wadeb3

Quick question from a learner:
Driving my '67 289 from stoplight to stoplight the engine gets warm, but the temp gauge never gets much past halfway. But as soon as shut it off, it starts spitting anti-freeze out of the overflow tube. It has an oversized radiator (5-core, I believe) and a 160 degree thermostat and does not seem to be overheating. It doesn't spit any coolant while it's idling, only after I shut it off. And even when it's spitting out the coolant I can still lay my hand on the radiator. I know some overflow is normal (or at least I think it is) but do you think I have a problem, or is this normal until I get down to the proper amount of anti-freeze?
Thanks!

jeep45238

I think you overfilled your cooling system

hotrodman

does it have a blown head gasket ,,with cap on does it build up pressure fast ,,???

TheGmKiller331

WTF i couldnt make any sense of that hotrod man.Some one sounds like they need a hit.

hotrodman

hey post your crack man again,,you know the one..he look goffy..

roundman

Spitting out coolant is not normal unless the system was totally full when cold, or you have a blown head gasket. Coolant expands when heated and the overflow allows this to occur by letting some out as it expands. Once the hot level gets down enough, it should stop this spitting. Problem is that over time, you could lose enough coolant that you could overheat due to not enough coolant in the system, this is one reason why newer cars have a coolant overflow recovery system to prevent permanent loss of coolant. It also keeps it off the ground and away from animals who will be poisoned by drinking it. Quick fix for your situation is to get a plastic bottle like a 1 quart bleach bottle and hang in by a wire next to the radiator out of the way and securely so it can't bounce around and hit something. Put a hole in the top and insert the overflow tube into the bottle so is touches the bottom. Put a smaller hole in the top to vent the bottle. Now when it overflows, the bottle will catch it and when the engine cools, the system goes into a vacuum and will suck the excess back up into the radiator keeping the level up at all times. You could also get one from the junkyard off a newer car that has one, just be sure it will fit the space available.

TheGmKiller331

Yup!Thats true.

But what i would do is go get the coolant resvoir from autozone for like 10 bucks.

Doesnt your stang have a catch can?I thought most or all did for reasons mentioned above.

roundman

my '88 came with one but a '67 did not, they didn't show up until the mid '70's after emission controls and higher temp thermostats became the norm. I had a '71 Torino with the 289 and it didn't have one either. there was plenty of room under the hood and I used a half-gallon bleach jug for years. the environmental fanatics also probably pushed Congress for them to keep antifreeze in the engine and off the streets.

e40water

Maybe youre rad has a block in the cores that will cause you overflow, Or youre coolant mixture has more water then coolant.

red347

Sounds like it could be a sticky thermostat. Have you taken off your radiator cap with the engine running, to see if the water is circulating? If there is pressure building in the cooling system, as hotrodman said, it could be a hairline crack in the head gasket.

Ron