225 Dauntless V6 Cooling Problems

I've been battling an overheating problem for a while. The folks here recommended relocating my trans cooler from in front of the radiator (I have a TH350 in my 67 CJ). I'm getting ready to do this but noticed Champion now offers a 4 Row (4 Core?) and I have room for a thicker radiator.

My question is, so you think this will this solve my problem? It overheats in slow speed situations and my everything else is new and working properly so I know it lack of airflow comblined with heat coming off the trans cooler (min 200 deg).

Thanks for your input before I drop another 200 on a radiator.

 

More data would be good. What size is the radiator? Do you have a shroud? What type/size/number of blades is the fan?

 

Yep, forgot some details.

-Shrouded
-Currently has a new champion 3 core
- Six blade non electric performance flex fan. (verified it only flexes at high rpm)

 

This looks interesting.

Amazon.com: ALLOYWORKS 4 Row Radiator + Shroud Fan + Relay For 1965-1971 Jeep CJ5 CJ6 DJ5 DJ6 Buick 225 V6 : Automotive

 

Lets see some pictures of your radiator, fan, shroud setup.
I am running a similar setup as you and I don't have any problems.
What is your ignition timing set at?
Is your vacuum advance working properly?

 

Will do. I'll have to wait until tonight. Timing is around 5 and advance is working.

 

Is your timing set correctly? Reason I ask is because when I got my Jeep it was overheating and turned out to be incorrect timing. I think the problem was that the PO did not disconnect and plug the vac advance when setting the timing.

It would read 5 degrees when the vac advance was hooked up. but If I recall correctly, the real reading was off by about 10 degrees with advance disconnected and plugged.

 

I set it to 5 with vacuum plugged and idle turned down low. I've ran it at different timings and no difference.

 

I too would like to see a few pics of your setup. That should be plenty of radiator. Personally I'm not a fan of flex fans preferring a strong electric ( junkyard scavenger here aftermarket fans are well known to be overrated on cfm) but that requires a healthy alternator and electric system.
What do your plugs look like? A lean condition will also make you run hot .

 

As you can see the trans cooler takes up a bit of room. The little fan I installed does not help. Cooling lines have coils inside so they're not collapsing. I'm out of ideas.

 

Also, I don't see circulation at idle with the cap off. New thermostat.

 

Do you have headers? They contribute to running hot and under hood temps.

I fought a slow-creep running hot and under hood heat issue. I never let it overheat….always stopped and let things cool down.

I tried lots of different things and configurations with minimal improvement. I even removed my upright winch for a test run. In the end, the solution was:

1. Hi- flow H20 pump.
2. Shrouded mechanical fan like yours.
3. Pusher, Perma Cool 14” e-fan on a bracket right against the radiator. I only turn this on when I need it…mostly four wheeling.
4. The dreaded hood louvers. I hated doing this but for me it did help. Definitely increases air flow and gets that heat out of the engine compartment. Some folks also do the holes in the side of the hood to the same effect.

Obviously the tranny cooler probably occupies the space where a pusher fan could go.


Edit: Now I see the fan you’re talking about. How much space between the tranny cooler and radiator?

 

No water flow. Could be a bad thermostat or installed backwards. How old is the radiator? Is it a two or three row? Bottom radiator hose collapsed?

 

That’s very interesting. I want to buy one now for future projects.

 

This may tell us something.
Do you see movement when the RPM's rise?


Questions:
What is overheating? 200? 210? 240?
Is your overheating verified with an IR gun?
If so, what is the temp of the bottom hose?
What is the temp of the top hose versus the thermostat housing?


Other things to look for:
Radiator cap not holding pressure.
Buildup in the water jackets.
Water jacket buildup clogging the thermostat/radiator.
Malfunctioning thermostat.

 

https://flowkoolerwaterpumps.com/co...r-pumps/products/1526-buick-jeep-olds-1964-71

 

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Yes.

200. It'll go higher but I shut down because It'll ping at 210.

Water is definitely flowing at rpms but not sure how much at idle. Thermostat is working. When it gets to 185 the thermostat opens and temp drops to 180 and radiator blows hot. Crawling around is when it overheats.

New 3 core champion. Hoses have reinforcement springs so no way it's collapsing. New water pump.

Very little. 1-2 inches. I'm pretty sure this is part of the problem. Trans normally run at 200 and above. When I crawl the Trans heats up and I think it kills the cooling. I'm thinking of temporarily relocating the Trans cooler and do a test.

The only place I can think to put it is under the winch level with bumper. Weld a bracket on and put cooler fan below it.

 

I don't want to ditch the mechanical fan. I'll probably add a pusher if I permanently relocate the Trans cooler.

 

Do you think that's a bad spot for Trans cooler? It would be located just behind the winch same level as bottom of front bumper. I'll mount a pulling fan below that to draw air down.