Questionhi dick, i finally got my 289 engine going and seems to run ok. no tapping sounds or anything . there is one problem that i seen, when the car is running for a few minutes the water is running out of the overflow on the radiator.i recently put a used radiator on the car and used water pump.and filled it with water. i kept the top off to let the air out of the engine as it was starting and then topped it up with about another pint of water or so. the water coming out of the overflow is warm so it must me circulating ok. what is wrong? is my engine wrecked? please help!!!
AnswerThere may be nothing wrong. In an older car without a coolant recovery system, you should only fill the radiator to about 2 inches below the filler neck. The reason for this is that as the engine warms up, the coolant expands, and if you filled it all the way to the top, a couple of quarts of coolant had to escape somehow, so it comes out the overflow tube.
If you put the radiator cap on tight (and if the cap is in good shape so it holds pressure), and you only fill the radiator to about 2 inches below the filler neck, the coolant should not come out the overflow tube.
Make sure that when the engine is warmed up, that there is pressure in the system (feel the upper radiator hose - it should be very firm, like an inflated tire). If it is soft and easy to squeeze, the way it is with the cap off, then you know the cap is bad or the filler neck isn't smooth enough for it to seal. You have to have a good cap and a good filler neck to run the engine without losing coolant.
Also, once you are sure everything else is OK, fill the cooling system with a 30% or more mixture of anti-freeze, to prevent boiling at too low a temperature, and prevent corrosion from attacking the engine, and prevent freezing in cold weather.
Dick
