thermostat question

[sambudo]

Originally Posted by swamp rat

Could it be the wrong hose??

If your gonna drain the coolant go ahead and swap out that sending unit, its not that expensive, be sure to get some sensor safe thread sealant in the sealer section of the auto parts store.. If the lower hose is old just replace it too, if its new or close to now then clean the hose and radiator inlet of any water scale build up and wipe it nice and dry, the hose should not be hardened from heat or deformed from the hose clamp compressing on it.

I had one time i was dealing with the same lower hose leak but couldn't get a hose right away and still needed to drive the truck, so i cleaned up the hose and radiator then smeared a bit of red high temp silicone in the radiator inlet slid on the hose and clamped it down then let it sit over night before filling it. it got me home and then some.

Actually the hose is new, I replaced it the other day. Seems to fit same as the other old hose. I cleaned up the radiator when I had it out recently. I think it's a strange fit. I think if I can get another hand, I might be able to get a better fit and clamp it on. Good suggestion on the sensor, I'll pick up that sending unit along with the special sensor safe thread. Then install that tomorrow.

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by sambudo

....The middle one that is hooked to the 4 position switch seems to only work in the off, and high position! I don't think I have a low or medium air flow option....

This is likely the blower relay. I believe it is on top of the heater box. When you are in high speed it gives direct 12V to the blower. At the middle switch positions it sends power through the resistor(s) to give lower speeds. It could also be that the resistor is unplugged or all bad, but most likely it is the blower relay.

[sambudo]

Looks like I don't have a stock radiator. The outlet to engine OD is approx. 2.5", the inlet to engine is approx. 2.875" The stock hose won't seal correctly. Has anyone had success with radiator hose reducer bushings? If so what brands do you recommend? Gates?

Rubber reducers that are inserted into the inside of a radiator hose to reduce the ID of the hose for a proper fit to the connection. Flange of reducer will prevent slippage into hose. Makes any stock hose into a “Dual ID” hose.

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by sambudo

Looks like I don't have a stock radiator. The outlet to engine OD is approx. 2.5", the inlet to engine is approx. 2.875" The stock hose won't seal correctly. Has anyone had success with radiator hose reducer bushings? If so what brands do you recommend? Gates?

Rubber reducers that are inserted into the inside of a radiator hose to reduce the ID of the hose for a proper fit to the connection. Flange of reducer will prevent slippage into hose. Makes any stock hose into a “Dual ID” hose.

I only use Gates belts and hoses. I have had discount brands that did not go the distance. I have never heard of reducing diameter with a bushing on a radiator hose. You might try a hose for a 73-87 with 6 cyl and see if it is the correct size at the radiator. If that doesn't work, I would suggest going to a good parts store and seeing if they will let you poke around in the back and try to find a hose that will fit without reducing it.

[swamp rat]

Never herd of it..... Never seen one... I think i'd try and use 2 hose clamps..

I did google " radiator hose reducer bushings" tho and found this on Ebay, i was also noticing the bell type blue reducers but had not enough time to research it for size. I would think it couldn't hurt to try.

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/radiator-hose-reducer

[Ironangel]

I had the same problem your describing with the lower hose on my 72 and apparently the previous owner did too because there was extension soldered to the 90 degree outlet that angled slightly upward to accommodate the hose that angled slightly down...When I replaced the radiator the (new) lower hose would not properly fit the 90 degree horizontal outlet properly...My fix was to trim the upper lip of the lower hose to allow the lower half of the hose to obtain a full bite onto the outlet..."Wahlah!" No more leaking... I essentially mitered the end of the hose to allow a full bite onto the outlet...I use Gates rubber from NAPA and the part number is correct for that application...Apparently, some factory radiators had angled lower outlets...? Hope this helps...

[sambudo]

Thanks everyone, I finally found a gates hose that is reduced on the radiator outlet and lslightly larger where it goes into the clock. So far it is holding water, although I have only ran it for 30 mins or so two seperate times.

I still have the temp gauge problem. I think I will pull the gauge cluster and rebuild the temp gauge. Again thanks for all the insight.

[swamp rat]

Glad to hear your getting things solved!

[Murphy IRE]

I'll piggy back on this one, there may be some overlap. Gertie is not my dd.
She has a 400cid, she heats up in 10 minutes and she will get the cab toasty warm after the 10 minutes. My vacuum values are dead, so I put in a gate value in line; so it's on or off, otherwise I could have heat year round (Not good over 90 - most of the summer). I have a big 4 core oversized radiator. The engine it's self runs hot. I had to put in a spacer for the carb heat problem (That's a separate thread). I think she has a 180 to help with the summer heat, but she runs really cold in the winter. My guages work. Last week (really cold) she heats up fine, but once I get on the freeway the Gauge drops to below cold. Should I do the trucker trick and block the radiator to retain heat?