Hi I finally started my 53 Cadillac and was breaking it in amd within minutes the car started boiling! Bubbling out the radiator. This was just at a little more than idle. I got the radiator checked, water pump rebuilt, tested the thermostat. The radiator seems hot on the top hose and the bottom pan of the radiator seems cold. What I doubt its a blown head gasket since the car only ran 10 minutes on a complete rebuild any suggestions. I'm basically sick over this after all the time and money.....
If the top hose is hot and the bottom one not than the radiator is plugged. Did this happen within minutes of a cold start?
Dan
Yes. Not even 10 minutes running. It kinda makes me mad cuz I just paid 150 bucks to have my radiator sent out and tested and pressure checked
radiator shops simply run water thru the radiator to check for flow. You can do this yourself. Did you set the timing so the motor is happy?(did it start right up?) A retarded spark will cause a lot of heat.(spark advance OK?)...how did it run while doing your cam/lifter break in?(smooth/rough?) (timing chain indexed properly?)Air pockets when filling the cooling system? Blockage in the exhaust system?(mouse nest?) I've been there more times then I care to remember!....good luck!...walt...tulsa,ok
The first thing that comes to mind is that you coolant is not flowing properly for some reason. I am having similar issues and i think it all comes downt to water flow. My 56 is still an issue in this area and I am making progress throuh this forum. Is there any good water movement from the water pump thru the top rad hose. If not there is a blockage or the waterpump is not working. In have experienced the impeller on the pump being installed backwards. How did the car run before you rebuilt the motor. If the pump is working then i think the head gaskets intalled upside down could be a factor. When the rad rad was tested , what was the flow rate. I think we are having similar issues and i hope a solution for both of us is close
Frank Solano
I dk how it ran. This car has been in my apps shed since 1964. He gave it to me to restore. I had a professional rebuild the water pump. Which doesn't mean that it could be installed wrong. It only runs a few minutes and shoots out like a geyser when I shut it off
Quote from: mooman929 on July 11, 2014, 04:52:57 PM
The radiator seems hot on the top hose and the bottom pan of the radiator seems cold.
For reasons that need to be determined, the water is not circulating in the cooling system. That is why the top hose is hot and the bottom one cold.
Test thermostat or remove it for a run test.
My temp gauge seems to be reading fine but the car just get boiling hot. The impeller is working and the belt is tight. I bled the air out of the radiator. My heater is leaking. Is there a way to bypass the heater and just circulate the water back thru the block? Should I just hook the small hose from the water pump to the fitting on the head
Will that work?
If you have an infrared temperature gauge get readings of radiator from top to bottom. You have a downflow radiator and bottom should be cooler than top but need readings to better see whats going on.
Moonman are you filling the radiator to the top? If so this maybe normal, as the engine warms up the water will expand and flow out the overflow.
Normal operation for these cars is to not fill it the top but leave some space at the top of the radiator for expansion. Or you can fill it to the top and let it overflow, but do not refill it. The coolant will find its own level.
I don't think that is the reason. That shouldnt make it that hot. Does anyone know if I can bypass the heater? Hooking the small hose on the pump to the head fitting?
Yes that will work to bypass the heater.
Sheldon hay
Heater bypass should have nothing to do with your problem. Try it if you like, though.
Everything others have said is dead on.
1st, remove thermostate, try running.
2nd, check water flow after removal to verify pump is doing its job.
3rd, get readings of temp with laser gun and post.
REMEMBER, a rebuilt engine WILL run hotter until it is broken in .
Best of luck, Richard
Well I have a leak in the heater somewhere and don't want bother with it right now that's why I wanna bypass it. By I took the thermostat out and let it run a few minutes and it seems to be a little cooler. Plus my top hose is Hal pinchedboff now I noticed. Its such a hard bend it pinched it off.
Sounds like you found your problem. A bent hose will not let water flow, as you know and thus NOT cool the engine.
Good luck, once again.
Quote from: mooman929 on July 12, 2014, 09:18:47 AM
Well I have a leak in the heater somewhere and don't want bother with it right now that's why I wanna bypass it. By I took the thermostat out and let it run a few minutes and it seems to be a little cooler. Plus my top hose is Hal pinchedboff now I noticed. Its such a hard bend it pinched it off.
