[TR] Overheating issue

[Rye Livingston]

Maybe I should have worded it that it's mechanically running well?  I'm referring to engine performance.  I believe the timing is spot on and so is the advance.  Carbs are tuned as well and it idles perfectly and when cruising along, or pedal down, it's running very well and smooth.  In other words, it goes like a "bat out of hell".  

Mechanically I think it's spot on, and I believe it's a radiator cap issue, which I hope to test out later today.  From what I've heard from others, the cap should not come loose at 210 degrees, thus depressurizing the system, lowing the boiling point and having it boil over.  

This only happened in pretty extreme conditions, over 100 degrees outside, going up some long up hill roads.  The rest of time, on the flats and of course doing down hill, the water temp is around 180-190 degrees.

I keep going back to the cap.  Seems very odd to me to have it unscrew a little less than 1/4 turn when it got to 210.  I'd expect it to blow off some coolant via the overflow hose, but not unscrew the cap.

So maybe that's the area of questions.  With everything being equal, engine timed and tuned, do you think in extreme heat and driving pretty hard uphill, that 210 degrees is acceptable temperature?  When getting to that temperature range, or higher, would you expect the radiator cap to get loose, or blow off via the overflow hose?

I'll let you know this afternoon when I go for a test drive in the heat, supposed to be 97 here, and see if I can get it to 210 degrees with the new radiator cap.

Thanks for your comments, I appreciate the feedback.

Rye





On Jun 21, 2017, at 11:20 AM, Randall <TR3driver at ca.rr.com> wrote:



The car is running
really well.

Sorry, I must have misunderstood. I thought you had a problem that you were
asking our help with. To me, overheating is not "running really well".

When he "checked the timing", did he check all the aspects of timing that I
mentioned before? They aren't usually included, and are extra work. A
"pro" won't do that unless you specifically ask, or are paying them to
troubleshoot the problem (sometimes not even then).

Also, anyone can make a mistake. That includes mechanics old enough to have
been in business for 40+ years.

If I seem a bit sour, it's because I paid a lot of money just 6 months ago
to have the Chevy V8 in my "hauler" rebuilt. The mechanic is a good guy, I
have a lot of respect for him; and he's been in business at the same place
for a long time. His grandfather founded the shop some 70 years ago!

But I've already had the car back to him 3 times to fix little things (like
the bolt that fell out of the fan belt tensioner and an intermittent
misfire). 

Then last Friday, on my way up to Blackhawk Farms to watch the Kastner Cup
races, it suddenly erupted in steam. Evidently the engine rebuilder (not my
mechanic) got some bad new parts and the teeth stripped on the water pump
drive in only about 5000 miles. So I missed the race and had to rent a car
to get my Dad back home. Now I'm still waiting for them to call and tell me
it's back together. Last time we added it up, over $2000 in parts & labor
(not to mention hotel room and rental car). If I have at least a little bit
of luck left; the heads didn't warp from overheating and the swarf from the
destroyed gear teeth all got caught by the magnet, screen and filter instead
of winding up in the bearings. Yeah, right.

My point being, it pays to double-check things when there is a problem.
Don't just assume that anyone (including yourself or your 60 year old
mechanic) did it right, or that new parts are good.

Purely a side comment, working on that LT1 V8 sure does make me appreciate
how simple TR motors are to work on! On the LT1, the radiator has to come
out just to change the freaking ignition rotor! (Main reason I took it to
Jeff instead of doing it myself.)

-- Randall

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