Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

I'm encountering overheating problems, that escalated today to the point of having to stop and shut it off.

The car had been getting a little warm, the gauge reading over halfway, so I decided to investigate. I would drive for a bit, and I noticed if I sat at a light for a while, she would creep up towards the high side a little. So I pulled it into my shop last night, and pulled the thermostat housing, to make sure it wasn't in backwards or something.

It was okay, and I tested it, it opened up with a little heat applied. I decided to drill another 1/8" hole in it and reinstalled it with a new gasket.

I filled the cooling system with water and a pint of
Water Wetter, started it and continued to add water until I thought it was full. Took the long way home to check it out, watching the temp gauge all the way. About six minutes into the seven minute drive home, the temp went up, and I could smell the steam. Drive for another minute to my house, temp getting almost pegged, and shut it off to discover I had left the radiator cap off!

I then cranked it up, and added water to top it up. Put the cap on this time.

This morning, I decided to drive to NAPA to get a bulb, and test the cooling system. Kept getting hotter all the way, and I shut if off when I got there and carefully removed the cap with a towel to add water. No matter how much I put in (I had to use a plastic cup with a bucket of water), I couldn't get the temps to come down much at all- still remained about 3/4 to 7/8 on the gauge. Thinking I would try to limp back, and maybe air movement would help, I headed back, only having to stop after about four minutes when the temp pegged hot.

Any ideas what to do next? There's no water in the oil. I'm sitting at a Mobil station that has no water hoses, waiting to cool down.

Joey,
Is the car actually blowing hot water/steam out of the overflow tube?

No, it's not.

The funny thing is, when I stopped, the upper rad hose was hard from pressure. In the time it took me to write that post, the temps had gone down. The hose was not under pressure, so I started her up. The gauge read slightly below mid way, and I started back to the shop.

After about four miles and one red light, she started to creep up a little, the needle still touching the mid point dot.

Upon arrival, she's just a little over halfway, not touching the dot. I now see a small drip from the bottom back of the radiator. Maybe the rad wasn't sealed properly, or has sprung a leak. Hadn't leaked before.

I think it's coming from the radiator.

<a href="http://s1067.photobucket.com/albums/u430/joeyearl/?action=view¤t=B6ED969C-FB50-4D88-9500-4E76275914A3-4421-0000092E161B003F.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/u430/joeyearl/B6ED969C-FB50-4D88-9500-4E76275914A3-4421-0000092E161B003F.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

Yes, there is a tiny crack in the lower tank that was not there before.

When I began this project, I had the radiator cleaned, tested, and repaired. Maybe it's not flowing adequately, and needs to be rodded out. Worst case, re-cored. It has to come out again to repair the leak.

Other work done at the time:

New water pump (Merritt)
Flushed block
Replaced all freeze plugs except for one above starter
Removed and cleaned distribution tube
Cleaned and painted lower tube
New hoses
Cleaned and painted therm housing
New 160? thermostat
New radiator cap

Giving this a bump because I have only one response.

Dear Joey:

Somewhere else around here is a similar case with a cheap diagnostic list. The first thing to do is hand check the block for uniformity of temperature during warm up, then remove the front pan and check the radiator flow using your hand, then put a thermometer in the radiator and check the gauge accuracy. If it's running hot it should be boiling out the overflow.

Also, those old radiators should always be rodded unless they test good on the road. If the radiator was allowed to dry out it will clog.

Hope this helps.

Thank you, Tim. Yes, that does help.

I doesn't boil over. The gauge just reads hotter the more I drive it. It does okay, and indicates about midway when I'm driving and it first warms up. If I stop at a light, it will creep up over half way, and as I drive more, it doesn't want to come down. Also, higher speed driving will push the temps up.

I think I'm going to buy a laser temp gauge at Harbor Freight and check the block when warming up. I still have to pull the radiator again to have it repaired, so, I'll have to see what it would cost to have it rodded out. It was sitting for 27 years.

Joey, just curious, did they do a flow test when the radiator was originally out for repairs?

OVERHEATING : WILLIS

I don't know how to attach the link but if you do a search on OVERHEATING it should come up and is current. Many good suggestions that will save you time and money.

Mine ended up being the radiator and gauge. Use the thermometer to be sure, but have the radiator rodded, it is a safe bet for better cooling in the future. I added a temp gauge under the dash so I can watch and be sure, also an oil pressure gauge. Good Luck!