Jump to content

Radiator Water Flow Problems


Recommended Posts

Ok so i finally got my carburetor to keep my engine running at idle speed

now my problem is i noticed the engine got very hot 

to hot to touch it would burn your hand 

so i quickly turned the engine off (just when i fixed one problem another starts)

I'm going to let the engine cool off over night I'm not gonna risk running it hot (when it was running i ran it for about 3 minutes)

i noticed that the radiator fluid in the radiator is not flowing threw from top to bottom like its suppose to 

any suggestions on what i should check

I'm not sure wether i should look at the water pump or the thermostat because its a rebuilt engine and everything on it looks good from outside

but clearly i am not getting the water to cycle threw like i need it to cool my engine off

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 57
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Does the block have coolant in it?

If it's not the reverse flow pump affecting anything, I'd probably try the thermostat. But I can't think of why the block would be climbing past 180 degrees in minutes. Maybe get an accurate temp see how hot the block is actually getting.

Do you know if the water pump is circulating?

 

I think you said the catalytic converter was new so it shouldn't be a blockage.

 

If everything else is fine maybe the radiator is FUBAR.

Not a easy radiator to find now I notice a lot of cheap aluminum radiator and very few of that old fashion design for sale.

 

Out of curiosity What finally got the carb working for you?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i got the carb working by putting in a bypass pressure valve so the fuel constantly cycles and the carb sounds like it just sucks in gas as it needs it 

i don't think its the radiator the guy who sold it to me said that he took it to a shop and got it pressure tested

also when i squeeze the bottom hose wich i think is the inlet hose i see the air bubbles pushing threw the rad and coming up to the cap  

 

the radiator or the fluid inside of it is not hot just the engine is, thats why i think something is blocking the flow because if it was flowing then the fluid would warm up as well 

 

i would guess that the temp of the engine gets around 150-175

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd start off with a new thermostat. Assuming the water pump is good (you should verify it is correct for your belt rotation), you should be able to see the coolant flow through the radiator once the engine gets warm. The thermostat is, in theory, the only thing that could be blocking the flow of coolant.

 

The block should fill most of the way up by simply filling the radiator. 

 

You will also need a real fan. I see a couple of small pushers up front, but that won't be enough fan once the truck hits the road. This is not relevant to your current issue if the radiator didn't get warm while idling the truck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is the water pump any good? I'd pull and replace the thermostat and verify the belt set up for the 94 Camaro engine accessories you are using .

I see you're using the 94 set up, nice. How did adapting the 90s alternator go?

If the front of the jeep is lifted to a slight angle so the radiator is the highest point it should self burp, that might help get some air out.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm pretty sure the pump is spinning the correct way because the belt does not fit on in any other way 

maybe the thermostat is bad is there any way that i can bypass it 

and the fan that i put on there is just to test it in the garage (i will put other fans on later)

 

how do i test the water pump ?

in order to get the 94 (pontiac firebird) set up to work i had to swap the alternator and the ac compressor 

i have not wired the alternator yet (just using a battery charger to charge my battery for now)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh. there is a kit for adapting the newer alternators to the old systems. I've been thinking of updating the crappy gm alternator for some time just wanted to see how it went for someone who's done it.

 

For the thermostat You can just pull the thermostat and reseal the water outlet, but I wouldn't run it on the road without it. Not having it will cause problems later on, from over cooling to over heating.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the 86 alternator was not a real alternator (its a generator)

i had no choice but to use the 94 alternator since its a real one 

 

I'm pretty sure the belt is in the right direction because i had the motor running before and it didn't even get close to over heating

i remember watching all the radiator fluid disappearing and i had to add more water to see the radiator fluid reach the top 

 

also as far as the belt sides go 

the side with the white font is the smooth side and the side thats just black is the ribbed side

the water pump and the tension pully are on the smooth side 

everything else is on the ribbed side 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hummm, you may be perfectly correct only pictures I could find had the position of the alternator and compressor reversed to where you have them, with the alternator on top and compressor underneath it. Those belts ran from the alternator to under the water pump. These guys were bypassing the compressor by using so the pictures may not be correct.


8f38e7b0d61e73e2c5b05de3624c4782.gif


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there pic might be right but there water pump pully has teth on it and mine is smooth 

but who knows maybe the guys that rebuilt the engine put on the wrong pulley

is there anyway to tell how the water pump should turn if i take it off the motor ?

 

actually it doesn't matter now that i looked at it 

the way i have it routed or the way its routed in there pic

the water pump will still spin in the same direction either way so that pretty much proves that mine is spinning the correct way 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

my pump spins counter clockwise 

and the one you show in the pic also spins counter clock wise 

(as long as the crankshaft spins clockwise wich about 90% of vehicles do)

there no difference in the way it spins just the way its routed 

your pic is pretty much proof that mine is turning the right way (even tho its routed a different way)

 

i will check the thermostat then check the water pump to see if the impeller is messed up 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok sounds like we got a plan then i will check on it tomorrow and tell you how it does 

i sure hope i figure it out cause this motor sounds great when it runs would be a huge bummer to over heat it 

 

any ideas on how the built in bypass works

is it inside of the pump or is there a hose ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok sounds like we got a plan then i will check on it tomorrow and tell you how it does 
i sure hope i figure it out cause this motor sounds great when it runs would be a huge bummer to over heat it 
 
any ideas on how the built in bypass works
is it inside of the pump or is there a hose ?


