Hot 170

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Dartness

Dartness

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Hi, I'm new to this forum, and also to slants. I have a 63 Dart 170 that was running fine, yet a little hot for my liking. One day while driving for 15 minutes on highway, it got too hot and i pulled it over for a half hour to cool off then drove home. Later in the week we replaced upper and lower rad hoses, added new 160 temp t-stat (was 180 temp) and new t-stat housing. Put it all back together and drove for 20 minutes with much lower temps. All seemed great until I got into stop-and-go traffic. Temp went up-and-up and I nursed it home again. Today I drove her for 5 minutes tops, parked car and let it run for 2-3 minutes and the temp spiked!! Soooo I pushed her home, took out t- stat figuring it was fried but it's not. Help me please before I accidentally crack a block or head or something.
 
Suspect a plugged up radiator or perhaps it's cap is not holding pressure, check cap, and have it boiled out if cap is good. Also flush out block and head, remove block drain lower passenger's side of block below #5 park plug; you may have to bust through some slag with a screw driver or such after removing plug to get water to flow.

Also inspect water pump, its impeller may have failed from corrosion and no longer can pump.

Put a 180 degree thermostat back in with 50/50 mix of water and anti freeze.
 
Have you had the car very long? Is the a new problem? Easy way to check for a plugged radiator is pull off the lower hose, fill with water with hand over lower outlet, when full take your hand away. If it gushes out radiator is good, if slow and gurgles, it's plugged. Check the cap, and here's a weird one that I have seen, the fan being on backwards.
 
Haven't had it too long but drove it to work and back for weeks. 15 minutes up and back.
 
I'll definitely check the rad first and see what I get. I'll need to figure out if the water pump is ok somehow too
 
Welcome to the site.

First, the thermostat has absolutely nothing to do with controlling how hot the engine gets. It simply controls the engine's minimum operating temperature. You are better off with the 180, or even a 195. Whatever the Factory Service Manual calls for, that's what you should use.

Both hoses being hot indicates nothing about radiator flow. That simply means the engine is heating up the coolant, which it will do even and especially if the radiator is stopped slam up.

You can try flushing it yourself, but usually it's better to take it to a radiator shop as they can make any necessary repairs at that time as well.
 
I flushed out the rad and block, replaced the 180 temp t-stat and rad cap...and it seems to have cooled the little slant for now. Drove a lot today and it kept good temps unless I parked and left key on. The temp almost spikes then, but goes down right away if restarted.
 
If you're talking about after you cut it off and it gets hot, that's normal. They heat up about the first 15 minutes after you cut um off.
 
Have you looked threw your radiator, use a flash light and see how much light
goes threw it at night, it could be plugged up with bugs and dirt, use a water hose and clean the outside fins, I have seen mud in them before, so clean the outside as well........I removed my heavy old 4 blade fan and found a good flex 5 blade fan, I do not have a radiator shroud :banghead: so this helps allot, moves more air sitting in traffic
 
......I removed my heavy old 4 blade fan and found a good flex 5 blade fan, I do not have a radiator shroud so this helps allot, moves more air sitting in traffic
Click to expand...
This fan modification is not necessary if radiator and rest of cooling system is clean and holding pressure. These slant cars ran for years without over heating with a four blade fan. Shroud was used on air conditioned cars.
 
wjajr said:


This fan modification is not necessary if radiator and rest of cooling system is clean and holding pressure. These slant cars ran for years without over heating with a four blade fan. Shroud was used on air conditioned cars.
Click to expand...

Yes they do and have for many years.. But there is nothing is wrong with taking 3 lbs of unneeded weight
off of the front of the engine that is robing hp/mpg is there .Just a simple upgrade
 
You want a fan shroud, that will allow more air to flow through the radiator. Especially when the car is stopped.
 
So maybe a flex fan AND a fan shrowd?

No I haven't shined light through, but the water flushed really clean

Front and back of rad are clean and free of debris and mud.

Professional cook and flush on my list
 
If you have an air compressor blow sure thru radiator the dirt holds heat and flaunt allow sure too pass thru
 
I had an overheat problem that was cured when I replaced the lower radiator hose, and the spring inside it. The old hose was soft and would flatten out when the coolant got hot.

The weirdest problem I've run across was where the fan belt wasn't tightened properly. When rpms went up, the belt would ride out of the groove just enough to let the fan and water pump slow down.
 
I had an overheat problem that was cured when I replaced the lower radiator hose, and the spring inside it. The old hose was soft and would flatten out when the coolant got hot.
Click to expand...
This in indication that radiator is partly plugged causing a pressure drop on lower hose.
 
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