!960 Engine still running hot

[Valeria H.]

I know the early C1 corvettes ran hot. I've owned this car for 30 years and added dynamat to the floor boards to cut down on the emitted heat. Subsequently, I added vintage air to the car and it over heated. I added a new radiator to the car to try to compensate for the air. I also had an auxillary engine heat gauge added to my car.

While in traffic at numerous lights, I have noticed the temp gauge reaching over 200 degrees on the auxillary gauge. This is disturbing. I had the air off when I started to see the engine temp go over 200.

It was really hot (90+) here in Charlotte and I turned the air off when I first noticed a problem with the engine temp.

My question is what other measures can I take to try to lower the engine temp of my most beautiful, 30 yr owned corvette?

Valeria

[Jack P.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

I know the early C1 corvettes ran hot. I've owned this car for 30 years and added dynamat to the floor boards to cut down on the emitted heat. Subsequently, I added vintage air to the car and it over heated. I added a new radiator to the car to try to compensate for the air. I also had an auxillary engine heat gauge added to my car.

While in traffic at numerous lights, I have noticed the temp gauge reaching over 200 degrees on the auxillary gauge. This is disturbing. I had the air off when I started to see the engine temp go over 200.

It was really hot (90+) here in Charlotte and I turned the air off when I first noticed a problem with the engine temp.

My question is what other measures can I take to try to lower the engine temp of my most beautiful, 30 yr owned corvette?

Valeria

Hi Valeria,

How hot? It is not uncommon for these cars to run over 200* .. That is why the system is pressurized to allow the fluid reach over 230* + without boiling. Your gauge shows temp up to 250* for that reason.

If you run it and it goes over 200* but does not overheat ( dump fluid out the overflow hose) you are OK.

Just make sure you have enough air flow through radiator.

The cars did not overheat when new, (stock engines) radiator.

Let us know what temp it goes to now or if it boils over with new equipment (ac / rad)

Jack

PS That is why I am not starting my trip until Aug. I don't want to be in the Southwest , South and Southeast in summer. Look forward to seeing you in the fall.

[Edward J.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

Valeria, Jacks has hit it on the nose, the cars temp. would be considered normal to run 210/220, while at idle W/AC. when moving the air flow will improve to help lower the temp.

The only other thing that may help be a safe gaurd to hot days and a/c running would be a aux. electric fan, it could be tapped in electrically to maybe a cyinder head or possiabley a manuel on/off switch, when you feel the need to cool help cool the engine. This will also aid in keeping the A/C cooler in car.

[Jim T.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

I know the early C1 corvettes ran hot. I've owned this car for 30 years and added dynamat to the floor boards to cut down on the emitted heat. Subsequently, I added vintage air to the car and it over heated. I added a new radiator to the car to try to compensate for the air. I also had an auxillary engine heat gauge added to my car.

While in traffic at numerous lights, I have noticed the temp gauge reaching over 200 degrees on the auxillary gauge. This is disturbing. I had the air off when I started to see the engine temp go over 200.

It was really hot (90+) here in Charlotte and I turned the air off when I first noticed a problem with the engine temp.

My question is what other measures can I take to try to lower the engine temp of my most beautiful, 30 yr owned corvette?

Valeria

Do you have an fully functionial vacuum advance? If the vacuum advance is working is it connected to a full time vacuum source?
A fully functional full time operational vacuum advance will increase gas mileage and contribute to lessen engine heat in stop and go traffic when air flow through the radiator is less.

[John H.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

Subsequently, I added vintage air to the car and it over heated. I added a new radiator to the car to try to compensate for the air. I also had an auxillary engine heat gauge added to my car.

Valeria -

Have you verified the temp gauge reading with an I.R. gun "shot" of the upper radiator hose just above the thermostat housing so you know what the gauge is really telling you?

What kind of new radiator did you install?

I'm assuming you have the correct fan and fan shroud in place.

[Valeria H.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

First of all, thank you all for your responses to my plea. I do not know if I have a vacume advance in place and will have to talk with my mechanic about it. I do know that both my original temp gauge and the new auxillary gauge are functional. The original gauge only goes up to 220 but the new gauge can reach 250 degrees. I turned off the air conditioning when the temp on the new gauge reached 203 degrees as I am well aware of the boiling point and did not want to have a boil over.

At what temp am I in eminent danger of having the car overheat like it did at the Charlotte Spring Auto Show when my temp gauge was not working?

John, Your question about the IR gun "shot" completely stimeyed me. I feel as though you are asking if the thermostat reading has been calibrated. Am I understanding you correctly? If so I do not know the answer to that and will have to get back with you after the inquistion of my mechanic. Thank God I am not spanish.

It has been unGodly hot here is Charlotte lately and july will be only hotter. Please tell your wives and lady friends to bring their umbrellas to fend off the heat. I visited the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens today and my faithful umbrella was a necessity to keep the heat down while my husband and I toured. I was so much cooler than my husband who did not bring one.

Valeria

[Jim D.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

I know the early C1 corvettes ran hot.
Valeria

I'm not sure about that. I've owned a few C-1's & C-2's. Never had an overheating issue with any of them. They all run at 180 or below. If everything is operating correctly and up to "snuff", you shouldn't have a problem.

[Jim T.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

First of all, thank you all for your responses to my plea. I do not know if I have a vacume advance in place and will have to talk with my mechanic about it. I do know that both my original temp gauge and the new auxillary gauge are functional. The original gauge only goes up to 220 but the new gauge can reach 250 degrees. I turned off the air conditioning when the temp on the new gauge reached 203 degrees as I am well aware of the boiling point and did not want to have a boil over.

