engine tempature

Ken Timmerman

Ken Timmerman

Junior Member
Recently I decided to measure the operating temperature across the engine head. I bought some 3/4 plastic cane tips. These tips fit snugly over the 11/16 head bolts. I applied the tips on the engine bolts. I then made a two hour trip at 50mph where the engine got fairly warm during the 98° weather. The engine never overheated, staying in the middle of the motometer. What I discovered is that the head nut south of the distributor melted as shown in the picture, all the other tips did not melt. Now I have the data, but do not know what to do. Any suggestions?
 

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What to do?:confused:

If the coolant stayed full and the engine didn't overheat, I would find a nice air conditioned room to hang out in, and wait for a cooler day to drive the Model A.:D
 
Any suggestions?
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If unmelted cane tips are your objective - I would increase bypassing air flow to that head nut south of the distributor. Maybe a small electric fan?

Otherwise I think you're good to go. And you have a bunch of plastic cane tips to give away to your friends. They'll appreciate your generosity?

Happy driving.

Joe K
 
Ken Timmerman said:
Recently I decided to measure the operating temperature across the engine head. I bought some 3/4 plastic cane tips. These tips fit snugly over the 11/16 head bolts. I applied the tips on the engine bolts. I then made a two hour trip at 50mph where the engine got fairly warm during the 98° weather. The engine never overheated, staying in the middle of the motometer. What I discovered is that the head nut south of the distributor melted as shown in the picture, all the other tips did not melt. Now I have the data, but do not know what to do. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Hey Ken,
Thanks for sharing your scientific results ! I'm wondering is the molecular structure of ALL plastic cane tips... same,i.e.-some thicker/some thinner, /denser, etc? Hm, we in south ca..left coast have rubber ones here. If not same, heat transfer will be different, IMO. Is your experiment repeatable ? I know darn well that if I do the same experiment with 110 its been here..titanium tips would swoon a bit. Do you think that that area (stud with melted cap) was affected by friction from distributor rotation in head and maybe dist blocking air flow to that stud somewhat (southern stud ?) ! Hm, maybe head rusted up a bit in around southern stud ? I knew a southern stud , about 6'4", 285..farmboy but couldn't carry a model a engine any further than me tho..another story/digress. Anyway, I try to repeat the experiment and take a cooler along with some comfort , know what I mean. I love people with curious minds and Model As and Bs ! Never did say what kind model a you have and what kind of head (and shape, restored/orig ?) . Any pictures to share with us.
Luck to you Ken, trying to this experiment past a Barn full of mixed nuts like here,eh :) !!
 
Ken,

I think most likely it was radiant heat from the exhaust manifold and not heat from the nut / stud that melted the cap. Maybe that plastic cap had a lower melting temperature or is thinner as others mentioned so it melted sooner.

The exhaust manifold gets very hot especially if the spark is retarded or the mixture is set on the lean side. The exhaust will glow cherry red under these conditions ... as can be seen at night.

Also if you have a manifold heater ... some manifolds are higher in that area than stock so more heat is radiated in that area. The stock manifold does not stick up as much as a heater does.
 
Thanks to all who replied. My wife often says 'you spend too much time on that Model A' And I admit that on occasion I make an adjustment \ that ends up causing additional repairs. However, the A needs my attention now and then. I had just run out of things to do. So... Ken
 
Mitch//pa said:
your kidding right..
which nut is south of the dist? i hope not the driver:D
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Well, if Ol' Ken wuz drivin' NORTH, it would be the nut behind the dist, shielded from air flow by the dist, & grilled by the HOT KZHAUST MANIFOLDER:eek:-----BUT, I "may" be confused, as Vermin ALWAYS points EAST:confused: & I ALWAYS sleep pointing SOUTH:rolleyes: & on the EAST side of the bed:rolleyes: & the Dog:cool: sleeps every whichaway:D
Bill W.
 
Ken Timmerman said:
Recently I decided to measure the operating temperature across the engine head. I bought some 3/4 plastic cane tips. These tips fit snugly over the 11/16 head bolts. I applied the tips on the engine bolts. I then made a two hour trip at 50mph where the engine got fairly warm during the 98° weather. The engine never overheated, staying in the middle of the motometer. What I discovered is that the head nut south of the distributor melted as shown in the picture, all the other tips did not melt. Now I have the data, but do not know what to do. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Drink a lager and lime, then take a cool shower.
 
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