My '76 2.6L is finally back on the road and runs like a new car, except for one problem: When I arrive home or at a destination, I can hear the coolant inside boiling, and a little bit of collant runs out the overflow each time, requiring frequent replenishing. This happens without the A/C on.
I have had the radiator removed, re-cored, flushed, re-painted, and all the hoses have been replaced.
Any ideas on other things I can do? Could this be the thermostat? Or something else???
Thanks, club members!
Bob when you fill rad. are you keeping it down 3/4" from the top other wise it will over flow every time you turn engine off. When you turn engine off water stops moving and hot engine expands water in block causing overflow. Fred :)
Good question, Fred. Actually, it's fuller than it should be. That said, eventually, it ends up below the metal grating, and you can't even see the coolant when it gets that low.
If you don't see fluid above the tube's then yea we got a problem. Maybe thermostat need to check. Put a thermometer in rad. with engine running see what you have should be 165 to 185 if it goes220 pull thermostat operate by hand throw in boiling water on stove in pan watch operation you should see it open if not then it's trash can time. Fred :)
Thanks, Fred. I will give it a try!
Did you have the cooling system chemical flushed? 2.8's have severe problems with sediment build up. The radiator is sufficient for the engine but it does seem like there is a slight problem there. Do you have a temp gun? You can get an inexpensive laser one at the auto parts store. Aim it at the water outlet. 185-195 is good for a 2.8 on a warm day. Also, if you drive the car at highway speeds and then pull over (at a gas station lets say) it will boil over. They need too idle a bit. This can be true for hot days and stop and go driving. Most likely you don't have an over flow tank right? Installing one is a good idea, the problem is the look. If you are going to stock, then you want to go for a stock (Hard to find) one. Otherwise, you can get a nice aluminum one and spray it low gloss black, that will hide it. You could also install it in the fender area. Here is my suggestion, if you don't want to hassle it, just pull the water pump and thermostat. Get an aluminum anti cavitation water pump and a new thermostat. The car has been sitting a long time and it is possible that the impeller has been compromised. If you don't want headaches, just zoop it up and change them.
Great info, Pinto Power. I will try this too. And yes....the times when this happens is mostly after freeway driving...my house is up a fairly steep hill where I have to drive pretty slow, followed by a pretty steep driveway, also very slow. I will try to let the engine idle to see if that helps.
Also, when shooting a laser temp gun at the water hole, that's with the cap off, right? (Please forgive the dumb question. Obviously, I'm not a mechanic!)
get the system pressure tested. a bad head gasket can cause your described issues
OhSix'
Come to think of you, OhSix9 just reminded me of the incredibly obvious! Check the radiator cap! I would NOT run a 13 pounder, by the way, unless you want to do a heater core. 7 to 9 pounds. Thats what all my cars run.
Thanks for all the suggestions. My mechanic recommended the following, which will be done today:
1) New cap, in case the old one isn't maintaining pressure (thanks Pintopower)
2) He also recommended an overflow tank (thanks again, Pintopower), since the car isn't overheating, or doesn't seem to be
3) We're installing a temperature guage under the dash to see if it really is overheating
If these don' work, I'll try some of the other suggestions. This car has a completely re-built re-cored radiator and thermostat, so hopefully this will do the trick.
To be continued!
Thanks again, everyone.
Back from the shop...good news / bad news...
Good news: No more boiling over, no more gurgling sounds, no more lost coolant after each drive. Seems like the old radiator cap wasn't holding the pressure.
Bad news (?): In warm, slow and sometimes uphill city traffic with most time spent below 20 mph, the car consistently runs at about 200 - 210 degrees, cooling down a bit when I go faster. This is according to my new after-market water temp gauge.
Is this too hot?
Thanks guys and gals!!!
Some good points here!
Post Mortem: After six months with this radiator and a sensitive temperature gauge, I can report that it works great. My V6 seems to operate extremely well, ranging between 190 and 210. Two mechanics told me this temperature range is fine for the V6. It has not overheated, even in hot weather. Runs like it's new.
Maybe post- mortem isn't a good saying to use... I feared the worst. I'm glad it all worked out and your little '76 is running like the champ that she is! ;D
LOL - Well said, Blupinto. Let's call it a "summary of what happened", instead of a post mortem! So far, my pony is still alive and kickin'!
My 2.8 seems to run at 200/210 range in hot weather also. I use a 7lb cap and everything is brand new. Pinto Power told me last year this was normal.