Either you have the wrong hose (flexible) and need a pre-formed hose. If you have a pre-formed hose, is there a spring inside it to keep it from collapsing? If not, see if you can add one.
You shouldn't be letting a new motor run just above idle the first time you start it. It should be run at about 2k rpms for about 20 minutes to break-in the cam...otherwise you will end up with a flat cam. Have that radiator rodded out, replace with a new one or hook up a known good radiator temporarily for the cam break-in.
Ok guys. Still overheating. I took the thermostat out, washed out the radiator which was completely brown with like a muddy scum in it. Could this be my overheating issue? The block was tanked and thought I had most of the rust out of it but apparently not. Should I just keep flushing it? I bypassed the heater hoses too because I'm thinking I sucked and bunch of old crud through the cooling system from the car sitting for 50 years. The fan is on the right direction and the water pump is rebuilt. Within 5 mins of idling the gauge climbs all the way to hot. I just replaced the temp sensor as well....
Did you break in the cam yet as everyone else has indicated? Idling on a fresh rebuild with a new cam will only hurt things.
Yes as good as could.
Ok so new update. Since my gauge goes right pegged to hot, I took a thermometer and stuck it in the radiator and vCard heckled the water temp. After 5 mins of idle it read about 180 degrees. Is that about normal? I just replaced the temp sensor last night. Could it be the sensor is faulty or its the gauge?
Not positive on 53 but most thermostats open at 180 degrees. If you leave it running how much higher does the temperature climb?
Not all parts house sender units are properly calibrated. These folks had the correct sensor for my 63, it works right. They have one for your 53.
http://www.lectriclimited.com/mainpage.htm
HTH, David
It idled for a half hour and the water temp was 195 in the radiator . With the gauge pegged
195 degrees is not that hot for prolonged idleing. It sounds to me like you have a gauge or sender issiue. When the motor is cold and you turn the key to the on position what does the needle do? Jump up a little or go to the pegged hot position?
No it doesn't go right to hot it just creeps up there
It creeps up pretty quickly as its idling. And pegs hot but the radiator temp seems normal. With a brand new sensor as well
Everything sounds normal now. 180-195 is normal temperature.
My '49, with the same motor as your '53 and a 160 degree thermostat, will creep up to 195 and even higher while idling on a hot day. (It does have some crud in the block.) It runs at 160 to 185 when cruising at 30-60 mph depending on the temperature of the day, and will stay at about 190 when cruising at 65 + mph, particularly on a hot day when the sun is shining on the front of the car.
As someone suggested earlier, did you put a spring in your upper radiator hose? Unless they are the flexible type, both hoses, even if pre-formed, need a spring in them to prevent pinching / collapsing at the bend.
A good way to monitor the temperature as you drive is to temporarily install a mechanical temp gauge which can be bought at any parts store. They are more accurate than the stock electrical gauge and are not influenced by the car's electrical system. Remove the electric sending unit (what you have been referring to as the "sensor") from the back of the right cylinder head. Hang or attach the mechanical temp gauge under the dash or just leave it on the front seat. Run its capillary tube through a hole in the dash if you have one on a '53 or through the large hole for the right ventilation tube if you have one. Using an adapter if necessary, screw the mechanical gauge's sending unit into the hole in the back of the right cylinder head and you are all set.
Jay is right on the money with the machanical gauge idea. That would give you a true reading. It could just be the gauge fouling you up. I have a friend who had a RV back in the 80s. It started to overheat one day. Temp gauge was all the way hot. He replaced water pump, thermostat, new radiator, while your there might as well replace hoses, belts......ect. $500 dollars later it stilled showed it was overheating. It turned out is was just a resistor for the temp gauge behind the instroment cluster. That one took awhile to figure out.
Ok I'm hoping its just the gauge goin bad. Thanks for all the help tho. I haven't gotten this car on the road yet. Gotta adjust the tranny bands then should be ready for a test drive. Ill update everybody and hopefully all goes well thanks again