Canuck Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 Last year when I got my 71SS (all stock with no A/C) I drove it to the Western Meet in hot weather and the guage got up to 240+ (has the factory guages). Since then I flushed the coolant, changed hoses, changed the heater core and put in a new thermostat. I also fixed the wire/connector on one of the temp sensors since it was loose and not a great connection. I purchased a 195 t-stat since I had heard this was the stock one. It had a 180 in it before. I had it out in warm weather last week for a 2 hour highway drive and it stayed at 210 most of the time. It crept up to 220 once in a while after a hill climb or when I had to stop for construction. I also tested some very slow cruising speeds recently at a car event and it fluctuated between 210 and 220. Is 210-220 an OK operating temperature or should I be worried? I'll be driving it 500 miles to Bend Oregon for the Western Meet where it is likely to be hot. What are your opinions on the 195 vs 180 thermostat in a 454? Sometimes having a temperature guage is more grief than it is worth. I miss the "ignorance is bliss" temp light that My 70 has and my 72 had, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripleydale Posted July 16, 2014 Share Posted July 16, 2014 I'd go with the 180 in it too. That's what I run in my 454 and it stays very cool. Really hot it goes up to 195. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 Today might be a goot day to test it. It is 39C (102F) here right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallaby Posted July 17, 2014 Share Posted July 17, 2014 The highway temp is a good indicator, as it pretty much eliminates issues with the fan or fan clutch. With 60mph of air passing over the radiator 210 sounds high to me. I'd start with putting in a 180 stat. Mine has a 160 in it and it runs close to that on the highway...but slow speed traffic is a killer. I ramp up to nearly 200 in traffic and start to worry; my idle mixture acts lean and it just runs poor as it gets hotter. Double check your fan clutch and ignition timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted July 17, 2014 Author Share Posted July 17, 2014 I took it for a long drive this evening in the hot weather. I drove it hard which I don't normally do but I wanted to see how the temp guage would react. On the drive this evening, it was running between 220 and 230. It dipped below 220 when I was taking it easy on the highway. It used to frequently spit out coolant after normal driving in cooler tempuratures which led me to change the thermostat and other cooling system items. I'll go out in a little while and see if it spit out any coolant. I checked the coolant level before my drive and it was a good level. I figure after that drive that if it is not spitting out coolant, it should be fine and maybe my temp guage is reading wrong. I will double check the timing as you mentioned and need to consider changing to a 180 t-stat before the Western Meet (3 weeks away). I don't usually like messing with the t-stat housing with such a short period of time before a long trip as I may not be able to test it enough to ensure no gasket leaks, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 Yep, found a pool of coolant under the car this morning. I will install a 180 t-stat and see if that helps me. Thanks for all the help guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Aaron, you might consider the radiator itself is restricting flow as well. Back in 2010 I had a similar issue with temp. Just installed the 402 BB and used the HD radiator from the 350 CI. Was a hot day and engine temp was running about 190 to 200 degrees. However, when I was idling the temp would rise into the 220 240 degree range. Long story short, the radiator was restricted (due to age) and the flow wasn't adequate to cool. Replaced radiator and hasn't gone above 190 degrees regardless of climate/terrain since. A fairly easy way to see if that may be a problem is to open up petcock on radiator and see how well the radiator evacuates water. If not a good steady flow, this may be at least part of your problem. Just a thought. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 You might be on to something Doug. The car was only driven 17,000 miles in the last 17 years and I know it sat a lot more in recent years. Could be a little plugged up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KWick_70MC Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 My 402 runs at 185, even when I sit in traffic.. When I cruise down the road on the hwy it dips to the 180 range, but never goes above 185. I agree with Doug, might be a restriction in the radiator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike 57 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 I agree it sounds like a radiator issue. If it is building heat going down the road under cruise conditions that is usually an indication. I had one in a pickup, the faster I went the hotter it got. I took it to a radiator shop, they took the tanks off and confirmed that the lower tubes were plugged. They ran a rod through the tubes to clean them out. They used to call it rodding a radiator. Some shops no longer do it because technology has changed. Most will still recore a radiator so you have the original tanks if keeping the original look is a concern. Some older radiators are too fragile for rodding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted July 19, 2014 Author Share Posted July 19, 2014 I've got radiator coming in and should be able to put it in next week. I appreciate all the advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72-CLASSIC_RIDE Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Hope that solves your temp problem Aaron. What did you get to replace it? Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
70 Iron Posted July 19, 2014 Share Posted July 19, 2014 Hi Aaron,do you have one of those hand held digital temp readers. My dash gauge was reading hotter then the digital one,I carried it with me and checked it at different areas on the engine. Also American Auto Wire,"AAW" claims they have the "correct sending unit for our yrs,they have a threaded end for the wire to fasten too with a nut,they send an eye type,and a clip for other appiclations. The prt# for the gauge sending unit is #1513462. I bought one for each Monte ,I only replaced the one that was reading crazy and it seems to work great and the needle seems to be close with the digital hand reader. Also I run 180 deg stats on all my engines Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsorg Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I also run a 180 thermostat instead of the 195 , in my 454 also check to see that your coolant is not to thick , \ water to coolant ratio, this could also send the tempature to possible go higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted August 1, 2014 Author Share Posted August 1, 2014 Thanks again for all the advice guys! I had some trouble locating the correct radiator in time for the Western Meet. I pulled the rad and flushed it out really good and seems to flow fine. I put a 180 thermostat in the car and also adjusted the timing to 9/10 advanced (it was at 12). I got it all back together last night and will take it out for a cruise tonight to see if it runs cooler. It is 36C (97F) here today so it is a good day to test the temperature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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