A little help please.
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
A little help please.
Hi all, need a little advice. I'm having a overheating problem with my 74 Vette. I have a BB454 that constantly overheats. I have installed an aluminum radiator from Dewitt's. Along with duel 11inch fans and radiator fan shroud seals around the radiator. I have replaced the radiator cap, replaced the thermostat. I never had an issue until I upgraded to to the Vintage air Front Runner pulley system. When driving the car it will continually climb to 240-250 degrees. Even letting it run at idle it will still climb. To the best of my knowledge the water pump is working fine. I don't even have 100 miles on the engine since the front runner was installed. The only thing that is different is that the front runner system is a reverse flow. I also drilled the holes in the thermostat that Vintage Air advised in the instructions. Any help would be appreciated.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 3,114
Likes: 598
Hi all, need a little advice. I'm having a overheating problem with my 74 Vette. I have a BB454 that constantly overheats. I have installed an aluminum radiator from Dewitt's. Along with duel 11inch fans and radiator fan shroud seals around the radiator. I have replaced the radiator cap, replaced the thermostat. I never had an issue until I upgraded to to the Vintage air Front Runner pulley system. When driving the car it will continually climb to 240-250 degrees. Even letting it run at idle it will still climb. To the best of my knowledge the water pump is working fine. I don't even have 100 miles on the engine since the front runner was installed. The only thing that is different is that the front runner system is a reverse flow. I also drilled the holes in the thermostat that Vintage Air advised in the instructions. Any help would be appreciated.
As a quick check that you are getting flow via the radiator measure the upper rad hose temp vs the lower rad hose. If the lower rad hose matches the upper hose within 20-30 degrees this would indicate you have flow. If the lower doesn't climb in temp at a rate similar to the upper then you don't have flow via the radiator.
Also the rad hose temp should be similar to what the gauge shows.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2017
Posts: 8,336
Likes: 2,809
From: Cool Northern Michigan
I read your post three times and still don't see anything about the water pump. So its my understanding that the new drive belt system runs the W.P. in reverse rotation.
So you are saying the W.P. has the impeller blades in reverse order or is it a std W.P. running backwards? That could be the problem.
So you are saying the W.P. has the impeller blades in reverse order or is it a std W.P. running backwards? That could be the problem.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 19,168
Likes: 1,668
From: Long Island
The water pump may be turning backwards.
Pull the thermostat. run the car.
Check the radiator hoses, if the bottom is hotter than the top it's running reverse and you need a reverse rotation pump.
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Thanks for all of the replies. with all the comments. I failed to mention in the thread that the water pump was replaced when the front runner was installed 9 years ago. (Yes...that's how long it's been since I have driven the car) Went from a long water pump to a short water pump. With all the replies, I started thinking ...I don't remember if I purchased the water pump or, if it came with the pulley system and also don't know if its a reverse flow or normal flow. I will be doing some research and a little investigating. Will need to get back to all of you. Thanks!!!
Last edited by Vettster307; Nov 5, 2018 at 03:13 PM.
