35 Ford Cooling Issues

[jack99]

My story:
35 Ford V8
Initial problem: Over heating due to coolant siphoning from radiator via overflow tube


My Cure: Installed the pressure valve tube that hook up to overflow tube. purchased from Skip Haney who sells a great product.


Result : Total cure from overheating problem solved-- no more loss of coolant


Current issue: Took Radiator cap off to check antifreeze mix as it is getting cold. Found level to be ok.


Took car for a drive about two miles . Half way into it the temp gauge began to rise. Before getting home It was HOT.


Checked coolant level and it was down. Radiator hoses were collapsed and returned to normal once radiator cap was removed. I refilled radiator with about 2/3 of a gallon on coolant and all seems ok while running in driveway. Have not driven on road as of yet.


Question? Why did hoses collapse? My Thoughts are that the cap did not seal tight enough so the pressure did not increase to the 3 lb level .


What do all of you think??
I look forward to your input.

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by jack99

My story:
35 Ford V8
Initial problem: Over heating due to coolant siphoning from radiator via overflow tube


My Cure: Installed the pressure valve tube that hook up to overflow tube. purchased from Skip Haney who sells a great product.


Result : Total cure from overheating problem solved-- no more loss of coolant


Current issue: Took Radiator cap off to check antifreeze mix as it is getting cold. Found level to be ok.


Took car for a drive about two miles . Half way into it the temp gauge began to rise. Before getting home It was HOT.


Checked coolant level and it was down. Radiator hoses were collapsed and returned to normal once radiator cap was removed. I refilled radiator with about 2/3 of a gallon on coolant and all seems ok while running in driveway. Have not driven on road as of yet.


Question? Why did hoses collapse? My Thoughts are that the cap did not seal tight enough so the pressure did not increase to the 3 lb level .


What do all of you think??
I look forward to your input.

The problem is as the coolant in the engine drops through 155 degrees
it forms a vacume in the engine and sucks the hoses in. The cure is to get
a small plastic recovery bottle and run a hose from the over flow tube to the bottom of the bottle with the hose cut on an angle so it don't get shut off.
Put another tube in the cap so it fits tight and let that go down in the bottle about 2 inches. Run that tube down under the radiator with Skips valve on
the end with the red dot towards the bottle. I can't remember but if the bottle sucks in it will have to have a small vent hole in the top. Sit the bottle
of the top of the frame. G.M.

[40cpe]

My opinion: The hoses collapsed because of the coolant cooling down after being hot and couldn't draw air from the overflow tube. Maybe the 3# pressure valve is stopped up.

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by 40cpe

My opinion: The hoses collapsed because of the coolant cooling down after being hot and couldn't draw air from the overflow tube. Maybe the 3# pressure valve is stopped up.

You can't draw air back through the 3 lb pressure valve
it is a one way valve. It will only open from over 3 lbs of
pressure from the radiator. And yes the pressure valve
should be rinsed out at least once a year. G.M.

[40cpe]

well, there you go

[Brian]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

I do not want to upset GM or Skip who makes the 3 lb valve, but it is not needed...
If you run the overflow into a catchcan, with the hose running all the way to the bottom of canister as GM describes, that is all that is required. The catchcan needs to be able to breathe, ie not sealed. Fill the radiator to the brim and screw radiator cap on tight. When operating vehicle, as the coolant heats up it expands; it will flow into the catchcan through the overflow tube. When coolant cools [after engine is switched off], the coolant will be drawn back into the radiator by the vacuum created. Look at any modern vehicle; it's cooling system operates exactly the same; ie, overflow is collected in a reservoir and automatically maintains a full level of radiator. And we never check coolant levels /oil levels in modern vehicles do we?

[Tinker]

I don't want to further wrench this, but I've never needed a catch can either.


Guess I need to get out and drive more then 100 miles at a time though. granted most pre50s never went that far. Pre 1910 maybe 10 miles at best.

[Brian]

All I know is that 35's do have a tendency to puke out coolant until the level in radiator becomes insufficient to satisfactorally cool any longer, the faster you run, the more pronounced the problem. The solution is to perform the little modification I have described.
I have driven my 35 a lot, and hard too. This works.

[Jembow]

There is considerable turbulence visible in the header if you look in with the motor running. I believe the overflow pipe is too low in repro rads so the water gets chucked out the overflow. I have tried the catch can but my cap doesn't seal well enough to suck it back. I'm going to order a 3lb valve but for the present I have a pinhole on the end of the catch can pipe and it's working.