At what temp am I in eminent danger of having the car overheat like it did at the Charlotte Spring Auto Show when my temp gauge was not working?

John, Your question about the IR gun "shot" completely stimeyed me. I feel as though you are asking if the thermostat reading has been calibrated. Am I understanding you correctly? If so I do not know the answer to that and will have to get back with you after the inquistion of my mechanic. Thank God I am not spanish.

It has been unGodly hot here is Charlotte lately and july will be only hotter. Please tell your wives and lady friends to bring their umbrellas to fend off the heat. I visited the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens today and my faithful umbrella was a necessity to keep the heat down while my husband and I toured. I was so much cooler than my husband who did not bring one.

Valeria

Valeria you don't have to take your 60 Corvette to a mechanic to verify if your vacuum advance is getting full time vacuum.
Start your 60 and on the passenger side of the distributor there will be a cannister with a rubber vacuum hose attached to it.
Remove the hose. If the engine loses RPM's the removal of the vacuum hose supplying full time vacuum caused the change.
If there was no change in engine RPM's put your finger over the end of the vacuum hose to verify you have vacuum.
If you have good vacuum suction from the hose and the engine RPM's did not change when removed the vacuum hose, your vacuum advance unit has ruptured and will not function as designed.
If your vacuum hose has no vacuum it is not connected to a full time vacuum source.

[Jack P.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

First of all, thank you all for your responses to my plea. I do not know if I have a vacume advance in place and will have to talk with my mechanic about it. I do know that both my original temp gauge and the new auxillary gauge are functional. The original gauge only goes up to 220 but the new gauge can reach 250 degrees. I turned off the air conditioning when the temp on the new gauge reached 203 degrees as I am well aware of the boiling point and did not want to have a boil over.

At what temp am I in eminent danger of having the car overheat like it did at the Charlotte Spring Auto Show when my temp gauge was not working?

John, Your question about the IR gun "shot" completely stimeyed me. I feel as though you are asking if the thermostat reading has been calibrated. Am I understanding you correctly? If so I do not know the answer to that and will have to get back with you after the inquistion of my mechanic. Thank God I am not spanish.

It has been unGodly hot here is Charlotte lately and july will be only hotter. Please tell your wives and lady friends to bring their umbrellas to fend off the heat. I visited the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens today and my faithful umbrella was a necessity to keep the heat down while my husband and I toured. I was so much cooler than my husband who did not bring one.

Valeria

Hi Valeria,

Yes that is the question John asked, since one gauge read 220 and one read 250. IR Gun means , Infrared Gun, it is a tool, that measures heat . You aim it at various radiator hoses and other spots to measure the actual temp. of coolant.

First place to check is the large radiator hose that comes out of top of engine (where thermostat is) and goes into top of radiator. Once you know the temp. of this spot, you can look at your gauges and know if they are giving the right readings.

Your mechanic will have one or can get one. Have him run the engine do this test before you do anything else.

Jack

[Valeria H.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

Jim, I had vinatage A/C added to the mix along with an extra temp (new) gauge added.

A discussion with my mechanic is in order.

Thank you all for the discussion and advice. Please feel free to add additional information.

Valeria

[William C.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

What horsepower engine are you using, and what distributor?

[Valeria H.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

Bill, My horsepower is 245. I do not know about the distributor but I believe it to be the original one. How could I tell what it is? I'd really like to know.

The car overheater standing in line for an an extremely long time when trying to get out of the Charlotte Motor Speedway after the Spring Auto Show. Maybe I should have tried to leave earlier except that my car was in the final round up of the best of the best final judging and could not leave before the end.

I've been driving my '60 all over town this summer and have been scared with the temps at 220.

The new radiator is a Griffon with a cap cover of 16 lbs.
I hope this information helps.

Valeria

[William C.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

Have you verified the actual temp with an IR gun measurement? Are you hitting the pressure cap release? Is the distributor advance functioning correctly? If 220 on the gauge is correct, with a 16# cap you are good to 250+ before the cap will overflow, so if it's a "in traffic for a long time" only issue, It may not be real meaningful, but timing is an issue, as the distributor ages, the advance may slow down, another item to check is verifying the timing mark on the balancer is in the correct location. Lots of things to check, but I'd start with the actual temp verification vs gauge temp, and timing mark alignment, then look into the distributor curve. Getting all these in proper order should help lower the temp, but if the car isn't putting coolant out the overflow in traffic, the urgency is lessened. For a pure "driver" a later vacuum advance distributor can be substituted to lower the temp, but it's a "driver" step, not one to take if the car is showing in NCRS.

[Bill M.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

John, Your question about the IR gun "shot" completely stimeyed me. I feel as though you are asking if the thermostat reading has been calibrated. Am I understanding you correctly? If so I do not know the answer to that and will have to get back with you after the inquistion of my mechanic. Thank God I am not spanish.

Valeria

Here's a picture of an IR gun. It was under $30 on sale at Harbor Freight. It's a fun toy and I haven't used it on the car yet.

John wants you to verify your gauge because there are some sending units that are calibrated wrong.

[Gary C.]

Re: !960 Engine still running hot

Bill, recall that Jack Humphrey once posted that if the temp sender wire is connected to a 60 ohm resistor and the other end to ground the temp gauge should read right at 230 degrees. This would be an easy test after purchasing a resistor from Radio Shack. Gary....