So after almost a year of trying to figure out my overheating problem, I had an epiphany it was the first thing I ever did to my car...

I junked the power steering for a manual steering adapter, and replaced the water pump pulley with a smaller one.

I used to run 2 belts:

1-crank pulley to alternator
2-crank pulley to water pump to power steering pump


And after I switched over to manual steering I run a single belt (crank to alt. to water pump). Could this be over/underdriving my waterpump and causing overheating?

 

Maybe i missed the original thread - so please describe the overheating problem. At idle/in traffic or on the highway?

It could be your porblem if the rest of the system is marginal. How is the heater core and radiator?

 

First thing I ever did to the car was junk the power steering...

Tossed the heater core and did the "ford bypass".

Next was to install gauges (autometer). Tried 2 different electrical and 2 different mech. gauges, tried mounting the sender in both the intake and water pump - same readings.

Next I put in an aluminum radiator and LS1 fan, replaced all hoses and a correct 351c thermostat. Flushed the block, made sure head gaskets were not in backwards. Went through 2 different water pumps just to be "safe".

Installed B&M oil and tranny coolers.

The car starts, runs fine - but after the initial "warm up" period the engine temp jumps to 220+ degrees, no matter the weather or driving conditions.

I know Clevelands "run hot", but with these upgrades I don't think I should be seeing such high temps (hit 230 degrees this morning just sitting in the driveway).



The only thing I am left to assume is that when I junked the power steering and changed the pulley arrangement it's messing something up...

 

Do you have a thermostat inline with the oil cooler? Is it working? I know some close the oil route to the cooler until it reaches operating temp then passes to the cooler. Maybe its not passing to the cooler.

 

For the oil cooler i'm using one of those sandwich adapters that goes inbetween the oil filter and the block, no thermostat...

 

underdrive pulleys cause your water pump to run slower therefore making a possiblity for overheating. so most likey your smaller then stock pulleys are casuing your problem.

 

That actually makes me very happy - I have another route to explore (thought I was doomed w/ a hot motor).



So my next question - what happens if I attach the old power steering bracket and pump back onto the motor, and run the belt configuration as it was originally (with the power steering pump running to nothing)?

Somehow seal off the pump but keep it lubricated so it doesn't screetch to high hell...

 

If the water pump pulley is smaller, you're overdriving the water pump, not underdriving. That can cause cavitation in the pump itself, which will cause overheating. Another problem with overdriving the water pump is that the coolant can flow through the engine too fast and not allowing it to gather the heat generated by the engine efficiently.

I'm assuming you have an electric fan. The temperature is fine when driving down the highway? If you're overheating while idling, the electric fan needs a shroud to work efficiently. It's also possible the fan is just too small for the task.

 

Spot on. Overdriven accesories were a problem not only on the water pump but also P/S and alternator. That's why Ford used the bigger alternator pulleys on the big horse cars. The larger diameter pulley slowed down the alternator and kept the system from overcharging.

If you've gone to a smaller water pump pulley, you've sped the pump up. Maybe enough to cause the aforementioned pump inneffectiveness. BUT, i don't think that's all of the problem especially if it's getting hot at idle.

I'd check the timing as well. Is it advanced too far ? Is there a faulty thermostat in the intake ? Do you have a marine water pump on the engine by mistake ? The marine pumps are designed to spin backwards ya know. Do you have a head gasket issue or a cracked head ? Are there an inordinate amount of bubbles in the coolant ?

In my experience with Clevelands, they don't run any hotter than anything else when everything is working properly .

Here's a pic of the factory big pulley on my Mach 1.

[IMG]local://upfiles/26494/3441B9F6C30340EDB766F49721E8DF2E.jpg[/IMG]

 

My mustang also runs hot for no apparant reason. Or it did at least. I left for 5 months on some business. Before I left the pony would overheat idleing, driving, anything. I came back and first thing i did was give it a radiator flush. It hasnt overheated since. I dont think the flush fixed it either. I just hope the real problem is hibernating... cause if it wakes up again im screwed. Although sometimes the stang is getting a little hotter than normal or a noticable difference from the normal temp it sits at. Definitely isn't overheating but the fact it keeps rising past its normal temp makes me real uneasy. Thought you guys could kill 2 birds with one stone and help me out with my overheating problem too... if it would happen to wake up out of hibernation again.