40 over heating problem cured this way

[L78CHEVELLE]

I put a post on Ford Barn about my '40 over heating slowly above 55 mph or at idle for about 15 minutes. I stated I tried the white vinegar, lower thermostats, no thermostats, new radiator core, modern water pumps, with little to no results. I had just given up and decided I would have to take out the engine and have the block water circulating system cleaned. I had come to the end of my rope on this problem. Then I think he was Flathead Ted sent me some information on the Ford Barn that I should put the white vinegar in the car and drive it for two weeks. I thought I had nothing to lose so I put the white vinegar in the car and drove it for 9 days. I began to see improvement in the cooling and decided to check the radiator. I saw a lot of reddish sludge in the radiator and decided to drain it then. Lot of stuff came out of the radiator this time just like the first time. I flushed it until the water was clear. I put in the baking soda, and then a good Prestone flush product. Drove that around for about one hour. Drained it and filled the car up again with fresh water and anti rust. The car now runs about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than before on the open road above 55 mph, and if it does get up near the high normal reading in slow traffic it comes back down to just above N within 2 miles of open road driving. At idle I can now see the car get up to normal high in about 30 minutes and when I raise the engine idle up the gauge starts to show a decrease in temperature within a minute. All this is an improvement for my situation. I was doing good things to the car, but I was not trying the white vinegar for a long enough time period. Flathead Ted put me on the correct path and maybe this will help some of you with heating problems. My car had set from 1962 to 2007. There was no water in the radiator when I got it. One owner original car with less than 40,000 miles.

[19Fordy]

Great news. Glad it worked. Did you use straight white vinegar or did you dilute it?

[Shadetree]

Thanks for sharing this. An older gentleman rebuilt my `35 engine and has since passed away. He had my newly rebuilt engine on a test stand with a 25 gallon or so barrel as a radiator and we could see the water being pumped openly into it. He said `Watch this' he pulled the throttle back to a slow idle. The water flow completely stopped. He said people like to see how slow these old flatheads will idle, but don't do it for a long period of time.
I most likely have the same issue you had but I have masked mine with an electric fan while idleling in hot weather. Like your car, as long as I am moving even in 90° weather it won't overheat.

[L78CHEVELLE]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

Great news. Glad it worked. Did you use straight white vinegar or did you dilute it?

Yes, I did use 100% white vinegar. The Prestone flush I used foamed a great deal and when I drained the flush out the radiator interior was not even stained and the radiator cap interior was without rust or stain. Good stuff in my way of thinking. The only place I could find the Prestone flush was O'Reily's Auto Parts.

[swoopNZ]

Flathead Ted is from New Zealand.

[ford38v8]

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Originally Posted by swoopNZ

Flathead Ted is from New Zealand.

That's great. I'm from California, myself.

[joe 1950]

white vinager is great stuff for cleaning, all keurig coffee makers recomend this for cleaning

[36tbird]

How much baking soda do you guys use to neutralize? Do you just mix up some and wash it out or do you run that mixture a while, too?

[L78CHEVELLE]

Here is another thing that may help some one. My car has the Ford hot water heater. When I flushed the radiator and heater box I took the heater hose from the lower radiator hose off the heater box at the firewall. I used a water hose to force water into the heater hose, which flushed the radiator and the heater box in reverse of their normal flow. I also took an air hose and blew air into the hose to provide more force in the reverse flow. You may get wet, but my results were worth it.

[L78CHEVELLE]

Originally Posted by 36tbird

How much baking soda do you guys use to neutralize? Do you just mix up some and wash it out or do you run that mixture a while, too?

I just got a regular box of baking soda and mixed it with 4 gallon of water. Poured that into the car and drove it for about one hour. The baking soda will neutralize the acid in the small amounts of vinegar left in the system when they come into contact.