Effects of overheating?

other_shoe

Member
May 4, 2007
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My thermostat seized closed around noon on Friday, hottest day of the year here.

I got the car home and have replaced the thermostat and the car (67 289 with the 4 barrel, automatic transmission) appears to be cooling again. Thanks again to everyone who gave advice on that project.

I need to replace the radiator since it looks like it was stressed to close to bursting. I'll order that this afternoon.

Also, I had to increase the idle speed a bit to keep it from stalling now. I don't know why this is the case and would very much appreciate thoughts.

Are there other effects that I should be looking out for?

Are there other preemptive measures I can take to minimize the fallout?

As always, my thanks in advance.
 
Yes, I was confused too. Especially since I have an overflow bottle that was overflowing. Maybe there is something wrong with the cap.

I'm pretty sure that the radiator is warped since it is bulging in places that l thought were recessed. I've been thinking of putting on an AC system so an upgrade might be in order anyway.
 
How far did you drive it like that? Its probably fine. I would wait and see how it does with the new thermostat and new radiator. I don't understand why you had to adjust the idle though.
 
Also, the automatic transmission fluid is frothy.

Do you mean just foamy and full of suspended air, or nasty like a milkshake? If there is water in the trans fluid, then the cooler in the radiator likely failed and the fluid must be changed.

My recommendation is to get a radiator that's more capable than you think will be necessary. These cars never exactly had ample cooling to begin with.
 
Do you mean just foamy and full of suspended air, or nasty like a milkshake?

It is foamy and full of suspended air, not at all like a milkshake. Is this indicative of water in the fluid?

tx65coupe, the idle is really puzzling. It was stumbling and stalling badly, so I upped it. I suspect that something got scorched or melted that is impairing ignition efficiency. I checked the plugs, and they look pretty good. I'll check the points later today.

FWIW, it now has what sounds like an exhaust leak when under load, but not when I rev it in park or neutral.