Overheating problems - your suggestions?

Rox Crusher · Apr 19, 2017

sykanr0ng said:
Do I have this right?

Transmission cooler (a heat source and air flow obstruction)
AC condenser (a heat source and air flow obstruction)

Those are in front of the engine radiator?

The fan and shroud are not helping air flow or cooling, but neither is trying to cool with slow hot air.

You are correct about the numerous obstacles to good air flow and efficient cooling through the radiator.

I still think relocating the existing fan will be a good (first?) step as it would (1) help pull air through the blocked radiator. Right now it appears to be so deep into the shroud it can't be pulling air but acting as a blender. Also (2) I am betting the tips of the fan blades at the bottom of the radiator are dangerously close the radiator and could be at risk of contacting the radiator if she hits a big bump and things move. I may or may not be speaking from direct experience on the last point (but I had a crappy flex fan at the time).

And now that I know she has EFI, I really believe that a properly functioning 195* thermostat would be a must.

1) confirm / adjust timing
2) replace thermostat
3) relocate existing fan if possible
4) if running out of time and patience replace existing fan with properly positioned 7 blade fan instead of relocating existing fan
5) if that still hasn't solved it, relocate existing trans cooler or change to different style

Ksm · Apr 19, 2017

sykanr0ng said:
Do I have this right?

Transmission cooler (a heat source and air flow obstruction)
AC condenser (a heat source and air flow obstruction)

Those are in front of the engine radiator?

The fan and shroud are not helping air flow or cooling, but neither is trying to cool with slow hot air.

Yea, I see it clearly now. With the generous help and guidance from y'all on this site. Did I see it was a bad setup when I had the work done over the years. Nope. I trusted my mechanic.

Just for reference I'm more of a car girl than most but I work in academics. I'm way out of my league when it comes to engines. And I've got a car-Dad recommending one thing, a mechanic with other ideas, and the Bronco experts I've met on this site. I'm trying to learn but I'm being pulled in three different directions at all times. In the end, y'all are the experts and I go with what I learn from yall.

My dad and I are checking the timing tomorrow and then seeing if we can remove that spacer without the fan hitting anything else. If that doesn't work I'll move the cooler and condenser.

Slowleak · Apr 19, 2017

You are on track. Moving the condenser is only necessary if you have to move the shroud/ radiator forward for some reason. Hope it doesn't come to that. Good luck!

Ksm · Apr 19, 2017

I still think relocating the existing fan will be a good (first?) step as it would (1) help pull air through the blocked radiator. Right now it appears to be so deep into the shroud it can't be pulling air but acting as a blender. Also (2) I am betting the tips of the fan blades at the bottom of the radiator are dangerously close the radiator and could be at risk of contacting the radiator if she hits a big bump and things move. I may or may not be speaking from direct experience on the last point (but I had a crappy flex fan at the time). And now that I know she has EFI said:
I really like that trans cooler you linked earlier andwill probably buy that if I end up needing to move it. I'm going to the LEBC even next Friday so I'm aprehensive about switching the thermostat this weekend. With my luck I'd probably mess something up and not be able to take the Bronco to the Roundup. Moving the fan spacer seems like less trouble. And you're right, the blades are too close. What's even worse is the brackets are not keeping the radiator in place so I need to buy some sort of rubber to pad it or bend the metal brackets tighter. That's the first thing I'll fix.

Skiddy · Apr 19, 2017

Rox Crusher said:
. Also (2) I am betting the tips of the fan blades at the bottom of the radiator are dangerously close the radiator and could be at risk of contacting the radiator if she hits a big bump and things move.

that was my next thought as well

Ksm said:
a mechanic with other ideas,

is this the same one that screwed up your engine 2 or three times:-X

Rox Crusher · Apr 19, 2017

If you can measure the thickness of the fan spacer you can use that measurement to determine if the fan blade will touch the compressor pulley before dismantling it.

okie4570 · Apr 19, 2017

Did you have the A/C installed when you were in OK to get your cage? I looked around under there some too but didn't notice all that I guess.

