Chevy 350 HO connect and cruise running hot

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Gilmore

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I have a chevy 350 HO connect and cruise that I bought from Jeg’s that is running hot. Has a 180 degree thermostat but is running at 212 or above even after the thermostat opens or without it. Thinking I may have received a weak water pump with the motor. I can’t think what else might be causing the problem. Brand new hoses and Luxerad radiator, premixed coolant and new 16lbs cap.

Anyone know what I should try next?
 

Vbb199

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Is the water pump spinning the correct direction?

Was it shipped with accessories and a belt, or did you have to add that?
 

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Yes it shipped with a complete serpentine system and the motor is running awesome except for the heat issue. As for the correct direction I believe so.
 

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If its serpentine it should be reverse rotation
 

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It was just a thought,

When it's operating, can you pinch the water hose with your fingers and feel it pulsing ?

And is all the air correctly bled out of the system? If not, you'll have air pockets that temporarily run the temp sender "dry" momentarily
 

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Even if it’s at 212 that won’t hurt anything. Many modern engines run at that temp, and even up to about 225 would be okay.
A few suggestions:
- how are you getting a temp reading? If it’s from the dash gauge, it might be the wrong sending unit and therefore the wrong reading. Install a mechanical temp gauge or a use an infrared temp gun to verify.
- Did the engine include a fan? Original engine would have been standard rotation, but with serpentine the fan turns the opposite direction.
- does it run cooler at idle or on the road? Poor cooling at idle is often an air flow issue due to fan or shroud problems, but poor cooling on the road is often insufficient radiator capacity.
- have your verified the timing? Retarded timing will make it run hotter.
- are you sure it’s supposed to have a 180 thermostat? Your connect and cruise may have EFI and a modern engine controller and they usually want the engine running at a higher temp to work properly.
 

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It was just a thought,

When it's operating, can you pinch the water hose with your fingers and feel it pulsing ?

And is all the air correctly bled out of the system? If not, you'll have air pockets that temporarily run the temp sender "dry" momentarily
^this. Do you see the gauge bouncing from normal temp (or even colder than normal) then getting real hot and settling back down again? Or does it just straight up run hot?

While idling or while driving? If it's only while idling, your fan clutch might not be working properly. If it's while driving hard and it stays at a steady 212 that's not the end of the world- at 212* straight water boils but antifreeze specifically does not at those temps (not only does it stop freezing, it stops boiling, even 225-230 is normal sometimes, it shouldn't boil till over at least 240-250+, especially when under pressure with a rock solid cooling system that helps keep it liquid too). A little warmer than I'd like, but not "overheating" realistically. If cruising around easy it's normally this hot, once again it's probably not damaging anything but I wouldn't want it that temp all the time either especially since it's not like it's the middle of summer or something. I like to keep my 'Burb around 180-190*, but my 2008 GMC 2500 generally runs a little over 200* and I'm not worried, pretty normal for newer stuff.

How is the radiator? Did you replace it or have a shop clean it out really good, or did you just take a 39 year old truck that had a bunch of miles on it and slap a hot engine in it with the stock radiator that's had almost 40 years worth of hard water from a garden hose calcifying in it and wonder why it's not cooling properly?
 
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Gilmore

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I have a dakota digital gauge and a Bosch manual gauge installed opposite each other in the thermostat riser so I know I have a good reading they are within a degree of each other.

Yes right now I have the thermostat out so it’s free flowing (wanted to eliminate the thermostat from the equation). I went out and checked my belt routing and it’s all correct. I did reverse my fan blades, which are turning counter clockwise and now it’s pushing (not pulling) a ton of air across the radiator and the truck only heats up to about 165 after running for about 20 minutes. I’d like to say problem solved but the motor needs to be sucking air not pushing otherwise it’s going to be working against physics when driving down the road. Correct?
 

Gilmore

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^this. Do you see the gauge bouncing from normal temp (or even colder than normal) then getting real hot and settling back down again? Or does it just straight up run hot?

While idling or while driving? If it's only while idling, your fan clutch might not be working properly. If it's while driving hard and it stays at a steady 212 that's not the end of the world- at 212* straight water boils but antifreeze specifically does not at those temps (not only does it stop freezing, it stops boiling, even 225-230 is normal sometimes, it shouldn't boil till over at least 240-250+, especially when under pressure with a rock solid cooling system that helps keep it liquid too). A little warmer than I'd like, but not "overheating" realistically. If cruising around easy it's normally this hot, once again it's probably not damaging anything but I wouldn't want it that temp all the time either especially since it's not like it's the middle of summer or something. I like to keep my 'Burb around 180-190*, but my 2008 GMC 2500 generally runs a little over 200* and I'm not worried, pretty normal for newer stuff.

How is the radiator? Did you replace it or have a shop clean it out really good, or did you just take a 39 year old truck that had a bunch of miles on it and slap a hot engine in it with the stock radiator that's had almost 40 years worth of hard water from a garden hose calcifying in it and wonder why it's not cooling properly?
It’s idleing and it’s a new Luxerad radiator with new hoses and everything associated is brand new.
 

Gilmore

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Even if it’s at 212 that won’t hurt anything. Many modern engines run at that temp, and even up to about 225 would be okay.
A few suggestions:
- how are you getting a temp reading? If it’s from the dash gauge, it might be the wrong sending unit and therefore the wrong reading. Install a mechanical temp gauge or a use an infrared temp gun to verify.
- Did the engine include a fan? Original engine would have been standard rotation, but with serpentine the fan turns the opposite direction.
- does it run cooler at idle or on the road? Poor cooling at idle is often an air flow issue due to fan or shroud problems, but poor cooling on the road is often insufficient radiator capacity.
- have your verified the timing? Retarded timing will make it run hotter.
- are you sure it’s supposed to have a 180 thermostat? Your connect and cruise may have EFI and a modern engine controller and they usually want the engine running at a higher temp to work properly.
Yes it came with a 180 thermostat. However this may be the key I bought a stock fan for this year of truck…. I may not be moving enough air in the right direction.

- Did the engine include a fan? Original engine would have been standard rotation, but with serpentine the fan turns the opposite direction
 

Gilmore

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Well part of the problem has been identified I bought a standard rotation fan and installed it on a serpentine system. ‍

Now I just need to make sure I have the proper water pump as well.
 
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You can't mix the two because the bolt spacing is different. I once modified my fan only to discover it blew air out the front of the vehicle.
 

Gilmore

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You can't mix the two because the bolt spacing is different. I once modified my fan only to discover it blew air out the front of the vehicle.
When I flipped my fan this is what mine did. I since ordered a reverse rotation fan.
 

QBuff02

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Carb or EFI? and if EFI whats your AFR? And what is your timing set at? Incorrect timing or incorrect AFR can make an engine run hot for no other reason. Also, does the fan and radiator have a shroud? Not enough air flow can raise engine temps as well. @Rusty Nail would tell you to provide pics so we can see your current setup. Lol
 

Gilmore

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Carburator, I know some folks do but I can't imagine going to EFI. Yes, the timing is at 8 degrees BTDC. No shroud and apparently the wrong fan so I ordered the right fan last night.
 

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