Nightrider350

I just finished putting in a rebuilt 350 into my orig. V6 '88 bird, but it seems to be overheating according to the gauge in the dash.

Here's my coolent setup:
- new double-wide all-aluminum radiator.
- the orig. 350 water pump from before the rebuild.
- new thermostat
- orig. electric fan for 2.8 V6
- new electric temp sensor installed on top of the aluminum
intake manifold. I have it wired to the gauge in the dash.


I'm wondering if the gauge in the dash, being setup for the 2.8 V6, is reading wrong because now it has a 5.7 V8. The middle of the gauge reads 220. The highest the temp has gone was 245-250. Or, could the water pump not be pumping fast enough, or the fan not be strong enough to cool the radiator?

Dave Y

are you running serp belt or v-belts?

is it a reverse rotatipn water pump?

Dave Y

when the gauge reads hot, is the upper rad hose hot?

Nightrider350

- V-belts are a lot skinnier than serp-belts correct? If so, I'm running V-belts.

- not sure on the reverse rotation water pump. it the standard water pump for a 1970's 350 four-bolt main

- yea, the upper rad hose was definitely hot

TA

iTrader: (1)

Check your thermostat-run a 180 or 170 degree
Check your ignition timing, that can cause it to run hot. Should be about 6-8 degrees initial.
Is the fan running?
Does the temp sender on the engine match the gauge on the dash? (Did the temp sender come from the v6 also)

Does it run hot at idle, on the road, at a stoplight, high speed freeway, or all of the above. You need to see if it runs cooler or hotter while idling, running low speed or freeway speeds.

How it reacts to these tests will indicate what the problem is, if any.

Let us know

Good luck
Troy
So Cal

Nightrider350

- thermostat is straight from the box, so not sure of temp setting. i will check though

- the timing should be okay

- the fan is wired to run continously while the ignition is on. just not sure if its big enough to cool the rad, even though it's about equal to the size of the fan that is supposed to connect to the water pump.

- the temp sensor itself that screws into the manifold is for a 350, however, the wiring is still all the same for the V6

- today was the first real drive. it was running warm in the city, but was burning up on the highway. I'll check it's idle temp tomorrow. I'm also gonna try to hook up a mechanical gauge as well as get a reading with a laser gauge.