Ksm · Apr 19, 2017

okie4570 said:
Did you have the A/C installed when you were in OK to get your cage? I looked around under there some too but didn't notice all that I guess.

Yes, it was installed.

Ksm · Apr 19, 2017

Yeller said:
As others have said check base timing and a 7 blade fan, your definitely not getting enough air flow at idle. Wish I was closer.......

You and me both!

Ksm · Apr 22, 2017

Update:
We can't move the fan back any, it'll hit the air compressor (just like you thought jw0747). But the timing was off as many of you suspected. I discovered that the distributor was loose, like not tightened when the engine was swapped loose. Which is probably why the timing was off? Anyway, it's secure now and the radiator is as well. I'll see if this helps any of the heating issues this next weekend. Then swap out the cooler when I get back.

okie4570 · Apr 22, 2017

Wow.....well that's a start

Skiddy · Apr 22, 2017

hopefully that will fix it or at least help

Ksm · May 26, 2017

Well today is the first test. It's going to be 100 degrees today and I plan on driving around town all afternoon to see if the things we did worked, or helped.

The timing was off so I fixed that with the help of my father. Then Yeller came by and we swapped out the thermostat to a 195 and hooked up the vacuum advance. We tried to install the 7 blade fan but there wasn't enough room. That'll be the next project if I overheat today!

Here's to a hot day and a cool engine!

half cab · May 26, 2017

Hope it all works for ya.

Yeller · May 26, 2017

Fingers crossed

ransil · May 27, 2017

Rox Crusher said:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/der-13254

dragged this from back a few pages
Those suck for a tranny cooler.
I tried one, it is now a power steering cooler.

blubuckaroo · May 27, 2017

Ksm said:
Update:
We can't move the fan back any, it'll hit the air compressor (just like you thought jw0747). But the timing was off as many of you suspected. I discovered that the distributor was loose, like not tightened when the engine was swapped loose. Which is probably why the timing was off? Anyway, it's secure now and the radiator is as well. I'll see if this helps any of the heating issues this next weekend. Then swap out the cooler when I get back.

That's the hardest part of installing A/C in a Bronco. There just isn't much space between the crankshaft pulley and the radiator.
I have the first generation Vintage Air unit where the compressor is on the passenger side. It uses a separate belt, and so it has to have a three groove crank pulley.
I complained to Vintage Air that there was no way to fit their unit into the Bronco as they had advertised. They actually made me a new bracket to my specs that put the compressor four inches further out, to clear the fan. That's the only way I could get an appropriate fan to fit.
It works great now, but I find it odd that Vintage Air sells these kits to fit a specific vehicle, and they really can't fit without modification to the kit they sell.

FlogginHarvey · May 27, 2017

Very interested to hear your results! After going from a stock 302 with Ali radiator, toms shroud, 17" fan amd aux trans cooler in front of radiator running properly "I screwed things up" by doing a 5.0HO 331 Stroker kit...

it ran at 170'ish at ANYTHING above 20 mph but got hot when putting around (even with ambient temps in the lo 70* range.

I checked timing and then swapped in a Ron Davis shroud and 18" fan from WH and moved th trans cooler over passenger fender well - it cooled off significantly. But when ambient temps were in the upper 80-95* range it would creep up into the 210-220 range until I got some air moving through it.

A friend owns a Rod Shop here in Wichita and we talked a lot about it. I asked for help...he got on the phone with the high end radiator Mfg's and got a plan. He was dead-set on a radiator & shroud with Electric fan and went to work. He found a low profile water pump, had some pulleys milled, and mocked things up. We are waiting for the radiator (it was shipped two weeks ago and received damage so a replacement is being fabricated). The trans cooler will be re-plumbed so it goes in between the tranny and the radiator to help pre cool but still get up to operating temp in the cooler months. As soon as it's finished I will be reporting in my old build thread.

