Water pump question

[gbarber]

I am having overheating problems with the outside temperature in the low 40's. I think I screwed up my water pump. I have been running a 4 row radiator and an 18" flex fan. I have had no over heating issues even in the heat of summer.
Two weeks ago, after installing my 3.73 gears, I went out on a local country road and acted like a teenager. I never took into consideration that my engine would move, and my flex fan hit my upper radiator hose bending it into a 16" fan. I nursed the car home (about 1 mile) and replaced the radiator hose. I ran the car long enough to pull it into the garage, and I began to install an electric fan. Now that the new fan is in, I have a new, intermittent , squeeling sound from the water pump, and the car overheats at all speeds. Light cruising in 40* weather causes overheating. I don't think that should have anything to do with the fan.
The water pump only has about 3000 miles on it. Could the pump have been damaged when the fan hit the radiator? Does this sound like the result of poor water movement?

 

[reenmachine]

Well, you certainly shouldn't have any overheating problems with that radiator in those ambient temps.

How wrecked was the hose? Could a hose chunk have been sucked into the system? Could the thermostat be blocked?

Here's one that got me recently -- is the electric fan running in the right direction? I had one wired backwards -- it was mounted on the inside as a puller fan, but would blow outwards. As a result, it would counteract the normal airflow when moving, and the car would overheat even on a cold day.

Bearing damage on a water pump would cause noise, but if the thing's spinning it's usually pumping (assuming it worked fine before). It may even leak through the weep hole (on the snout of the pump) but I would be surprised if it stopped pumping altogether.

 

[reenmachine]

Also make sure there isn't any air in the system. Run it up to temp with the radiator cap off and the heater set to hot to burp the air out of the system. This will let you visually confirm that there is flow through the radiator and will also let the air escape.

 

[gbarber]

I know what you mean about the electric fan running the wrong way. I followed the Perma-Cool directions for a puller which said red wire neg., black wire pos. I have it right, now.
I don't think the hose lost any chunks. The fan hit the hose and the hose clamp. Nothing seemed to be missing.
I let the car run for a long time yesterday with the radiator cap off. I think all of the air is out.

 

[gbarber]

I'm still battling this overheating issue. I let the car idle for about 40 mins tonight trying to ensure all of the air is out of the system. It ran a little hot (200-210) but no higher. I noticed that I have no heat inside the car. The two heater hoses are warm, but nowhere near the temp of the upper radiator hose. The water pump is no longer making any noise.
Inside the radiator, water flow is intermittent. The water seems to surge across the top of the fins about every 3-4 seconds. It isn't a constant flow.
Any ideas?

 

[65ShelbyClone]

Inside the radiator, water flow is intermittent. The water seems to surge across the top of the fins about every 3-4 seconds. It isn't a constant flow.
Any ideas?

That sounds like the thermostat opening and closing. Does it do that in the process of overheating? Does it even overheat if you let it sit and idle?

 

[gbarber]

It will run 200-210* at idle. 3 weeks, in warmer weather, it struggled to get to 185 at idle.