Trying to Stay Cool - FIXED!!!!

[Cudajason]

No not me...my car.

As per a few posts, I have mentioned that my 360 continuously runs between 210 and 220. 

I have noticed that it will cool down a bit once you get up to speed on the highway, but always creeps up again once you are off the highway.  If I get stuck in traffic it will climb over 220 and up to 230 if I am sitting too long in the really hot weather.

To cover off the usually questions, yes I have a spring in the lower hose, yes I have a t-stat (180 its new and I verified that it works), the rad cap is new and has been tested as has the entire system (holds pressure fine just had to tighten a hose or two), yes I have a shroud.

Once it gets above 190, I find the car really hot and unpleasant to drive, and once it gets around 210, you can feel the performance drop off.
I just picked up a Hayden 2797 based on the recommendation by @1 Wild R/T in this thread and
https://forum.e-bodies.org/engine-transmission-and-rear-end/4/clutch-fan-question/7071/msg98216#msg98216

Its a beefy unit!!!

I am going to use the same 5 blade fan, I would try the 7 blade, but it does not fit in my shroud.

I will report back after this weekend, looks like the next nice day wont be until Saturday.

[chargerdon]

I have a 360LA stroked to 408.    On it i have a 7 blade fan ...straight...no clutch.   The car had no radiator when i bought it, so i bought a 26" Champion 2 Row aluminum radiator.    180 Thermostat AND a Vintage Air air conditioner (car was a factory air car, but, most of it was in parts when i put in my engine).   PS...The sales agent said their 2-row and 3-row were both rated for up 500-600 hp vehicles, and that the 2 row is actually better on cars with air conditioning...cause the 2 row has larger diameter tubes and after the air has already passed thru the air conditioner condenser, that the two row allows for better air flow...and it was around $50 cheaper.   

In normal driving it stays between 180-200 all except in heavy traffic.   In heavy stop light traffic it will raise up to about 220 and at that temp it will start to run really rough because of i presume vapor lock like conditions.   I belong to a car club that will do X-mas parades here in North Carolina (easily gets to 90-95 everyday in the summer and still in the 50's-60's in winter...and after about 2 miles of 1 1/2 - 2 mph parade speed it will be running hot enough to cause the vapor lock.   

To help it i put on a factory shroud, (tho it doesn't fit all that great) on the 26" champion radiator, and it helps...    Lastly, i used to always run a 50/50 solution of water and antifreeze.   But, then i read an article that says that plain water dissipates heat BETTER than anti-freeze !!  So, here in North Carolina the winter temps rarely drop below 20 degrees, and that a 90% water and 10% antifreeze will protect down to about that temp.   So that's what i now run...90% water and 10%  anti-freeze.   To that i also added in some Royal Purple Purple ICE Radiator Super Coolant additive.   It has the anti-corrosive additives that would have been in the anti-freeze and they claim it will reduce the temperature up to 10%.    To test, with the system having 50/50 i would start the engine up, turn on the air conditioner and brought the temperature up to the 180 mark making sure the thermostat had opened...   then with the transmission in drive and wheels blocked and parking brake on...let it idle with the air-conditioner running.   In 80 degree ambient air temperature it would rise to 220 in about 6 minutes.    I then changed out the system to the 90% water -10% antifreeze with the purple Ice additive..   It stayed below 220 for about 12-15 minutes.   

Clearly plain water with purple ice is a BETTER coolant than 50/50 water and anti-freeze. 
I do not know if Purple ICE actually further improves the cooling qualities of plain water as claimed, but, IT DOES REPLACE THE ANTI-Corrosive properties that anti-freeze has.      OH yes, its true that 50/50 mixture raises the boiling point to about 267 instead of 212...BUT so does a pressure cap.   With a 15lb pressure the boiling point rises to about 250-255 anyways...and since my car starts to suffer vapor lock above 230, the boiling point doesnst really matter !! 

[7212Mopar]

Plain water boils at 212 F under atmospheric pressure. In a closed loop pressurized cooling system, may be boil around 220F and then blow the cap. Plain water also does not have the corrosion inhibitor. Once additives added then it is no longer plain water. I found that letting the air under the hood to escape drastically reduce the coolant temperature in traffic. I no longer see 210F sitting in traffic stop and go. I did this by removing the blank-offs in a Rallye hood of a Challenger. Not sure if that can be done on a Cuda rasin scoop. I can feel the heated air current escaping from the opening under idle. I am running 50/50 mix in mild CA weather condition. I think aluminum radiator works better than the brass radiator so may be good to try.

[BIGSHCLUNK]

Even a straight fan w a pusher fan got hot on those hot/slow traffic days. New clutch fan and a rad redo by GLEN-RAY... SHAZZAAM!!! Nice and cool. I do think part of my issue was the shaker hood tho....

[Scooter]

I'd be apoplectic if my 360 saw those kinds of temps. Are you running manual or automatic trans?

[7212Mopar]

The new cars like the new Challenger runs at 215 normal. I was surprised at first when I got my SRT but later got confirmation that it is normal.

[Cudajason]

The new cars like the new Challenger runs at 215 normal. I was surprised at first when I got my SRT but later got confirmation that it is normal.

