Cooling Problems
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 293
Likes: 0
From: Englewood CO
Cooling Problems
In my 79 Vette the top radiator hose that goes to the engine doesn't build up with pressure after the car has been running for a while. I checked the hoses to see if they were clogged, and they weren't. I went ahead and replaced my thermostat to a 180, thinking that the old one wasn't working. That didn't seem to work. I'm thinking that the water pump is not working any more. The heater in the car works fine, not sure if the heating system relies on the water pump at all to move the fluid around. Also the car had been sitting in my garage for over 10 years, so maybe the pump is to corroded to work. I can't tell you though what temperature the engine is, because none of my gauges work(except tachomter). One other thing, where the lower radiator hose connects to the radiator, that only gets warm, can still touch it with my hand without getting burnt. Is that another sign of water pump failure? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks. :mad
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 2,310
Likes: 1
Re: Cooling Problems (79corvette)
Maybe others can offer more, but I'm not sure you have a problem.
The top hose is not under a lot of pressure. I can squeeze mine until the sides meet and I would say that it's not as much pressure what you might have in say, a long waterballoon. How's that for technical :rolleyes: Anyway, I don't think it builds up that much pressure.
The bottom hose should be cooler because that's getting the water that has just come through the radiator. It sould be cooler.
You may want to let the car cool off, remove the radiator cap, and run the car until you can see the thermostat open (fluid starts flowing through the rad). You could also try holding the tip of a cooking thermometer in there to see what the temp is.
Usually a water pump failure will be obvious because it'll leak or have a noisy bearing. I guess you could have excessive cavitation in there :confused: There are add on plates to prevent cavitation, but I'd make sure I had a problem before I bothered with that.
Good Luck.
The top hose is not under a lot of pressure. I can squeeze mine until the sides meet and I would say that it's not as much pressure what you might have in say, a long waterballoon. How's that for technical :rolleyes: Anyway, I don't think it builds up that much pressure.
The bottom hose should be cooler because that's getting the water that has just come through the radiator. It sould be cooler.
You may want to let the car cool off, remove the radiator cap, and run the car until you can see the thermostat open (fluid starts flowing through the rad). You could also try holding the tip of a cooking thermometer in there to see what the temp is.
Usually a water pump failure will be obvious because it'll leak or have a noisy bearing. I guess you could have excessive cavitation in there :confused: There are add on plates to prevent cavitation, but I'd make sure I had a problem before I bothered with that.
Good Luck.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 3,715
Likes: 1
From: VASS, NC, USA
Re: Cooling Problems (jerryp58)
One of the most overlooked items is the radiator itself. Remember, a 79 has a radiator that is 23 years old.
If in fact its your original radiator, I would remove it, and taken to a radiator shop and have it cleaned
I bet thats a major part of your problem
If in fact its your original radiator, I would remove it, and taken to a radiator shop and have it cleaned
I bet thats a major part of your problem
