71 Ranchero Radiator Help. Spewing everywhere |
Post Reply | Page 123> |
Author | |
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
Posted: 13-July-2017 at 7:33PM |
(1971 ford ranchero. Small block 302 with 4150 and stock internals. Had sat for 20 years when i got the thing) -Im thinking the rad cap might be bad? but it looks brand new. -A blockage in the radiator? the car was sitting for 20 years with rad fluid in it. Might have some crusty stuff blocking it. -Possibly one of the head gaskets went? Causing excess pressure in the system. But theres no signs of water mixing with oil in the block or rad. Anyone know what the hell is going on? the thing is getting on my nerves.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
californiajohnny
Moderator Group Joined: 05-October-2013 Location: winlock, wa Status: Offline Points: 14609 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
if you're sure the thermostat isn't sticking and in correctly, could be something blocking somewhere? but sounds like a head gasket... do you have antifreeze in it? if it's burning coolant it will steam/smoke bad out the exhaust and if you smell close in the radiator you can smell a exhaust/fuel kinda smell! (well at least i can if ones bad) also check your plugs... if one or two are clean (like they were steam cleaned) that could be the cylinder that's leaking
|
|
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE 74 VETTE CUSTOM 90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED 77 CELICA CUSTOM 75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED 79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED 75 VEGA V6 5 SPD 70 CHEV C10 P/U 68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION |
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
thanks for the reply.
Forgot to mention it was doing this before i replaced the t-stat aswell.
There was a little white smoke coming out the exhaust when i was bleeding the thing. But didnt look like water vapor, didnt dissipate quick. And only if i opened the throttle (which shot a 2 foot geyser of coolant out the rad with the cap off. idk if thats normal but it was pretty funny) Ill pull the plugs on the thing today and take a look. Also do a compression test this weekend. Just smelled the rad and i cant tell if it smells like gas, it might a little bit maybe. Just smells like coolant. Also the rad cap on this radiator is on the drivers side on the output of the coolant (or the cold side?) so its coming out of the engine and going thru the rad and not getting back into the engine fast enough? I took the rad off and looked at the hoses and they dont seem restricted in anyway. |
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
dave302
Senior Member Joined: 08-October-2009 Location: usa Status: Offline Points: 3171 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
The hot coolant goes from the engine into the top passenger side (inlet) of the radiator, and then it exits at the lower drivers side (outlet) of the radiator. If you want to test if the radiator is slow to drain or clogged, take the radiator cap off of the radiator, remove both upper and lower radiator hoses from the radiator, and put a drain pan underneath the drivers side lower outlet of the radiator. Then you can pour a gallon of water into the top passenger side inlet of the radiator and look down into the opening where you removed the radiator cap from. The water should drain out of the lower drivers side outlet into the drain pan quickly, if the radiator is not slow to drain or clogged. If the water takes a long time to drain out then the radiator might be clogged. If the water drains out quickly, then the problem might be some where else. Such as clogged coolant passages in the engine cylinder heads and/or clogged coolant passages and water jackets in the engine block.
Edited by dave302 - 14-July-2017 at 11:35AM |
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
So i pulled the radiator, and poured water down the rad. Came out pretty quickly, didnt seem abnormal. Washed it out with a hose and put it back in the car. So i conclude its not the rad itself.
Also pulled all the plugs, 7 of which were a tan or brown colour and 1 was oil soaked and black... Leaky valve seals? Rings? Head gasket? ill comp test it. There was no evidence water was getting into the cylinders aswell. How would i even begin to clean the coolant passages in the engine? if thats the issue. Complete tear down i assume? |
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
dave302
Senior Member Joined: 08-October-2009 Location: usa Status: Offline Points: 3171 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
There are several different engine coolant system cleaners available for sale. Some are for a mild cleaning and others are for a deep thorough cleaning. But you might have to remove the coolant system drain plugs to do it properly. There is one coolant system drain plug on the lower drivers side of the engine near the freeze plugs. And there is one coolant system drain plug on the lower passengers side of the engine near the freeze plugs.
But sometimes these drain plugs are rusted or corroded onto the block and they can be difficult to remove.
There is also a way to use the coolant system cleaners without removing the engine drain plugs.
If the engine coolant psssages are badly rusted and/or corroded, the coolant system cleaners might not help at all.
That one spark that is black and oily might be a fouled plug. You can try to replace it with a new or good used plug, and see if it becomes tan colored like the other plugs. Edited by dave302 - 14-July-2017 at 12:23PM |
|
Don V.
Member Joined: 07-July-2017 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 174 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Is your lower radiator hose collapsing? Or put another way, did someone remove the spring in the hose?
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Thanks, ill look into cleaning out the system. But im beginning to suspect its the radiator cap, Im not able to fill the rad to the cold line without it pouring out the cap. When i shut the car down theres loud gurgling sounds coming from the passenger side. Symptoms of low fluid and air in the system. Im going to buy a replacement 13psi cap and see if that works. Hope to jeebus thats the problem.