The bypass is just a workaround so the AC compressor isn't running. The waterpump has a hose through the intake to the thermostat housing that can clog up or the vanes may break off if the motor is frozen then started.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok so i ran it with the thermostat removed and the water cycle threw the radiator no problem now 

my guess is the radiator fluid is a little dirty and got the thermostat stuck in the closed position 

i noticed that the top hose is hot and the bottom hose is warm and the fluid was warm so then i put the pressure cap back on 

now i have to figure out how to hook up the temperature sensor so that i can monitor the temp and install new fans to keep my radiator fluid cool 

 

here's a pic of what sensors i see on the motor 

2v2k575.jpg

 

could anyone please tell me where the temp sensor is and how am i suppose to hook it up on a gauge so i can monitor my engines tempurature

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ok so i ran it with the thermostat removed and the water cycle threw the radiator no problem now 
my guess is the radiator fluid is a little dirty and got the thermostat stuck in the closed position 
i noticed that the top hose is hot and the bottom hose is warm and the fluid was warm so then i put the pressure cap back on 
now i have to figure out how to hook up the temperature sensor so that i can monitor the temp and install new fans to keep my radiator fluid cool 
 
here's a pic of what sensors i see on the motor 
30jjupj.jpg
 
could anyone please tell me where the temp sensor is and how am i suppose to hook it up on a gauge so i can monitor my engines tempurature


That two prong switch should be for an electric fan if it's stock for the 3.4L in a '90 Camaro or S10. In fact, if you look either of those up the sensors and switches should make sense.
I ran into a bad bunch of thermostats a couple years ago. 195s were open at 160 and 180s weren't opening till the motor was overheating.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Link to comment
Share on other sites

fs0p1.jpg

 

ok so theres 3 different sensors 

the one on the bottom (with the two prongs sticking out) according to Carnuck it connects to an electric fan 

so I'm assuming that it turns the fan on from Medium speed to High speed when the motor gets up to a certain temp 

because the 94 Firebird setup had an electric fan 

 

then theres the one with the rubber hose connected to it 

not sure what that does 

 

and then theres the one to the top right 

which i believe is the temp sensor because it looks just like this one and has two prongs inside the plastic

http://www.autozone.com/engine-management/coolant-temperature-sensor/duralast-coolant-temperature-sensor/558821_0_0?cmpid=PS:3:3:1&s_kwcid=AL!5142!3!193223275652!!!!304985278306!&ef_id=UYMz9AAAADV4frw9:20170912203244:s 

 

so how do i connect the coolant temp sensor to the gauge 

is it as easy as connecting those two prongs to the gauge and thats it or is there more to it ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

94 Camaro would have TBI at the least. The vacuum hoses are a coolant temp override switch for the air cleaner to control hot air in winter for anti-icing.

The factory gauge requires certain resistances to work. On that I defer to someone else as I don't have much internet thanks to an outage.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Front of the engine to the right in the front is the oem temp sender.

This temp sensor is the 84-85-86 sender for gauges, a PITA to find because the parts books skip over it, not just because it was used in jeep and Isuzu, Chevy changed it in the early 80s most of their part books do not show it either.

 

 

ee941aaf61cac5040f67feeb7d5157b3.jpg

 

The Camaro 3.4 should have something similar in the same spot.

 

There is a two prong switch on the 2.8 manifold I think it went to that POS fuel preheater. Not quite like the one in you picture but similar

 

 

Those tall vacuum switch towers respond to heat opening at certain time for emission reasons. If you can bypass them you're better off.

 

Far as getting a fan going If if we're me I'd hunt through the s10 forum for the folks who have done the Efan upgrade, save a lot of headaches to follow someone who's done it. Or hit rock auto and scroll through the sensor for the Camaro to find what you need looks like and piece it together that way.

 

You've got a mix of old and new that makes it confusing, hope to hell you don't have to pass emissions. A lot of that crap has nothing to do with how well it runs and new carbs and catalytic converters do a much better job but states can be particular about that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

94 Camaro would have TBI at the least. The vacuum hoses are a coolant temp override switch for the air cleaner to control hot air in winter for anti-icing.

The factory gauge requires certain resistances to work. On that I defer to someone else as I don't have much internet thanks to an outage.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The 94 Camaro had a pretty nice injection system. Apparently it's not to hard to wire into the jeep. With the Camaro harness and ecu of course.

 

I'm not sure what some of those switches are from, some look like they are Camaro and some like the vacuum switch are old 2.8. The intake I'm pretty sure has to be 2.8 oem for the carb to work. I do know it is not edelbrock for sure.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share


×
×
  • Create New...