Hot engine

Mine would continuously run at around 220 - 230 on long trips , and while it wouldn't lock up or boil it did "ping" at the slightest increase in throttle .
 
Ron, are the ross pistons forged,and are they quite at .004.
I have a set that I thought I would use in a road engine but was worried about them being noisy until the get warmed up.
Lawrie
 
As A teenager MANY MANY years ago I blew a lower radiator hose on a 48 Merc. Convertible coming over the Cape Cod canal and shut it off in Hampton N.H. ! I remember down shifting a few times when it started to slow down. Stopped once and added a lot of # 50 oil from a 2 Gallon can but never shut it down. It crackled for quite a while as I remember it. Started it up next day and drove it home no power but it got me home. TODAY I would not drive it if gage hit the top.
 
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This thread brings up a related topic..... there are coolants available now (Evans is one) that will go to around 395 F before boiling. The people advertising these coolants try to give the impression that if it doesn't boil, it's not doing any harm. That makes no sense to me, I can see the overheated block developing cracks around the exhaust valves, and surely the oil must get very hot and thin out.
 
my 49 overheated constantly even after changing pumps, oil, rad flush, head gaskets. i was pretty flustered cause no mater what i did it would climb up to the "H". then one day i said what the hell and hooked up a timing light and found it was waaaay off. a quick adjustment of the dizzy and now it dosnt go past the halfway point on the guage. oh i put 160 stats in too.
 
J white,the main thing is to never let her boil. (if you can avoid it) If you have a pressure system that is hot, and you remove the cap (dangerous) that will make an engine boil, all on its own, if it was hot enough (even when the engine is stopped) When the engine boils, gas bubbles form inside the head or block. These gas bubbles stop the transfer of heat away from that particular area. The term is local overheating. This is when damage is done, because the temperature varies from one part of the casting to another. This is when cracks happen. Invariably it happens around the exhaust valve seats, because that is where the most heat is.
When you ask if you should shut her down at a certain temp. That can be just as bad.
When you stop moving forward(air flow) or the fan stops moving the air. she will get hotter for a while. You are better to ease the load, and let the temp come back. If she is getting hot because you are hauling a load up hill, you are better to slow down, drop a gear, and ease up on the throttle (fan moving more air) than to stay in top gear with the throttle down.
It's a matter of driving her like your running her in, balancing the throttle against the temp gauge.
Is any of that helpful?
 
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