He said it would be WAY easier if I wasn't dead set on adding Vintage Air (to help with moisture inside the BC soft top down the road)...but hey, we want what we want. Right!? LOL. Waiting for parts as the weather turns is killing me!!!

broncoitis · May 28, 2017

Dam, just skimmed through the thread and hopefully it works out for you with correcting the timing! A cool Bronco is a happy bronco for sure! Seems like with the additions you have added to the truck that there isn't a whole lot of space in there for the fan anymore. As much as I hate to suggest it, switching over to the serpentine setup from the explorer will help pull everything back a little bit and get the fan out of the radiator where it will do a better job pulling air through the radiator.

I don't know exactly how the fan works but from what I have been told the fan will pull the air from the easiest path if that makes any sense! It isn't selective with where it gets the air to pull from and could be basically pulling the air from within the engine bay through it and actually very little if anything through the actual radiator, condenser, trans cooler sandwich that you have going on there! Having said that I also think that the original stock fan shroud could also be part of the culprit with the amount of free space that the fan is able to pull the air from. Personally I would feel better about your fan shroud if the blades were half in and half out or something close to that but more importantly I feel that the fan should be more enclosed on the sides and not so open to help encourage it to actually pull the air through the radiator and from around the sides! Hopefully that makes sense.

Hopefully your overheating issue is solved! At any rate, all great advice on here and hopefully my thoughts on this make sense! ;D

DirtDonk · May 28, 2017

FlogginHarvey said:
... "I screwed things up" by doing a 5.0HO 331 Stroker kit... it ran at 170'ish at ANYTHING above 20 mph but got hot when putting around (even with ambient temps in the lo 70* range.
...I checked timing

What's your timing at those lower rpm levels Harvey?

FlogginHarvey said:
... and then swapped in a Ron Davis shroud and 18" fan from WH and moved the trans cooler over passenger fender well - it cooled off significantly. But when ambient temps were in the upper 80-95* range it would creep up into the 210-220 range until I got some air moving through it.

Are you worried about 210-220? Is that as high as it goes, or will it creep higher? I would not go to any trouble to try to get rid of 220 degrees unless it was prone to creeping up under load. Otherwise that's really even not out of the normal range.
Do you have headers? Coated or bare?

FlogginHarvey said:
He was dead-set on a radiator & shroud with Electric fan and went to work. He found a low profile water pump, had some pulleys milled, and mocked things up. We are waiting for the radiator (it was shipped two weeks ago and received damage so a replacement is being fabricated). The trans cooler will be re-plumbed so it goes in between the tranny and the radiator to help pre cool but still get up to operating temp in the cooler months. As soon as it's finished I will be reporting in my old build thread.

Definitely pics! ;D Interested to see your custom setup. Lots of work going into it, and hopefully lots of good results as well. Can't wait to hear the report.
In case we're not already signed up to your other thread, if you could post a link here when you add to it, that would be great. Is that Ford MPFI you're running?
Thanks.

FlogginHarvey said:
He said it would be WAY easier if I wasn't dead set on adding Vintage Air (to help with moisture inside the BC soft top down the road)...but hey, we want what we want. Right!? LOL. Waiting for parts as the weather turns is killing me!!!

Yeah, we want what we want. I'm lovin' the A/C on the '68. Especially since I didn't have to install it! Enjoying the fruits of other's labors for sure.
Stock EB radiator, Explorer engine with 4R70 auto and serpentine with mechanical fan. Runs at 180 most of the time, will go up to the t-stats rating of 195 under light load or hotter ambient temps, and have only had it above that one time in traffic on a warm-ish day in the valley. Haven't really tasked it yet, but looking good so far.
Stock-ish engine tune though, so guessing your 331 is putting out the ponies (and BTU's) compared to a stock Exploder.

Paul

Overheating problems - your suggestions?

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