Overheating Red Motor

[Dave]

I have a red 202 in my van that overheads if left idling for 5 minutes or so, when moving it is fine, but I had problems at traffic lights when it was on the road.

The radiator looks standard and it has a standard fan with no fan housing.

Lately it hadnt driven for several years and the thermostat housing and water pump housing had coroded up, so I have replaced them.  The water pump inlet was solid with green buildup that a garden hose wouldn't clear, but I knocked out with a screwdriver.  The coolant had lost its colour or been watered down so has been replaced. 
Could the engine also be a bit gummed up?  is there a way of telling?  It didnt look bad behind the the water pump when I took it off. 

My next attempt at making it run cooler will be to check the timing etc,  From there if that makes no difference I was thinking a bigger radiator and/or a thermo-fan.  If this fails do I need to take the motor out, I would rather not as I am not mechanical enough to attempt this, and it starts first click and has good compression.

The motor ran hot if idled too long the whole time I have had it so I am concerned a bit if I go to all this trouble and it still gets hot I will have run out of ideas.

What would you recommend, and in what order should I attempt things.

I would greatly appreciate any comments

Dave

[John Abbott]

Hey Dave ,,long time no see buddy   My truck used to do the same . I realized that the radiator was buggered by looking at the front of it and running my fingers across the small fins. Most of them just fell away ,so i got it reconditioned and it has never let me down since. 

[rumax]

Hi Dave,
I think we all have similar problems. I fitted thermo fans to mine- 2 of them from a ford laser as they were fairly thin. I also "removed" the side part of the radiator mount, so there was more clearance between radiator and engine- made the fan fitting easier. I put in a copper pipe with 2 sensors, between the bottom of the radiator and engine- one for the fan switch and another for a temp gauge. Now I know how hot the water going into the engine is as well. Now I will admit it is still a work in progress, but I now thing my major overheating concern is a crook temp gauge in the dash!

[Dave]

Thanks for the responses, it seems I am on the right track.  I was just hoping it was not likely to be that the cooling channels in the motor had all rusted up like the water pump and thermo had.  The radiator doesn't look buggered but it is small, 4 cyl engines often have bigger radiators.  There seems to be room for one a fair bit bigger and wider so I may try this later.  I guess if it is the motor I will have a nice radiator for when it is fixed.

Lots of the van has given up on me due to inactivity, my next game is to find where all the fuel is running out something has corroded away and 15litres of fuel disappeared without even having to start the motor.  My temporary solution of a 5l tin strapped to the passenger seat (while I sort out the motor) probably doesn't quite meet safety standards.  I reckon the tank has rusted.  I haven't played with motors for 20years so lots of relearning and new learning will be required.

Dave

[Sammy]

i dare say your interim fuel container probably meets more standards than the 15ltrs that just disappeared!!

[BusyKiwi]

If your fuel cap doesn't seal it can evaporate.

You can test your radiator, take off the hoses, (ideally two people needed), put your hand over the two outlets while you fill it up with water from the top, when is fill, get the other person to turn off the tap or take out the hose or whatever and remove your hand from the bottom outlet and count (in seconds), you should get a good gush for 3 seconds then drop off. Faster the better, if it's longer than 3 seconds it's gunked up

[Postie Bob]

I am having the same prob .
I`m going the way of rumax.... putting in 2 elec fans .  Just hoping I,ve got enough clearance between rad & motor .
Also putting in some shroud around the radiator , Im` thinking those black ` heavy duty ` recycle tubs might be the go for material .
I put in  a 3 core alum one but didn`t consider the extra thickness of the radiator .  Only 12mm clearance between fan & rad  .
I`ve removed the centre bit that holds the bonnet lock to try and get a bit more air through there . Not sure if that`s a good idea or not    Can you still buy those `spring loaded` bonnet catches  .  Had `em on my `26 Chev four roadster .
Cheers, Bob.

[Dave]

BusyKiwi

If your fuel cap doesn't seal it can evaporate.

  I hope not it ran out all in same day.  When towing it back from Craig's the wow hitch snapped off.  It had fuel in it when I got home, I added another 15litres and next day nothing.
Maybe the jolt knocked some rust out of the tank or hopefully just a pipe clamp loose, but I really appreciate you commenting as I am not too mechanical.

Postie Bob I seem to have a good inch or more between fan and radiator.  And that is with the mechanical fan still on.
The radiator bracket looks a bit solid to be standard bedford so maybe once someone moved it forward, but why would this be done if it still has a small radiator and no thermo.  It should give me room for a bigger radiator, a thermofan and a shroud.
By the way 202 motor waterpumps come in two sizes long and short shaft, the long one is was about 3/4 inch longer.
When I got mine they only had short ones at repco, the long one fits onto the mechanical fan better, but if I am going thermo I am not too fussed.  Again thanks for the reply

Dave

[Sammy]

just be careful with the long and short shaft ones, they usually require a specific water pump pulley to keep the fan belt in alignment!

[Postie Bob]

Just been talking to a bloke that suggested putting a bank of 120mm computer fans in front of radiator ( there 12v dc ).
I could fit 4 of `em across the top part of my rad  between it and the grill .
Has anyone done this? Am wondering if it`s do-able