Hey guys! Remember me?!Guess what I did? I FINALLY drove my car!!! All week I've been dealing with slight overheating. Thursday I figured out that it was the thermostat. It wasn't opening. So I replaced that. Then I realized I had the fan wired backwards. How the fck did I manage to do that? Switched the wiring around and it was blowing in the right direction. So I took her on here maiden voyage. It was 90-something degrees outside so I figured if it holds good temperature in that it can handle anything. Well it stayed at around 195 the whole ride...until the fuse on the relay board blew, but by that time I was a block away from my house. At this point I'm thinking the fan isn't blowing at high speed. I have a Lincoln Mark VIII fan and the harness has 2 black wires and 1 blue wire. 1 of the black wires is ground, 1 is power and the blue wire is also power. I tested both power wires separately but they seemed to be the same speed. Well last night I thought about powering both of the power wires together to see if it turned faster. It was late to figured I'd do it today at work. I was going to trailer it to work to work on it but my buddy wasn't home for me to get the trailer. I decided I was going to drive the car to work. Its about 8-10 miles mostly on the interstate.
So at 6:20 this morning, I probably woke my next door neighbor(little old lady), and set out on the car's first trip on the interstate in 5 years. The temp outside was in the high 60s with fairly low humidity so I figured it wouldn't run hot. It stayed at 180* the whole ride on the interstate. But when I got off the temp started creeping back up over 195* in just the 5 blocks it took me to get to my firehouse. When pulled into the yard I turned the car off but turned the key on so the fan would stay on while I test my theory with the fan wiring. While the fan was running I touched the blue wire to the + battery post and the fan sped up.
I still have some blow-by and I'm sure it's because the PCV system can't handle the crankcase pressure. Though I don't understand why because my engine is N/A with low compression(~9:1). Anyway, I bought a breather cap last night to replace the oil fill cap. I thought it was the solution to the problem because there was no smoke coming out of the driver side tailpipe like there was yesterday after the drive on the street. But when I did a cold start this afternoon there was a puff of blue smoke when it first started.While working on the car today I noticed there was a good bit of oil in the the throttle body and the powerpipe. So obviously I need a breather/catch can system. So is there something else wrong or is the PCV system only meant to handle the crankcase pressure of a bone stock 302? I thought high compression and forced induction setups needed breather/catch can systems. @madmike1157 I know you're dealing with this situation...but you have forced induction so why am I having these same issues with my low compression N/A 363?
Any input would be greatly appreciated, guys.
Oh, one other thing. After the dyno fiasco in March I had to buy a new fan controller...along with several other things. Well after getting the fan to work at high speed today I set the controller to turn the fan on at about 195*. It cooled it down perfectly but the fan never cut off before I turned the car off when it got down to 165*. Earlier this week I blew 2 fuses on the relay board because of the fan not cutting off. Do you think my controller is faulty? It's a Derale controller. The sensor is one that screws into one of the coolant temp sensor openings in the lower intake. That should be more accurate than the probe that goes in the radiator fins(like my last controller used). I have to reread the instructions but IIRC the fan should cut off when the temp gets 15* below what it's set to come on. The last time I checked going from 195* to 165* is 30*.
Mike the stroke is 3.400 and bore is 4.125. Its a Dart Sportsman block. I don't remember the details of the rings. I'll have to go find my receipt for the pistons and rings.Well Craig a couple of things..
You said maiden voyage....how many miles are on the engine where it has seen enough load to seat the rings?
You said 363...How did we get the there bore and stroke wise?
( are the oil rings sitting on a special button that covers the pin?)
Are the rings " low tension" like my pieces of sht are?
Every engine needs a PCV system. Every engine will build crankcase pressure as a result of blow by. Some more, some less. A lot of that depends on the answers to the questions above.
You may have to take a more dedicated approach to controlling your PCV, especially if there's oil inside the throttle body.
A drag car can usually get away with a breather on each valve cover, although it typically makes a mess of them. Most guys will run lines from the breathers over to a dedicated catch can w/ a breather, and then ck, and drain it periodically.
The controller has the soft touch startup but I also have a Leash single relay board wired in. The fuse(not the relay) is what keeps blowing. Its a Maxy fuse(I think thats what its called) its a little box with a window on top. I'm use a 40A. I got the polarity correct after realizing it was pushing instead of pulling the other day.Some un the high speed. MKVII fans are one speed and some are two speed.. If yours is two speed.I wouldnt bother running hte low speed- just run the high speed. Make sure the polarity is right so the fan is pulling not pushng.. Use at least 10 g wiring. For a controller, I like the flex a lite 33054 unit. I have it in a few cars. You want a soft start up controller sn start uo the fan doesnt shcok the sytem on statt up, that is why you are blowing fuses.
what temp stat did you install? I hope a factory 192
You need to run the factory PCV system, unless you run breathers with catch cans. It's one or teh other
Thanks Dave!Well crap Craig, i can't help you one bit my friend!
It sure is good to hear from you though buddy. Driving it is a big step from where you were. Hopefully, in the morning, the guys will be in here to assist.
Are you doing well?
Yeah I've ordered from him before.I've got the same fan and I use the DCC controller, and it works great with my SVE radiator and 180 thermostat. There is a wait for them when you order as they are usually built to order and communication from the guy sucks but now is the time as he's very busy in the summer.
http://www.dccontrol.com/relay_controllers.htm
I'll definitely keep an eye on it with the damp climate we have here. A lot of stuff(ARP bolts and a few other things) had surface rust on my engine before I was even close to starting it for the first time. Even my oil pan had oxidation on it.That breather looks familiar... I've got the sane one mounted in the same location.
For the money its very hard to beat.
Keep an eye on the screen for the breather on top. Its not stainless and will rust. Mine has been holding up well for a few months now.
So those controllers eliminate the need for a separate relay/relay board?I've got the same fan and I use the DCC controller, and it works great with my SVE radiator and 180 thermostat. There is a wait for them when you order as they are usually built to order and communication from the guy sucks but now is the time as he's very busy in the summer.
http://www.dccontrol.com/relay_controllers.htm
That breather looks familiar... I've got the sane one mounted in the same location.
So he has the one that insane?
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