[Farmall] Engine Overheating

Ben Wagner supera1948 at gmail.com
Wed Jul 27 05:22:10 PDT 2011


John, the previous owner may have dumped in "stop leak" material, but I
doubt it.  The radiator has been off and cleaned in the past, since it had
the black paint and badge of a local radiator shop.  I had a small crack in
the block (outer water jacket under the carb) that leaked antifreeze, which
I patched with JB Weld.

Ben Wagner

On Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 7:14 PM, john hall <jtchall at nc.rr.com> wrote:

> I'm with Mike on this in thinking the problem may be more than a gunky
> cooling system. It certainly won't hurt to flush the coolant system. I'd do
> it several times with just water and then maybe add a "flush" product. If
> that doesn't work I would check the timing then go from there. Have you or
> the previous owner dumped in a bunch of stop leak at some point?
>
> John Hall
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
> To: <farmall at lists.antique-tractor.com>; "Antique tractor email discussion
> group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 5:45 PM
> Subject: Re: [Farmall] Engine Overheating
>
>
> > There are a LOT of reasons for a thermosyphon equipped engine to run
> > hot, not just crud in the block:
> >
> >  - Timing too far advanced
> >  - Cracked/warped head
> >  - Blown head gasket
> >  - Loose fan belt
> >  - Clogged radiator tubes
> >  - Clogged radiator fins
> >  - Collapsed lower hose
> >  - etc.
> >
> > Take a look at the spark plugs - on an inline 4 cylinder engine, No. 4
> > is usually the one that gets the hottest, especially when there is crud
> > in the cooling system. If all the plugs look about the same, your
> > problem may not be with crud. If you can borrow or find an infrared
> > thermometer, that is something that is very handy for checking block
> > temperatures. They used to be expensive, but I was able to pick one up
> > for about $25 recently. They are also handy for checking the temperature
> > of ignition coils, radiators, coolant temperature, hydraulic reservoirs,
> > etc.
> > <http://www.harborfreight.com/infrared-thermometer-93984.html> and
> > <http://www.harborfreight.com/non-contact-laser-thermometer-96451.html>
> > are two examples, but I am sure you can find others.
> >
> > Once you have eliminated all of the above, you can try various cooling
> > system cleaner/flush products, although I am told that the current
> > formulations are all but useless due to concerns about "product safety".
> > The old stuff was mostly lye (I believe). There may be better compounds
> > that only radiator, coil cleaning, engine rebuilders, and similar shops
> > can buy.
> >
> > There is one thing you can do before hauling the block down to the shop
> > for "boiling out": you can remove all of the expansion plugs (also
> > called "core" plugs), dig as much crud out as possible with whatever
> > tools will fit, and then force air and/or water through those holes. The
> > plugs are easy enough to remove with an awl or ice pick, and getting new
> > ones back in isn't difficult (I use a socket turned backwards with a 6"
> > extension, and tap them with a hammer, but I have seen some mechanics
> > just set them with a ball peen hammer). Core plugs are cheap and come in
> > standard sizes, so replacing them is not only inexpensive but a good
> > idea on any old engine.
> >
> > Here is an image of my Ford block with the plugs removed. I was taking
> > the engine out anyway to have it worked on.
> > <
> http://public.fotki.com/mikesloane/1946_ford_2n/2n_overhaul_4_4_05_08.html
> >
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > On 7/26/2011 3:58 PM, Ben Wagner wrote:
> >> Hi,
> >>
> >> I'm suspecting that my Farmall A is running very hot.  The coolant boils
> >> even after running the engine for 10 minutes, and the block can burn an
> >> unsuspecting hand.  I can run my Super A for the same amount of time,
> but
> >> the A is much hotter afterwards.  Part could be the engine, I know, but
> >> I'm
> >> also wondering if there isn't built-up deposits inside the engine that
> >> blocks the coolant flow.  This is a thermosyphon system.
> >>
> >> Is there any way to clean the cooling system in the block without taking
> >> the
> >> engine apart?
> >>
> >> Thanks!
> >>
> >> Ben Wagner
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> Farmall mailing list
> >> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/farmall
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > Farmall mailing list
> > http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/farmall
>
> _______________________________________________
> Farmall mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/farmall
>



More information about the AT mailing list