As for the plug, ill replace it. The plugs were replaced 2 years ago, and then sat untill now. Ive recently noticed burning oil smoke out the tailpipe. Not enought to warrant me replacing the valve seals yet.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
And no the lower hose is fine. I removed all the hoses and inspected them all. no issues.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
californiajohnny
Moderator Group Joined: 05-October-2013 Location: winlock, wa Status: Offline Points: 14609 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
if you happen to remove the thermostat again i'd recommend drilling a small 1/8" hole in the thin flat part of the thermostat itself to allow air pockets to dissipate! many thermostats now come that way but i do it on all my cars good point on the hose spring! is yours still in the lower hose?
|
|
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE 74 VETTE CUSTOM 90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED 77 CELICA CUSTOM 75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED 79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED 75 VEGA V6 5 SPD 70 CHEV C10 P/U 68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION |
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Yea the thermostat housing is actually leaking now.... Guess i need more rtv. Ill drill the hole aswell. And yea the spring is still in there, just a lil rusty.
Should the water in the rad be dropping dramatically when i open the throttle with the cap off? and then come flying out lol...
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Don V.
Member Joined: 07-July-2017 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 174 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Didn't Ford have both CW and CCW water pumps during this time that were interchangeable? Don't remember the years but it was around this time. I remember seeing this on a Mustang. Any chance the former owner picked up the wrong pump somewhere?
The hole in the thermostat is almost mandatory on a lot of GM's. The thermostat is the highest point in a lot of their coolant systems. I read years ago about how it frustrated owners and the hole was the solution. |
|
californiajohnny
Moderator Group Joined: 05-October-2013 Location: winlock, wa Status: Offline Points: 14609 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
i've been doing the hole thing for???30 years?? hmmm water pump rotation.... that's a possibility
|
|
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE 74 VETTE CUSTOM 90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED 77 CELICA CUSTOM 75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED 79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED 75 VEGA V6 5 SPD 70 CHEV C10 P/U 68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION |
|
Don V.
Member Joined: 07-July-2017 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 174 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Did some searching and direction is ambiguous. For the pump itself I could only find rotation direction an option for the '65 to '76 352, 360, 390, 427 and 428. I didn't find anywhere where the pump was available in CCW for 302, 400 or any 351 except for '69 when the 351W was CCW with the inlet on the passenger side. Appears the 69 pump can be adapted to other years but the pump needs the '69 timing cover also. Then it gets a bit confusing since it seems whatever was stated about what a year had someone would join in with their exception. The consistent exception was the Merc Marine engines. Engine rotation could be changed for prop rotation when running multiple engines. Anyway, if the Ranchero engine is original the pump should be running CW with the intake on the drivers side. This was nice distraction though from the head gaskets I'm changing right now. Appears whoever else changed the gaskets recently thought torque specs and bolt order are suggestions along with the RTV called for on the intake gasket. Don
|
|
Big Bird
Senior Member Joined: 25-August-2013 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 4194 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
rotation is backward for a serpentine belt pump, and they will bolt up. However, they don't work well running backward. The geyser tells me that there is a flow obstruction, as I have run mine with the cap removed, even with a blown head gasket and got mild overflow and burping when air pushed thru. no geysers like Jordan describes.
|
|
"What we do in full frontal view, is more honest than your cleaned-up mind."
Randy 1979 T-Bird 2005 F-150 STX RCSB 4.6, 3.55 LSD How the Heck does a REGULAR CAB SHORTBED weigh over 5200 pounds? |
|
Don V.
Member Joined: 07-July-2017 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 174 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Agreed. But if the thermostat is closed how well would the pump have to work? With the only noise mentioned being gurgling the pressure doesn't suggest the cause being heat. John, good catch on the hose. I'm usually working on engines that use the direction of heat flow, "hot to cold or hot to less hot," to assist coolant flow. Don
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
The geyser was only when i revved the motor with the cap off, which was just the water pump shoving it out. otherwise it flows fine and overflows and kinda bubbles when at idle. It was low on coolant and has air in the system. Im getting a new cap and drilling a hole in the t stat. Then bleed it and hope its back to normal... I hope there isnt an obstruction in the motor somewhere.
The water pump couldn't be reversed, Im 90 percent sure its the stock one on the motor.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Not the original motor btw. Not sure when it was replaced. But it is a windsor 302.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Don V.
Member Joined: 07-July-2017 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 174 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
That's good information.
I mentioned your problem to someone that knows these motors and the first thing he had to say was make sure the water pump and crankshaft pulleys are the same size. The W and C had different sizes because the C was higher reving. Both should be 1 to 1 though. He also asked about an engine swap. In 70 Ford went to a cross flow radiator and the pump inlet went from the passenger side to the drivers side. If your engine is pre 70 it may be plumbed wrong. He added the type of radiator used should match type for engine year unless there is an aftermarket radiator installed. Then if properly matched to the engine differences should be compensated for. Also said was the spring on these engines should be in the lower hose. If the engine runs fine in town but overheats on the highway the spring is probably missing.
