I got a 1980 pinto 2.3 auto, and it seems to run hot but i'm not sure why.It doesn't get hot real quick but if it idles for maybe 10-15 minutes it will stay at 190 for a while before slowly creeping up to 220 degrees it also does this while driving down the road. I have put a new water pump,thermostat, and a flex-fan on it but still runs hot. All I can think of is maybe the timing is off, never timed it with a gun only by ear. thanks in advance
well i checked my haynes manual for troublshooting and this is what it said. i didn't bother putting the ones you already eliminated. here is the list:
it says check for a pinched or restricted flow in the hoses.
fanbelt slipping ( it said you would hear a shreiking noise on rapid accelerating engines).
ignition timing advance and retard incorectly set ( this one said accompanied by a loss of power, and perhaps misfiring).
Carburetor incorectly adjusted ( mixture too weak).
Exauhst system partially blocked.
Engine not yet run in.
Blown head gasket ( this said this would cause coolant/steam to be forced down the radiator overflow pipe under pressure)
Radiator core blocked or radiator grille restricted.
Insufficient coolant in cooling system (im sure you refilled it because you replaced the thermostat. right?)
Oil level too low in oil pan.
The first place that i would check would be the oil level. then the hoses and make sure one didn't collapse. then i would check the grille and then the exhaust. since they would be the easiest to get too. actually first i would check the coolant level and see if it is staying when you do this.
As you clearly said that you do NOT now use a timing light to set the initial idle timing (which for many cars of that era was set with the engine idling and without vacuum advance connected, but plugged to eliminate a vacuum leak), checking for an error there would be the most logical thing to check first.
It doesn't take many degrees of initial timing error to make an engine run hotter than normal, and it would tend to be much more noticible at very low and idle speeds especially due to the cooling airflow being less under those conditions. At cruising speed the greater airflow probably masks the problem.
Is it forcing any coolant out of the overflow when it gets hot?? Could be a faulty temp sensor or gauge. Check with a thermometer (take cap off carefully and put thermometer in coolant).
If you check your timing with a light and it is ok, my guess would be buildup inside the radiator. You can clean out a radiator without using harsh acid cleaners, by getting pure distilled water and running it in your rad without coolant. Run it for awhile and keep checking it, when it looks really dirty(shouldn't take but a couple hot and cool down cycles to reach the really dirty part) drain it and refill with distilled water, keep repeating this cycle until you have a clean rad, then refill with the proper mix of coolant and distilled water.
Sounds like a lot of work, but as old as the rad is in your car, an acid cleaner may make your rad look like a garden sprinkler.(been there done that, kicked the rad clean out of the car) Some have good luck with the acid based cleaners, I haven't in any of the older rads(20+ yrs old) i have tried it in.
Good luck.
did any of this help or have you not had time to work on it?
Have you checked to see if if your thermostat is working ?Seems to me the easiest way to tell is to take off the radiator cap "NOT WHILE ITS HOT" Let the car run for about 10 minutes and peer down the filler on top.If the water is flowing at a pretty good pace then at least you have eliminated the thermo and blockage in the pump.There is always the chance that the thermostat is bad.Im sure that is rare but it happened to me on my a old Z car.Drove me nuts ???.Trying to figure out that one.
he said that he replaced the thermostat. that would zoop if he got a new one that didn't work.
I'm figuring that you've pulled the NEW thermostat and thoroughly water bath tested it by now, no? Even if it opens and closes properly, it could be a mismarked or miscalibrated TEMPERATURE RANGE one that is opening TOO LATE for your engines' heat range, so you need a reasonably accurate thermometer (like a candy thermometer) and a pan of water to immerse it in while slowly heating it on a stove.
If the thermostat is actually the problem, removing it entirely and running the engine without one in place should make the engine take a VERY long time to warm up and it should never get as hot as it is now getting-as long as the other parts of the engine and cooling system are operating properly.
Another couple of thoughts following up on others' thoughts concerning possible radiator related problems, other than clogs or a built up interior coating that would be preventing heat transfer.
How does the EXTERIOR of your radiator look?
I had one instance of an overheating engine, where a large amount of the radiators' heat disappating fins had turned to tin foil, and they would fall off at the slightest touch. There were several, inches long spaces where the fins were missing entirely when I first saw the car. They used to be able to re-fin and/or re-core a radiator, but I don't know if anyone does that any more, or if it would even be advisable. It always depended on how hard it was to get a new one and what it would cost.
Next, have you checked the impeller of the water pump (the fan blade looking part INSIDE of the housing, that is what moves the water)? Sometimes this part can actually erode away so severely, and get physically much smaller in diameter and in width so that there is a very large amount of the water moving capacity lost as the pumps' fins agitate the coolant, but are no longer are close enough to the edges of the water pumps' casting cavity to make a reasonably efficient seal.
Next, are you really certain that you don't have ANY air still in the cooling system? If you haven't done much coolant work, it's fairly easy to leave some air trapped in there.
If you haven't been able to bleed ALL the air out, the engine will have pockets where air instead of coolant is in direct contact with a surface that can be several hundred degrees hotter than it would if the coolant was covering it. This can cause super heated steam to form in that particular coolant passage in that vicinity, which will then raise the temperature of the entire cooling system, and if severe enough, the resultant pressure increase can be very rapid and it can lead to blowing either a coolant hose or a radiator fitting completely off.
BTW, are you CERTAIN that your temperature sender is operating properly?
And what does your oil pressure do as this slowly over heat range scenario is happening? The reason i ask this is because if there is a lot of engine bearing wear, it's possible that the oil pump may not be able to keep the system pressurized properly once the oil warms up and thins out, and in that case the engine would REALLY be tending towards building up heat, if the lack of effective lubrication was allowing metal to metal contact ANYWHERE on a large bearing surface. (I'm thinking of mains, rod, and cam bearings here mainly)
sorry about the late reply I havent been near a computer this week. I am going to try to work on it today. it has a new 190 degree theromast and a new water pump(did that along with the timing belt)the oil pressure is at 60 lbs at start up and once fully warm it stays at about 40lbs in gear.i ll try to clean the radiator abd timing. thank s alot
There's always the chance that your temperature gauge is inaccurate, and the engine really isn't overheating. If you have a stock electrical gauge, the sensor/sender could be malfunctioning, this isn't unheard of.
It would be smart to double check the temperature readings with a different temperature sender after doing the few routine, inexpensive and obvious things already mentioned, if they do not help.
I have all autometer phamtom electric gauges. I think I found the problem being the anti-freeze was the color of rust and the radiator was leaking, also probaly didn't help there was acorns in the radiator. thanks guys
And all this time I thought that people talking about their cars as being squirrely was just a figure of speech....
Did the rusty water smell like something dead :reek:? The critter that ate the acorns may still be in there, or parts of it.