Dumb luck, be my friend

[Rodney Bullock]

A couple of months ago I was having a time with my Studebaker hawk. It would run high in temp and eventally run bad on a day that was75 degress or hotter. I did everything, changed the timing, antifreze. tighten the belt.

Then I did a book signing in Washington DC. The car ran bad all the way there as the stop and go traffic made it "act up" After the event which ended at 1100 at night I drove it home. It ran OK no real problems. This was at night it was cool and the temp was at about 50 degress.

Something told me to check the heat riser, as the driver's side of the car was really hot I mean hot. If you were sitting in the driver's seat it was roasting. I call a guy and git a spacer for the heat riser and had it replaced last week. I drove it a while and the temp never went above 190. It hovered at 180 on the highway. The outside temp was 87 degress that day. Today it was about 94 degress and humid. It was very hot, the car ran flawlessly I mean not a hicup. We were in traffic and all the temp went up to 210 and nothing.

The guy that sold me the spacer said the heat riser was directing heat over to the other side of the manifold boiling the gas that's why it was running bad in hot weather. I wonder if this happens to other folks cars when it gets hot. The heat riser was sticking closed it was always obstucting the flow of the exhaust. I could tell by the sound of the mufflers today the car actually sounds right, I mean the dual exhaust can be heard and boy did it sound GOOD;) Just something to think about.

[Joe Flanagan]

Rodney, I haven't gotten that far to have any experience with that but I'm glad to hear you got it straightened out. But since I saw your post, I'll be singing "Luck Be a Lady" for the rest of the day. Thanks a lot.

[55 Fargo]

Hi Rodney, when my heatriser was stuck in the cold postion on my flathead, I would see it run hotter and have some the same symptoms you have described.

I met with oppostion with this theory on the forum as well as with Ol Mopar guys I know.

So what is the concensus, willa heater riser stuck in the cold postion, that does not allow exhaust gas to exit as freely, witll this cause a Mopar Flathead to run hotter or not?........

[Rodney Bullock]

Hey Fred, with a Mopar 6 I don't know. My heat riser in my Plymouth is so loose that if you sneezed it would open and flap. That Studebaker one was so hard to open(springloaded) that doing it with your hand was hard. Then it would bind up. The Studebaker intake had a passage runner that in the winter would heat the gas and warm up the car fast. In the summer the heat riser should have been very easy because it was hot. Now that it's off the car runs very well and sound good to boot. The temp is around 190 in 92 degrees outside.

[T120]

Hi Rodney, when my heatriser was stuck in the cold postion on my flathead, I would see it run hotter and have some the same symptoms you have described.

I met with oppostion with this theory on the forum as well as with Ol Mopar guys I know.

So what is the concensus, willa heater riser stuck in the cold postion, that does not allow exhaust gas to exit as freely, witll this cause a Mopar Flathead to run hotter or not?........

Better to have a free flow of exhaust in a warm running engine.It may also aggravate fuel percolation problem when the engine is shut down and possible flooding..imho

Edited June 21, 2010 by Ralph D25cpe