My '86 w/ a 318 runs hot all the time. Can't drive it on the street at all with the snow plow on -- really overheats. Even without the plow she runs hot. Keep in mind this is in cold Alaska temps. I've replaced the thermostat and radiator cap. I had the radiator flushed and refilled with fresh coolant. Any suggestions or trouble shooting tips?
She's also for sale if anyone is interested...
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/cto/938718164.html
DODGEN1
12-20-2008, 04:18 PM
is the water pump moving water? you should see some sort of movement of the water with the cap off.
acton mike
12-20-2008, 08:44 PM
retarded timing can heat you up in a big hurry
DiverDwnPowrRam
12-20-2008, 10:20 PM
also check your fan/fanclutch. i had a similar prob years ago when i bought a new rad cap..it was the wrong one for my truck.
fins2fuselage
12-21-2008, 12:04 PM
My '86 w/ a 318 runs hot all the time. Can't drive it on the street at all with the snow plow on -- really overheats. Even without the plow she runs hot. Keep in mind this is in cold Alaska temps. I've replaced the thermostat and radiator cap. I had the radiator flushed and refilled with fresh coolant. Any suggestions or trouble shooting tips?
She's also for sale if anyone is interested...
http://anchorage.craigslist.org/cto/938718164.html
PR,
A bad pump or stuck thermostat will certainly cause the symptoms you describe, but . . .
Could the radiator still be stopped up with mineral deposits? The radiator got that way on my old '72 once and I learned from experience that NO amount of back-flushing will clear it out! Drain enough fluid out of it to examine the tubes which are visible in the top tank. Do they look crusty? If so, the radiator is stopped up.
The only way to clean them is to pay to have the tanks un-soldered from the core and the core then "rodded-out". The alternative is to replace the radiator.
