how hot's too hot

[p24-1953]

took the plymouth for about 100 mile trip today and we ran the a/c the entire way. it cooled great, but it seems like i will need a electric fan to help cool the car while sitting in traffic when the a/c's on. while on the open road the temp guage will stay near perfect center, but in stop and go it seems to go up to the end of the line towards the hot, it never hits the "h" but i noticed that when it is higher on the scale i have very little power, and i can hear what i think is valve ticking sometimes. it has never boiled over, but is it getting to high? is the loss of power and ticking a bad sign?

I read that some of you guys talk about im runnign 180, or 210.... but how do you guys know that do soem guages read with temps? is the 53 the only one labled C --- H

what are the signs that i have overheated?

[aero3113]

I do not run an AC but I do have a 180 deg stat. It stays at 180 with no problems. At idle with the AC on use a laser temp gun on the engine and see what the temp actually is.

[aero3113]

Also maybe your timing is off.

[p24-1953]

with the a/c off it typically wont go above more than 3/4 of the guage, so the a/c is diffently the cause of the problem today

[Plymouthy Adams]

it is not uncommon for the AC to cause an increase in temp..especially in traffic/idling etc etc....you are inducing heat from the condenser to the radiator and this increase of heat here is actually robbing the ability the cool the radiator..now..the question here before jumping to extremes..and yes warmer weather is on the way, do you have any gaps that could prevent the flow of air through the rad and force it over the top or out the sides? Is your hood to radiator support good...You are running the stock 6 blade fan? And you have your stock shroud? I would investigate the use of a greater pitch fan blade an not one of flex design but of asymetrical steel construction...these will pull air like no tomorrow and really not rob hose power...to just mount an electrical fan will only add to the electrical demand on your system which adds eventually to extra heat...

to see if air flow is a problem...start the car in the out of door...when at temp and air on the temp gage creap up...place an auxillary floor fan in front of the radiator..if temp goes down..you are mot moving enough air for sure...

[greg g]

It would also be nice to know how hot was hot, is your gauge accurate? Everchecked the actual coolant temp at the radiator cap with a thermometer???

[Plymouthy Adams]

how hot is hot is a relative question for sure ..but given the fact the car has not had this creep in temp prior to AC install..the install and use thereof is the reason for the creep...and as such and the fact that temps today here in this area is just at best considered mild..come summer this will be a thermal runaway when summer truly rears it ugly head..

[greg g]

he did mention he was at 3/4 gauge whatever that means during stop and go w/o the AC, still be good to know what that means. If it was 160 before and now it 180, no worries. if it was 180 before and 200 now, then yer hunting a fix.

[p24-1953]

tim the stock fan shroud is intact, with a 6 blade fan... the radiator to hood seal is complete and intact, (but hard and brittle) where would i get a more agresssvie pitch fan blade?

no i have not taken an actual temp... i wish the temp guage avtually had numbers on it like my other cars

i agree if its getting too hot at 87 it wont make it in 100+. im trying to nip this problem in the butt early in the year

[Plymouthy Adams]

as you and I have the same setup engine and rad speaking...I could see if I have room enough to run a more aggressive fan blade...the blades are not that hard to come by...just have to figure the size you are capable of installing..

[p24-1953]

after rechecking my seal to the hood i notice it is probally so brittle that it is not sealing tightly to the hood, what would be reccomended to replace this. also i am thinking that it has been 15 years since the engine was rebuilt , should i pop out a freeze plug and see how much stuff i have collected in the block? how hard is it to remove and replaece a plug

[michael.warshaw]

just out of curiosity, if your running stock car how do you get ac?

[55 Fargo]

just out of curiosity, if your running stock car how do you get ac?

Its called modified with AC:rolleyes:

[BobT-47P15]

Tim, would a 4 blade fan be better or worse than a 6 blade for moving

the air?

Greg, didn't you invent some new rubber seals at the top of the radiator some time back?

[Plymouthy Adams]

Lets see Bob..I just measured both the stock 4 and the stock 6 blade fan..it seems the angle is 26 degrees on both, both are 17 inch fans..the six will move more air yet will use a bit more power and be a bit noisier.

Gregs P15 and the P24 are a bit different in hood to support seal..the actual seal from the factory is very adequate...the installation of a pusher fan to assist in air flow at lower speed that is temperture controlled off/on would be great but finding this at 6 volt and have the CFM rquirements..this may prove a bit much to find but I also admit I have never looked.....plus puts an added load to the stock generator..

I think we asked this question before..location of the condenser in relationship to the radiator..is it within the prescribed 1 inch window...the shroud on these cars is just an upper half..odds are one could modify this to be 360 and thus ensure channelling of the air..I do think this is where I would start...do remember that in an encolsed shrud, itis ideal to have the fan centered in the opeing..1/2 in and 1/2 out

[Frank Elder]

I googled 6 volt automotive pusher fans and this was one of the entries

http://www.macsradiator.com/6voltelectricfan.aspx

[p24-1953]

there are quite a few 6 volt fans. i thinks macs are about 600 cfm and use 4 amps. the big ones are 16" -1500 cfms, and use 10 amps....

does anyone know how many cfms are stock fans are rated for?

time i am a little ove the 1" gap between the condensor and radiator due to the hose conection. i am planning to install a foam seal to help fix the gap.

should i do a pusher or puller? arnt pullers more efficent?

[chopt50wgn]

You must be careful of running "pusher" fans. They MUST be pushers and rated as a pusher. Some fan companies will tell you to take the blade and turn it around to make it a pusher. Unless you make the motor spin backwards, it is not a pusher. Spal makes true pushers or pullers and sells them accordingly to what you want.

When using an electric fan , the CFM rating is what it is rated for before static pressure is applied. Static pressure is the drop in CFM when the fan is attached to the radiator. We tested some fans and found that the initial CFM was 3200 and after static pressure(attaching to rad) the CFM fell to 1400.

A belt driven fan will produce as many CFM as RPM of the motor. If the motor idles at 800 RPM, then fan CFM is also 800.