Posted by DDD [209.253.157.5] on Friday, December 04, 2015 at 09:55:29 :
well fellas.. Been working on the truck and radiator issues..
took all of your thoughts and hammered it out (I think)
I learned a bit in the process too..by asking questions here and other sites.
I thank you all for your input.
So, for all not up on my mess, I am restoring/rebuilding/whatever you call it a 1941 dodge wc-12 closed cab truck.
I installed a rebuilt engine (3rd party. Know no real details about the engine other than it was rebuilt by a local reputable shop 8-9 years ago and stored in a dry location)
New water pump
new hoses
New eveything
Except the original radiator.
I had the radiator "vatted" at a local radiator shop, where i was informed that the radiator was "too far gone" and that I would "NEVER" get adequete flow.
That may be the case, but none the less, I flushed it and it appears to have pretty DARN good flow using a garden hose. so its in the truck as its all i got.. for now.
started truck.. temp up to 180 degress.
didnt boil over though this time, so the vatting of the tank did SOME good..
I left out the thermo for this round of testing..
Using a LED laser thermo gun (as suggested by a member here) I took readings ALL across the radior surface.
Seems I DO have blockage thru one end of the radiator core.. about 15-20% worth.. the entire raditor core surface was checked, and it worked as it should, except for that one side, top to bottom where it obviously "plugged" up.
Perhaps it will work itself out over time, as one reader commented. Maybe Ill try his white distilled vinegar approach over time and see what a few weeks of driving it does..
otherwise, Ill be looking for another radiator, or recore this one.
One of the things that I noticed on the first few runs of this new engine was that the back pressure (or whatever you call it) coming for the ehauast (100% all new parts ) was pretty strong.. sounded more like a tractor back there. you couldnt compfortable hold your hand on the exhaust pipe existing gases as it would blow your hand away.
I attributed this to perhaps it being brand new (i.e. tight)
I also attributed to the hot engine the same reasoning.. and the exhaust maniflod being so darn hot! and exuast systm.. dang.. it was hot.. burned off all the paint on header pipe all the way back to the muffler.
Hummm. those things flagged me something was amiss here.
Anyway, one of the things I didnt address during all this was the timing, as the engine was running (or so it seemed) really good.
well, after adjusting timing, wow.. the differences.
I would have NEVER attributed timing to adding upwards of another 20 degress on the engine running temp, but it did! wow..
learn something new every day. So the radiator no long overheats. granted, no thermostat in there now.. and its colder, it aint summer any longer, but I made progress.
Timing adjustment also reduced that "pressure" of the exiting gases tremendously. and the noise level as well..
sounds more like a good running dodge than a tractor :)
anyway, I think I figured out the problem. it was timing related. and of course some amount of blocakage in the core. but if I can live with it running good, until I get myself a better radiator, so be it.
By adjusting timing, I have also seen the following benefits:
- No more "rattling" of all the sheet metal in the cab. MY GOD.. the inside sheet metal was vibrating, door sheet metal and floor sheet metal was "humming" to me.. door locks, latches, etc. I was thinking this tin can was more than I remember from past closed cabs.. well anyway, that engine timing took nearly all of it away.. wow.
- exhaust- sounds moe like a dodge engine now, and not a tractor.. wow.
So, I think I am on the road to recovery and getting this truck to move. I can now button it up (Ill do more testing this weekend and adjusting here and there, but I think I got more fugured out last night than in the few weeks before hand
thank you all for the posts to help me.. sometimes it takes the collective minds to make you think in directions you perhaps might not have.
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