anyway.............also how old is the radiator cap and is it the correct pressure?.............btw do you have a workshop manual?...........and finally, how old do you think the water pump thats there may be?............the new ones have a much improved "round" style impeller design similar to "modern" cars, the original pumps, at least those I've seen use an impeller that has just a vane on each side, and also use a so called rebuildable bearing & seal which from my experience rebuild kits are not worth a cracker............buy a new pump if you have to, but make sure it has the modern round impeller.............. don't waste your time rebuilding an original if thats whats there...........regards, andyd Edited January 20, 2018 by Andydodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 a rad/block flush will require the removal of the thermostat...removal of the top hose at the radiator...engine running match the input of the water from the garden hose to that of the return out of the upper hose now spilling on the ground while maintaining a full radiator. You should have a good stream at both the hose and the outlet while the rad stays full with cap off so you can see this exchange. Open the heater core valve also..run till clear. this is an initial flush. Install hose and with full water, may want to add a cup of non sudsing electric dishwasher powder to the now clear water and drive it for about 15 minutes at temp and repeat this flush process. Hopefully you have now removed enough crud to not overheat. If all looks good repeat the above flush to remove the cleaner. Add 50/50 and inspect your 7 lb cap for good seal. If you cannot get control of your heat in this manner, you will need to have the radiator flow tested, your lower core plugs removed and debris cleaned from the block and more than not I would suggest pulling the distribution tube for an inspection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd1975 Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thanks gents, the car is very original and the hoses caps and most everything else looks like it was installed when Adam was a boy!! I'll try your tips in the morning and see how we go. As far as the cap it doesn't appear to leak or let the steam escape so I think the seal is ok but will invest in a new one to eliminate that minor issue. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Hello.....at 6:11 AM this is morning.... but I know what you mean, in the morning after coffee and breakfast and putting mums back to bed explaining it is the weekend and not to over do herself and relax (more correct than saying go back to bed and stay out of my business) 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd1975 Posted January 20, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 2 minutes ago, Plymouthy Adams said: Hello.....at 6:11 AM this is morning.... but I know what you mean, in the morning after coffee and breakfast and putting mums back to bed explaining it is the weekend and not to over do herself and relax (more correct than saying go back to bed and stay out of my business) 10:17pm over the pond and slightly south .... hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 2 minutes ago, kd1975 said: 10:17pm over the pond and slightly south .... hahaha you down under people, what are we to do with ya? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Plymouthy............behave and go and have your coffee.............lol............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 coffee is perking as I type this Andy....I'm doing better, now down to just two pots a day..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Well its 11.10 pm here, a break in the 20/20 Cricket.................oops its back on....................lol.................andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Cricket, never could understand that game...I am sure the players often have no clue either.....lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Thats a bit tough...........lol.............I played both cricket & baseball as a kid, enjoyed and enjoy both but NFL has me perplexed............andyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 NFL is not perplexing...just ridiculous... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmersparts Posted January 20, 2018 Report Share Posted January 20, 2018 Sorry but IMHO NFL just a waste of time that i could be working on something real.. people say you need to drink beer n watch the nfl its more enjoyable that way... naw id rather drink beer and work in the shop.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd1975 Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 So I've tried a couple of things and I believe it may be the thermostat. Is it closed when it is fully extended or is that open? I believe it is closed which would support the theory of not letting water thru. I'll buy a new one and a gasket and see how that goes. On a brighter note the water is very clear now after several flushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Skinner Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) I took my Radiator out and Flushed it upside down. Lots of wierd chunks of Star Shaped Chunks came out. Flushed the engine without removing Engine Freeze Plugs. Removed Brass Drian plug though. Runs at 160 all the time now. When its 90 - 95 Degrees out it runs at around 170 - 180 Degrees. I am happy - so is my engine - it seems to be Tom Edited January 21, 2018 by Tom Skinner Spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andydodge Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) Methinks its by, by time for the thermostat............you should be able to tell for certain which is open or closed, tho' I must admit I haven't seen one like that for a long time....also clean and scrub it thoroughly & see if it has the opening temp stamped on it somewhere , they used to have what temp the theromostat was opened at............have you stuck it in a saucepan on the stove in cold water and heated it up and watched if anything happens?..............andyd Edited January 21, 2018 by Andydodge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd1975 Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 11 minutes ago, Andydodge said: Methinks its by, by time for the thermostat............you should be able to tell for certain which is open or closed, tho' I must admit I haven't seen one like that for a long time....also clean and scrub it thoroughly & see if it has the opening temp stamped on it somewhere , they used to have what temp the theromostat was opened at............have you stuck it in a saucepan on the stove in cold water and heated it up and watched if anything happens?..............andyd I haven't but I'll do it now. I can't even find a thermostat on line that looks like this one. After a quick clean it says A C MADE IN ENGLAND on the bottom. Around the top "ridge" it has several stampings - TEI , the D6 72°C 2126 Make any sense? I assume 72°c is when it should do something? I'll try the saucepan now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd1975 Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 So saucepan test done.... BEFORE: AFTER: No change at all, which leads me to believe the thermostat is currently seized in the closed position. Sound reasonable? The next question is what replacement to get and where from. Any links or sources please? I'll also need the housing gasket. Thanks for all your help diagnosing the issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 if nothing else look on e-bay, buy by application not by the very looks/style you have now..there are even modern replacements that come with the proper top hat insert for this application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Coatney Posted January 21, 2018 Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 This might or might not help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd1975 Posted January 21, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2018 Thanks, at least I can look for similar parts now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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