Edited by Don V. - 15-July-2017 at 2:59PM |
|
californiajohnny
Moderator Group Joined: 05-October-2013 Location: winlock, wa Status: Offline Points: 14609 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
hmm i just had an off the wall thought...are all the smaller hoses connected correctly? on the windsor the heater hose comes out the top of the intake above the thermostat, the small hose barb on the thermostat housing goes to the upper small hose barb on the pump, the lower small hose barb on the pump goes to the other heater core tube. not sure exactly what it's purpose is but has something to do with circulation (the short 90* hose) just a thought since you said the engine's been changed, sometimes other people do stupid sh*t and makes you wonder WTF were they thinking!
|
|
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE 74 VETTE CUSTOM 90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED 77 CELICA CUSTOM 75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED 79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED 75 VEGA V6 5 SPD 70 CHEV C10 P/U 68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION |
|
Don V.
Member Joined: 07-July-2017 Location: Michigan Status: Offline Points: 174 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
The vacuum line syndrome.
|
|
Big Bird
Senior Member Joined: 25-August-2013 Location: New York Status: Offline Points: 4194 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
any idea on engine's year/source? Putting a standard rotation water pump on a reverse rotation timing cover is also a problem. they bolt up, but misalign cooling passages.
even though you have water flowing thru the radiator, you may be partially obstructed. I've never made a geyser, revving the engine with the cap off. suction thru the radiator to feed the pump is usually enough to keep most of the water in the radiator. overflowing yes, geyser no.
|
|
"What we do in full frontal view, is more honest than your cleaned-up mind."
Randy 1979 T-Bird 2005 F-150 STX RCSB 4.6, 3.55 LSD How the Heck does a REGULAR CAB SHORTBED weigh over 5200 pounds? |
|
Rockatansky
Senior Member Joined: 30-July-2010 Location: On The Road Status: Offline Points: 6072 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
the short 90* hose is external bypass from the T-stat back to the water pump for circulation during warm-up. FWIW the Cleveland family engines have an internal by-pass built into the timing case are of the block
it's absolutely possible to mount a reverse rotation water pump on a std circulation engine. I'm not sure about the passages lining up or not but the big difference is where you can't see it, the blades of the impeller are curved / angled the opposite direction with all the trouble you're having i don't see that removing the water pump for inspection and to verify that you don't have scale blockage is outrageous? take the pump to the parts house and compare the impeller to a fresh correct pump for that engine it wouldn't be the first time, and yeah the geyser is pretty crazy the simplest explanation from way out here is that the pump is moving coolant into the radiator instead of pulling from it .... ?
|
|
72 GT Ute
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Yea the hoses are hooked up right. The heater core is bypassed so the lower hose on the pump goes straight into the upper intake on the manifold. Not sure if you can do it that way, but thats how i hooked it up.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Ill take a look into the water pump being incorrect, its a possiblitly. Im not sure what year the motor is, ill look into it.
I dont think its moving coolant into the rad from the drivers side. Because it sucked into the lower hose when i revved it up a bit. and it does come out of the thermostat once it gets hot. The thing is the car was driven as a daily driver 20+ years ago with no major issues with the cooling system. It was my uncles car when he was my age and he never had problems like this. Im beginning to think there was a lot of air in the water jackets and there is a bunch of scale and calcium built up in there somewhere. The rad has some in it.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
This car is driving me crazy lol. No timing marks, Dirty carb, Rusty gas tank, and now this. My first "project car" btw.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
lynchster
Senior Member Joined: 07-January-2006 Location: Pennsylvania Status: Offline Points: 2150 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Has anyone suggested a compression test?
|
|
Chuck
72 Gran Torino Sport 13 Taurus SHO "Mr Pig" |
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Theres no bubbles/exhaust coming from the radiator so i dont believe its a head gasket. ill do the comp test anyway tho. The overflowing only happens once the thermostat opens up.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
californiajohnny
Moderator Group Joined: 05-October-2013 Location: winlock, wa Status: Offline Points: 14609 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
i'm beginning to think you have a bunch of scale and crap in the engine and or the radiator too?
if you have a good trustworthy radiator shop near you take the radiator and have it flow tested they can tell you how much its blocked and could knock out a lot of crap too |
|
JOHN
74 GRAN TORINO S&H CLONE 74 VETTE CUSTOM 90 S10 BLAZER 4X4 LIFTED 77 CELICA CUSTOM 75 V8 MONZA SUPERCHARGED 79 COURIER VERT. SLAMMED 75 VEGA V6 5 SPD 70 CHEV C10 P/U 68 MUSTANG FB CONVERSION |
|
Jordanbrown123
Member Joined: 13-July-2017 Location: BC, Canada Status: Offline Points: 49 |
Post Options
Thanks(0)
|
Yea probably. But i talked to the previous owner and he said it has actualy always had problems with the cooling system. So its either scale or the wrong pump. Im going to replace the pump as precaution, providing its not too much cash.
|
|
71 Ranchero, 351w.
|
|
Post Reply | Page 123> |
Tweet |
Forum Jump | Forum Permissions You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum |