Running Hot!!! Why? Please help!

[Killer50stang]

My car runs around 160 for awhile, then it jumps to 190 which is nice. Then after a few stops it jumps way up to 220 and on and on to 230 to overheat. it runs cool for a while. I have a 160 Thermostat, 2 row Alum Griffin. I don't understand. I know my timing is off because it pops and misses. I can't figure out how to set the timing when the E303 cam is set to advance to 4. According to the lines on the crank it's around 8 by the crank. This is where I'm confused on where my timing would be really set. 12??? The other thing is I'm running the A/C delete kit with my Holley 174 blower. I'm hoping the waterpump is turning the correct way but not positive, plus if it wasn't I would also think it would get hotter faster than it does now. The third thing is my battery is jimmy rigged to too many things on the car...fuel pump, electric fan, so on, so on. I don't get enough power to barely roll my windows up so I'm guessing my electric fan might not be getting the power it needs to cool the engine??? I'm also not sure where my air/fuel ratio is set at or how to check it exactly as I do not have the guage. Any help would be so nice...thanks!

 

[88stangmangt]

cold be alot of stuff bad water pump,loose belt,clogged rad i wouldnt run a160 deg therm anyway i would switch it to 180 and go from there. but the stock guage is only set up to show big changes so to be 100percent accurate i would get a autometer guage if you dont already have one.

 

[Killer50stang]

cold be alot of stuff bad water pump,loose belt,clogged rad i wouldnt run a160 deg therm anyway i would switch it to 180 and go from there. but the stock guage is only set up to show big changes so to be 100percent accurate i would get a autometer guage if you dont already have one.

Well the waterpump is brand new, and I had a 180 themo before and it did the same thing which is why I switched it over to a 160 because people told me to try that. The belt is definate tight, and the radiator is brand new Griffin with 1 1/4" tubing. Any other ideas?

 

[HISSIN50]

when is it jumping up over 200*? in stop and go traffic? how is your fan set up?

 

[shttygtstang]

could be somthing as stupid as a colapsed hose....or as bad as a cracked block thats how they crack from over heating them if your gunna drive it take the tstat out

 

[Killer50stang]

when is it jumping up over 200*? in stop and go traffic? how is your fan set up?

Well it just stays around 160-190 when driving through town...stopping and going it stays, but then it slowly rises over 200. ??

 

[HISSIN50]

Well it just stays around 160-190 when driving through town...stopping and going it stays, but then it slowly rises over 200. ??

what is the fan situation?

 

[johnkeltgen]

I had the exact same problem with my '84 recently. It was 95+ degree OAT (reaching 100 at some point). My radiator was gunked up... BAD. Had to flush the dang thing TWICE before I got all the stuff out of there. No rust, just... I dunno, we'll call it "sludge" for wont of a better term. Flushed her out twice and now she keeps cool.

 

[kdog_x]

thats how mine ran when the wire to the fan broke. Although, I've got the ram air for extra cooling. definitely check to be sure the fans good to go first.

 

[shttygtstang]

feel your hose make shure its not all gummy and weak if so its colapsed

 

[DirtyD916]

flsuh the entire system, check for air pockets in the hoses. Possibly rent a vaccum gun and hook up up to the system to remove any air pockets.

 

[347 Special]

ya said your timing is off(pinging/missing) forget what your dampner says, take it down till there is no det. and drive it. i had sim. probs. it would idle for days 180-195 as soon as i drove it 230-250. Timing related for me. and the ACT was bad.

 

[mob]

i have the same problem but mine is alot worse, i have a stock radiator, a new tstat i think its a 180, new water pump and i run at like 240-260 can overheating actually be a cracked block? i really hope its not, im going to get a new radiator as soon as possible, my car had some problems when we bought it it had a horrible leak of coolant and it overheated so bad it was at 270 the whole time i only drove it to the mechanic to fix the leak and he did and it seem good but i dont know why im always overheating

 

[shttygtstang]

thats how my block cracked from over heating but it wasnt so bad i never noticed it and it ran cool took it a part again and noticed it

 

[mob]

what happens if u have a cracked block what can u do? is it dangerous for the car? i mean damnit u have a cracked engine but can u still run? or do u need to get a new engine imidiatly?, id rather just sell my car and buy a new one

 

[DirtyD916]

most likeyl depends on how badly its cracked im sure it would be drivable with a crack or two in the block buts gonna be on borrowed time.

 

[shttygtstang]

i didnt even know abought mine till i tore it down for the big build only one of the cracks out of like 5 went to the cylinder wall from wut i could see i felt nodiffernce in power or any thing but ive only owned the car for a couple of months

 

[mob]

a coupe of months? did u buy the car with the cracks? or did u do it in the time that your owned it? i would be pissed if i bought my car a couple of months ago and it has a cracked block thats probaly what happened to me tho, i hope not, if my car has a cracked block then it was most likley the old owners becuase i havent driven my car more hten 30miles, its at the shop so

 

[Killer50stang]

ya said your timing is off(pinging/missing) forget what your dampner says, take it down till there is no det. and drive it. i had sim. probs. it would idle for days 180-195 as soon as i drove it 230-250. Timing related for me. and the ACT was bad.

What exactly do you mean? Turn it down to what degrees? If you bring it too far down it won't run. I know my timing is off because I noticed I don't have the usual power, it misses, etc etc. My cam is advance to 4 degrees. How do I set this?

 

[Clownfish]

You cam timing has nothing to do with ignition timing. The 4 degrees advance on the cam install does not mean you have to add 4 to the ignition timing on the crank. If the crank reads 8 degrees then it's 8 degrees (did you check with the spout out?).
Flush the system real good and then...

I would get your electrical system figured out. IMO the lack of power to the fan should be factored out before you worry about the other things. Fix one thing at a time with the most obvious being first - Lack of power to the fan. Then I would find out why you're are having the missing/popping - it might also be the electrical problem and/or timing.

If you get all that worked out and the problem persists, then I would look into more serious issues.