hey guys, i need some input.i am having cooling issues with my mav. i have a 360 horse 302 that has run hot since i put it in. i have tried 160 and 180 degree thermastats and also high flow thermastats. i have a high flow water pump pushing appx 30% over stock. i have had the timing checked and the carb checked and they are both set correctly. it is still running around 195-200 on the interstate and in traffic it jumps to 220-230. i also live in florida so it is hot ALOT down here. the radiator has been changed 3 times and am currently running the factory 3 row with a non clutch 7 blade fan. i am wondering if the water pump might be pushing too much water through the radiator faster than it can cool it. i have tried everything else. i am also considering an aluminum radiator but getting a drop in aluminum for this car is around $550. i figured it was smarter to ask for help than to throw money around. any ideas
Order the Ford 22X19 Jegs radiator, it's perfect for these cars. You will just need to order their install brackets or just go to home depot and get some heavy duty "L" brackets. 169.00 for this radiator and 8.99 shipping
We have a lot of heating issues with our mavs, especially those of us who live down south. I drilled 6 evenly spaced 1/8" holes around the outside ring of my 160 thermostat, and it brought temps down quite a bit. I don't think the typical thermostat opens enough to get good flow. Check your spark plugs. Some of us are just running too lean, and that keeps up running hot. Mitee, how do you like that Torker289 intake. I am looking for one as we speak.
I love it, be sure you get a Torker 289 and not just a Torker, the Torker 289 twists the carb clockwise about 20 degrees. I have ran them all and for a stock to moderate HP motor you can't beat it, I don't care what anyone says. I picked up a NOS one on E-Bay for 90.00 plus shipping.
10/1 compression and hi test fuel usually mixed with octane boost. i have tried all fuel grades and no change in temp. miteemav--- is the jegs radiator a 3 or 4 row? if it is a 3 row then how is it better than the factory 3 row? any ideas or opinions about the water flow? has anyone heard of the water flow outrunning the cooling capacity?
aluminum displaces heat more efficient than the brass copper radiators..... the fins are better at coling because alumimun doesnt retain the heat....thats why aluminum heads are better that iron heads.... ligher as well... but you have to make sure that the aluminum radiator is fastened securly...or it will crack... i also have a over heating problem....and i have done all the same stuff as you...except i am still running a stock water pump....and i live in tucson arizona....when i am drviing downt he interstate....mine stays around 195....in traffic i get scared when it gets above 220.... so i try not to drive it much until it gets cooler around here.... the only things i can think of.....are i am too lean...or the water system has a blockage somewhere....maybe the head gasket holes are not big enough...i know the holes in my hi po head gaskets are about .250 in size in comparison to .5 holes or bigger in the block and heads....but as far as that goes...the people i spoke to said...leave the holes in the gaskets alone....so i did.... but i think that is the main problem good luck and keep us informed when you fix it...it would be golden news to me for one
like you i have been pulling my hair out about this. there have been a few scary moments with my temps. i CANNOT sit and idle without overheating. as long as i am moving it runs warm but not dangerous. get in traffic or stop moving and you had better keep an eye on the guages. i am looking at different options for aluminum radiators. i will keep you posted on what works and doesn't. i also went back to my engine builder to ask about an internal problem or blocked water jacket and he assured me that the correct size and style head gaskets were installed and no ports were blocked. i ordered and brought the gasket set so unless someone really screwed up the odds are slim of a mistake. this guy is pretty good. so far prices on aluminum range from fair to oh-my->>>. it just depends on how much custom work you want to do to mount them and how radical you want to get. very confusing. miteemav-- i went to the jegs web page and cannot find a 19x22 aluminum rad. the smallest they have listed is a 19x26. what is the part number you have?
Take a good look at your engine bay side panels. These cars have to air tight an engine bay. Often those that run full length headers get into heating issues because the headers take up a lot of space that the original iron header did not and restrict air flow. Understand that if the air has less place to flow, it will not come through the radiator due to an air blocking condition in the engine bay. The fan will not pull any more air if it has no place to force it to. Take a vacuum cleaner and block the end of the hose. What do you hear? The motor speeds up because it is doing 'less' work. On my car, the rear of the hood actually lifts to the limits the hood hinges allow due to the pressure built up in the engine bay. Poor design is the problem. Most all other cars and trucks at least have open side panels to some degree.
you can try water wetter from red line that might help a bit.. what about a fan shroud? got one of those? what lbs cap do you have on it? is it puking? they do make a 4 core for our cars... works really well and cheaper then an alum griffin.. but i myself i would love to see some pics of some of these universal ones in a maverick though.. and i'm talking big ones!!!! i'd like to change to a bigger one myself. someone should post a detailed shots of one
Bluegrass made some good points. On my car, I jacked the rear of the hood up about 2" so there is a good 1" gap at the rear. This prevents that "parachute effect" that he is talking about, where the engine bay kinda fills up and prevents air flow through the radiator. That increases cool air flow over the top of the engine, removing heat, and supplying fresh air for the intake. Plus, reduces drag by allowing that air to flow out of the bay and over the top of the car. I will be swapping heads today. Any suggestions on drilling out the water passage holes in the gaskets if they are smaller than the holes? Actually, what I mean is, I will drill them if they are smaller, unless someone gives me good reason not to. Seriously, I think our main problem is that we are taking a low HP motor with a radiator that works fine for it, then doubling, tripling (or better!) the HP, and then expecting that 30 year old radiator (coated on the inside with calcium deposits, which is basically chalk, which does not dissipate heat) to keep up. We all need to just suck up, spend a few $$$, and get a better/aluminum radiator. Then we can stop with all the "band-aid" fixes. Let us all start by donating a small amount to my cause. I will take all donations and buy a new aluminum radiator, (and 10:1 pistons if there is any left over, you know, to double MY horsepower) and prove this theory of mine. What better cause? And we will solve this overheating dilemma for good
Leave the holes as found (designed). They are sized to keep the flow/temps more even around the block and heads from front to rear and top to bottom of the deck. This is the same idea that large air conditioning systems use in balancing airflow in the duct work so all outlets are nearly the same for the total area served. Notice that the water pump has two inlets into the front of the block one for each bank that is intended to keep flow balanced, then returns the coolant to the top of the radiator through the thermostat. In hot locations you may benifit from running an 18 to 20 psi cap if boil over is a tendency. This will raise boilng point of the coolant.
Thanks, I will leave them. I noticed that the holes in the heads were triangular, and the holes in the Fel-Pro gaskets are round, and varying sizes. That explains why this is so.
i am currently using water wetter. i did not notice a big difference in temps. i am using a factory shroud. adding that helped a bit but still to hot. the cap is 13 lbs. i have not noticed any puking. i called up a place that said they had a 4 row but the price was equal to an aluminum. i found a place online that sells a 2 row 1.25"pipe aluminum for $169 then add $35 for their custom mounting brackets. the only question would be how to shroud it since the factory one won't adapt to the aluminum
If you are not puking when overheating, you may not actually be overheating, especially with a 13 lb cap. I moved the wire that connects to the intake water passage, the one that goes to my temp guage, and lifted it off the manifold. It was laying under the carb linkage, on the manifold near the head. When I lifted it and placed it on top of the valve cover bolts (I use the 6" long T-head bolts), it miraculously dropped 15 degrees. The wire is actually a heat conductor, and since it was sitting on the head/manifold, it was getting warmer than the water, and registering higher temps. When I really get to 220 or so, it starts to puke.