Sure that's fine for a new car, they are designed to work at that temp....this is not a new car.

I'd be apoplectic if my 360 saw those kinds of temps. Are you running manual or automatic trans?

yeah I don't like it...that's one of the reasons I don't drive the car much.

[dodj]

I think you have a circulation problem.  Either the rad is plugging up or the pump just ain't pumping very well.
If temps came down a lot on the highway,  I would be thinking fan clutch, but you said only a bit.

Maybe one of our more experienced members could either confirm or deny this,  but I'm pretty sure I read back in the mid 80's, that the 5 blade asymmetrical Mopar fan moved more air than the symmetrical seven blade fan. It's why I bought one from Direct Connection. At least that's what my memory is telling me.

I'd also take that spring out of your rad hose. Impairs flow. If it collapses without it you definitely have a flow restriction.

[Jay Bee]

How old is your rad and has it ever been professionally flushed?

[70vert]

What does the Hayden 2797 promise? There is not a lot going on with the clutch, maybe it doesn't "slip" as much. So unless your old one was defective I don't think this will solve your issue. I'd recheck everything (even if new): hoses don't collapse, thermostat opens properly, radiator flow, etc. Even timing can effect engine temps.

[70vert]

@7212Mopar interesting idea on opening up the scoops, there is a lot of hot air trapped under the hood! Of course the radiator cools from outside airflow, but might be worth a little heat relief.

Plain water boils at 212 F under atmospheric pressure. In a closed loop pressurized cooling system, may be boil around 220F and then blow the cap. Plain water also does not have the corrosion inhibitor. Once additives added then it is no longer plain water. I found that letting the air under the hood to escape drastically reduce the coolant temperature in traffic. I no longer see 210F sitting in traffic stop and go. I did this by removing the blank-offs in a Rallye hood of a Challenger. Not sure if that can be done on a Cuda rasin scoop. I can feel the heated air current escaping from the opening under idle. I am running 50/50 mix in mild CA weather condition. I think aluminum radiator works better than the brass radiator so may be good to try.

[torredcuda]

What is the history of the engine - rebiult, unkown? I had a used 360 in my Duster drag car that ran very hot and I tried everything to keep it cooler including flushing it twice to no avail. It developed a leaky freeze plug in the back (of course hardest one to get to) so I pulled the engine to change it and found the lot`s of sludge packed in the rear area even though my flushing came out with perfectly clear water.

[anlauto]

What is the history of the engine - rebiult, unkown? I had a used 360 in my Duster drag car that ran very hot and I tried everything to keep it cooler including flushing it twice to no avail. It developed a leaky freeze plug in the back (of course hardest one to get to) so I pulled the engine to change it and found the lot`s of sludge packed in the rear area even though my flushing came out with perfectly clear water.

I had the same issue back in the 90's with a 440 I had....always ran hot...

[Cudajason]

All great questions.

I think you have a circulation problem.  Either the rad is plugging up or the pump just ain't pumping very well.
If temps came down a lot on the highway,  I would be thinking fan clutch, but you said only a bit.

Maybe one of our more experienced members could either confirm or deny this,  but I'm pretty sure I read back in the mid 80's, that the 5 blade asymmetrical Mopar fan moved more air than the symmetrical seven blade fan. It's why I bought one from Direct Connection. At least that's what my memory is telling me.

How old is your rad and has it ever been professionally flushed?

@dodj I have been dealing with this is for a few years.  That is what I thought too, as the temp used to creep up on the highway not go down.  A couple of years ago, I thoroughly flushed the cooling system, using on the of the many flush products on the market.  I even took out a frost plug to make sure I cleaned the block as well as I could.  I had a lot of crud in the system.  The multiple flushing seemed to help, as the temp no longer went up on the highway.  I still have some crud in the system, but its much less.  You can see good flow in the rad with the car running and the cap off, so I don't think that is the issue.

I agree on the fan comment, I read the same thing elsewhere.

How old is your rad and has it ever been professionally flushed?

@Jay Bee the rad is not original to the car.  Its about 5 years old.  When I flushed the system a few years ago, I poured a 5 gallon bucket of water down the rad and it cam out of the lower hose opening as fast as it went in, so I don't think its plugged.

What does the Hayden 2797 promise? There is not a lot going on with the clutch, maybe it doesn't "slip" as much. So unless your old one was defective I don't think this will solve your issue. I'd recheck everything (even if new): hoses don't collapse, thermostat opens properly, radiator flow, etc. Even timing can effect engine temps.

Based on the comment in the post I linked to, the 2797 is a extreme duty clutch and designed to turn the fan at a faster rate the the normal clutch and therefore move more air.

Based on the the comments in that thread it seem like it was worth a try.

I have tried everything else, including the timing and adjusting the carb t make sure it was not running lean,  short of a new aluminum rad, this was the cheaper option.

The one thing that concerns me is the crud left in the system. I wonder if that is creating a film on the rad that is limiting its ability to cool??? 

If this does not work, I will likely flush the system again, then go to an aluminum rad.

[anlauto]

Try an aluminum rad hooked to a new crate Gen III Hemi