But my other problem is the temp never gets above 110 unless I go for 1930s trick of a sheet of cardboard across the grille. Thermostats needed.

[richard crow]

i have three v8 fords all stock no check valves no catch cans none of them over heat none dump coolent . years ago we did not have all that stuff & they did not over heat. now 70 years later were running these cars .i think in those years the cooling system got dirty when you restore or rebuild the engine cleaning the block & rad is the most important thing you can do. merry christmas

[Flathead Fever]

Did this already have an overheating problem or did this just start? A plugged radiator happens over time. If its starting to go bad it will usually start overheating when you climb a steep grade and then return to normal once your on level ground or it will run hotter on a warm day but then be oaky on a cool day. That's almost always a radiator beginning to plug up. If it gets hot just driving a short distance then a thermostat is not opening up or combustion is getting into the cooling system, bad head gasket or crack block. If its overheating while idling but then cools down once your moving your not getting enough airflow through the radiator.

That 3 lb. pressure valve is not allowing air to return the upper radiator tank as the coolant cools down, so the hoses collapse until you open the cap and allow air back into the tank. On a modern car the radiator cap allows coolant to flow back from the recovery bottle into the radiator as the coolant cools down. On a "modern" car if the hoses are collapsing after it cools down the radiator cap is defective.


Remove that 3 lb. overflow valve. Run the engine until its the hottest it will be under normal driving, around 180 degrees. Now fill the radiator close to the top. When its cold its going to look like the coolant is low but you need to leave room inside that upper tank for expansion when it heats up, that's why you check it when its hot. Without that 3 lb. valve in there the hoses should not collapse anymore.

If it is still getting hot then you have an actual overheating problem. Put your hand on the radiator core and see if it is evenly hot. If its plugged there will be sections that are not getting as hot where the tubes are plugged. There is so much rust and crud in these old blocks it does not take much of it to plug up a radiator. You can try removing the radiator, flipping it upside down and back flushing it with a garden hose stuck in the lower water necks. The crud gets stuck it the openings of the tubes in the top tank. If you reverse the flow sometimes you can clear out the tops of those tubes. Not too much pressure with the hose, you do not want damage that fragile radiator core. This probably won't work but its the cheapest thing you can try first. See if it looks like the garden hose water is flowing right through the radiator. If the water can't flow out as fast as your putting it in the radiator its probably plugged. If you see crusty stuff on the outside of the tubes where they soldered to the tanks they are just about corroded completely through. The radiator will need a whole new core. If the tubes look good then the upper tank can be removed by a radiator shop and the tubes cleaned out.. Try to save your original radiator over getting a new one. Even though they will not hold the pressure of a modern radiator they are built better as far as the mounting brackets are made. I had a Walker radiator snap the mounting bracket on the top tank where the rods from the firewall mount to it within 4-hours of driving it. From now on I'm only using original radiators.

[40ford]

Jack,are you running thermostats in your car?

[rotorwrench]

A radiator cap on a more modern cooling system has provision built in for low pressure in the form of a separate valve that will allow coolant to be drawn back in from the overflow tank. The check valve likely doesn't have this feature so it won't play well with a catch can if there are discrepancies in the system ie, pressure leakage or overheating problems.


No two engines are exactly alike. There are a lot of things that can cause overheating so it takes some time to track problems down. All I can suggest is to check the easiest thing first and go from there.

[keith oh]

Any engine with babbot bearings should not be cooled with ethylene base antifreeze. If the ethylene type happens to get in crankcase (Oil) it will ruine the bearings. Propylene will not and is pet safe if ingested by animals. Serria ( sold by NAPA, one place) is a propylene base permeant antifreeze.

[jack99]

Originally Posted by 40ford

Jack,are you running thermostats in your car?

NO Thermostats

[TJ]

If you have the aluminum heads on your car I suspect you may have a plugged radiator. Electrolysis caused by a mixture metals (aluminum heads, cast iron block, copper/brass radiator) will plug up a radiator. This is especially true if your car sits a lot. If the radiator is partially plugged the radiator will not take the coolant fast enough and it gets pushed out the overflow. The car will run cool when idling in your driveway as the coolant is moving slow and can get through the tubes that are not plugged. At speed the coolant cannot get through those tubes fast enough and the coolant gets pushed out the overflow. I'm no expert on cooling , but I have seen this situation concerning electrolysis on more than one occasion. Having the radiator rodded out cures the problem. That 3 lb pressure valve is the source of the collapsing hoses.