Re: Overheating Problem

Posted by Joe Hall On 2007/8/2 12:45:40

My experience is with Packard and Studebaker V8s, but drove them, with air conditioning almost daily while living in the California desert for six years (29 Palms). Out there I passed many modern, brand X cars sitting on the side of the road due to overheating. Usually those people were tourists, inexperienced with operating in the desert: refused to shut the AC off on long upgrades; cars were set up for operation in cooler climate, i.e. light duty radiator, or cooling systems needed a general tune up anyway.

Generally, overheating begins to be a problem when outside temps go over 90, and the problem just about doubles when it goes over 100.

The best place to start is making sure everything is working as it should be, and others on this NG have already covered those areas well.

After all is working right, a few modifications can also help. Mods I have used included larger radiator (five core), sirocco style (double pass) aluminum radiator, six blade flex fan, 16" electric fan in front of the radiator, smaller water pump pulley, lowering compression ratio, Mobil 1 oil (15w50), and adding a fuel return line from the carb back to tank (reduces vapor lock).

I might also add, as long as you can control vapor lock, there is no harm in engine operating temps of 200-210 (V8s at least). In the desert summer with AC on and temps of 100+, my V8s usually ran at 200-210, and I never experienced a heat related problem

Hope this helps.

Joe H