1934 Ford Victoria Overheating

H

Hfindley

Junior Member
I recently purchased a 1934 Ford Victoria V8 and it overheats while idling and driving. It starts easily and runs well. I have flushed the radiator but did not get very much crude. Also, used a shop vacuum suck and blow air through the radiator and block. Very little resistance in the block and only minimum resistance to air flow in the radiator. Water pumps appear to be new and no thermostats. I checked the spark plugs and they were all covered with black soot. The radiator has 4 rows of flat tubes. Trying to determine the next steps to solve the overheating problem.
 
Hi H, If the cap leaks you can get a false idea that its over heating lower the level a little .a good soak with white vinegar for a least two weeks will help .Also a shroud is a good idea it will up the the air flow , Ted
 
Thermostats will help. You do not say if you have a temp gauge, If nothing else, put one in with the head loose if you do not want to make a perm. installation. This way you can tell just how hot it is. You might also try advancing the timing to see if that makes any difference.
 
Ted, radiator cap fits tight. I put a thermometer in the top of the radiator and temperature slow increases to 190 F before I shut off the engine. Takes about 20 minutes. Outside temp is 60F. Already cleaned the radiator with vinegar. Last night I drove around the block for 20 minutes and it blew 1.5 gallons of water out the overflow - removed the cap and steam came out.
Do you think the flow may be too fast and thermostats might help by slowing down the flow. I am considering buying a new radiator from Brassworks.
 
Test for combustion gases trapped in your car's coolant.

See > https://www.harborfreight.com/combustion-leak-detector-64814.html


and > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYz4Kl1IcSw

MADDOX

Combustion Leak Detector

Quickly test head gaskets, cylinder heads and engine block leaks with this combustion leak detector
$27.99


iu
 
Last edited:
There are lots of flatheads running around without thermostats that do not overheat.
so, I don't think thermostats will fix it. Slowing the flow down gives the radiator more time to dissipate the heat but at the same time the coolant is in the block longer absorbing more heat. The stories of putting restrictors in flatheads comes from the jalopy and track roadster racing era, at high rpms two water pumps moved so much coolant it could not flow fast enough through the radiator, so it went out the overflow. They put in restrictors and even cutoff every other fin from the water pump impellors to slow the flow down at 5000 rpms. That is go-fast racing stuff and not for street driving. From everything I've read You want as much flow as possible.

If you have an infrared thermometer, check the temp of the engine on both sides. See if one side warms up faster than the other. Check the temp of the radiator tubes to see if any are blocked using the infrared thermometer. Even new radiators can have the tubes blocked with solder. That happened to me once at work. Another new one I installed on a F-600 had the wrong size tubes and overheated. A new water pump had a loose impeller that wasn't turning. New thermostats that won't open. New parts don't mean they are good, and it drives you crazy because you're thinking that can't be the problem, it's a new part. It definitely can be the problem.

If it is a head gasket normally you would have a shiny plug in that cylinder and you don't have one. Normally you would have white smoke coming out the tailpipe. The usual head gasket symptoms are not here but it could still be a head gasket or even a crack,

You can put a house fan in front of the radiator and see if the temp comes down. It could be an airflow problem but driving down the road it should be getting plenty of air and it was still getting hot, so I don't think that's the problem.

If I was back at work, I would think it was a plugged radiator, but you said its flowing fine. With the cap off and the engine running can the coolant fall through the radiator or does it backup out the filler neck. It should be able to handle the flow at idle with the cap removed.

That combustion leak detector above that Pete posted will tell you if you have combustion entering your coolant. Do not take anything apart before you do a lot of investigating.
 
Last edited:
Hfindley, your heating problem sure sounds to me like a case of mineral deposit buildup inside the tubes of the radiator. The thin mineral (calcium/iron) isn't enough to restrict flow but is enough to insulate the tubes from the coolant and prevent heat transfer. It's a common problem and one I've seen many many times at my shop over the years. It'll take more than vinegar to remove it.

The way to deal with it is a thorough cleaning of the radiator core by removing the tanks and mechanically scrubbing each tube. (rodding). Sometimes a new radiator is just as cost-effective.

That Maddox combustion leak detector above is a good tool for testing for gaskets or cracks allowing combustion in the cooling system. I don't think that's your problem because your engine heats up evenly and slowly, where a combustion leak usually blows water out almost right away after starting and driving. Not always, but usually.


Terry
 
Check on the Model A site Vinegar is very popular for cleaning them out ,but if they are completely blocked (as said ) rodding will be needed,
 
I think cadillac512 and Flathead Ted are correct. Your radiator needs to be rodded out by a competent radiator shop. If your car has sat for a long time electrolysis has started to plug the tubes. Since your car is a recent purchase I'll bet the prior owner did not drive it much and it sat a lot in the garage. Electrolysis is caused by the combination of non similar metals such as aluminum heads, cast iron block, and the copper brass radiator.
 
Couple Things: It is hard to find a radiator shop these days - so when you find one, ask them some questions about what they recommend, approximate costs, etc.. You'll then know how much of an "investment" you want to make in your radiator. Brassworks makes great products - you'll have to figure out what options you want and the delivery schedule. If I was ordering a new radiator from Brassworks, I'd want a pressurized version that has a dummy radiator cap-mount. It is never a bad idea to have a pressurized system - as long as you're not a 100% sticker for the radiator being 100% stock looking. Just talk to Lee and see what your options are.
 
If you have a Propane torch you can remove the top your self hold the top with pliers starts pulling while heating ,Use a brigg stratton spring to rod it out with .
 
Many years ago a customer brought me this pristine 33 Vicky that had been sitting for some time. I got it running good but could not keep it cool. The owner called Jim Babb (RIP) for one of his magic radiators which I installed and it never ran hot again. To bad no one picked the torch when he passed.
 
Thank you for all the advice. Just got back from vacation (must keep the wife happy).
My plan is to test for exhaust gas in the coolant. If that is OK, I will install thermostats and see if that helps. If that does not fix the problem, I will have the radiator cleaned and/or re-cored. I will let you know the results.
 
SoCalCoupe said:
How do you know it's overheating? What are the symptoms? What temperature? What are you using to measure temperature?


Just asking because I chased my tail for months with an "overheating" problem that turned out to be a temperature sender problem that I confirmed with a new $25 temperature gun from Amazon and fixed with a NOS sender.
Click to expand...
See post #4 above > "Last night I drove around the block for 20 minutes and it blew 1.5 gallons of water out the overflow - removed the cap and steam came out"
 
If it is getting that hot, that fast and boiling - don't be driving it in this state as it is a good way to crack the block (especially the transfer areas). What year engine is in the car?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top