Fix Classic Car Overheating NOW! Top Troubleshooting Tips

#cars #overheating #musclecar #classicar
G'day everyone!
This video is all about trying to sort out overheating issues you may have with your classic or muscle car. The internet is full of information and misinformation about automotive cooling. Rather than debate some of that rubbish - here are my top tips (learnt from my own experiences) that you can try to solve your overheating issues.
All about cleveland thermostats • Use THIS Thermostat in...
Check out our Instagram / meatball_garage
If you like dodgy travel adventures - check out my other channel:
/ @marcsmildlyinteresting
If you have any questions please comment below, or if you want to get in touch please reach out to [e-mail]
Hi, I'm Marc and this is Meatball Garage! Keep up with all the tinkering and maintenance on my Hyundai i30 (Hyundai Elantra) Holden VE Calais V8 (Pontiac G8 or Chevy SS) And my 1970 Ford XW Fairmont 351 Cleveland V8.
If there is anything you want to see on Meatball Garage - Leave a comment below!

[@JAStheACE]

Well done meatball, good explanations mate.

[@MeatballGarage]

You beauty - Cheers mate!!

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day Folks! Have you ever cooked a car before? How did you fix it? Let me know your top tips for solving overheating issues below! If you don't have a tip but enjoyed the vid - make sure you say g'day in the comments and give the video a thumbs up - it helps it out lot! Cheers!!!

[@ianjury3891]

Just catching your video now .awesome

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day Ian - Cheers mate! Glad you are enjoying them!!

[@RestoHubAU]

Great stuff! Also, nice pair of XWs you've got there mate. 🤙

[@MeatballGarage]

Cheers mate - appreciate it! Ah only the green one is mine but ill still take the compliment! Looks like you are going to town on your XT! Love seeing the progress - it will be MINT!!! Cheers - Marc

[@FLIPMYRIDE]

Great video brother.

[@MeatballGarage]

Here he is! Cheers Adam!!!

[@wayneclements7202]

Nice video champ !, sorry i missed your last live chat.

[@MeatballGarage]

Thanks Wayne! Ah i'll try and do another one soon enough mate, I'll be more prepared this time as well! Cheers!

[@BADQ]

Great video mate! awesome. I had a lot of overheating issues with my Monaro when I first bought it, found the wiring to be very undersized, with yellow joiners with thin wires in between, the yellow joiners were brown! and the earth wire (yes, single one) that went to two AU thermos, was rock hard... haha replaced it all with a much thicker dual twin core, and twin relays my overheating problem went away for good!

[@MeatballGarage]

Cheers mate!! Ah fairdinkum? I reckon that would happen a lot actually - blokes just fitting thermo fans with what ever wiring they have lying around. Only to melt it all and have a fan that isn't getting the juice that is required!! Did your fans pick up much grunt when you made these changes? What temp does your Munro like to hang around? Also - cheers for the call out for this weekend - might be a bit hard to get down there at that time with the little fella but i'll give it a crack! Forgot Motorex was even on TBH! Cheers!!!

[@BADQ]

@@MeatballGarage Oh shit yeah mate the grunt was at least 70% better, you could feel them pushing air under the bonnet when it was up and when standing next to the drivers door, couldn't do that before. Not sure on temp exactly I need to hook up my aftermarket gauge, but used to always run just under the hot mark back then, even on cooler days. Now its half way. No probs mate, Hope to see you at MotorEx or at our event, I'll give ya a sticker if you come say Gday 👍 Keep up the awesome content mate

[@davidk8622]

You pretty much covered it all and are not another flog on the internet. Nice water pump you fitted, and that should stop cavitation issues that Cleveland’s can have with a water pump with a pressed tin impeller. About all you missed was having a good recovery tank and correct radiator cap for the system. Top vid mate. DK

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day DK - Cheers mate love your assessment of not being a flog (hope I can keep it that way haha). Great points you bring up - the radiator cap holding pressure is so bloody obvious yet i left it out! Prob need to replace mine actually. And agree that water pump is the ducks guts - it has been fantastic and flows like a champ! Thanks for watching mate and for the kind words! Cheers Marc

[@davidk8622]

@@MeatballGarage from the first day you walked into warrigal rd cheltenham you have been entertaining. Keep it up

[@MeatballGarage]

Hahahaha I bloody thought it was you!! Mate can't wait to show you all my carby fk ups 🤣🤣🤣!!

[@davidk8622]

@@MeatballGarage sniper efi! Sorted! And a very interesting video you would make it too!

[@MeatballGarage]

@@davidk8622 Haha mate I might need a sponsor before I attempt to go to the dark side of EFI 🤣🤣

[@rogerveal1336]

Used a Davies Craig digital controller with a sensor in a Davies Craig plastic sleeve spliced into the top radiator hose. Currently have it set to high 170's so it doesn't go over 180. I still wanted the dash gauge to show temp with the original sensor in place. I also use a dual thermo fan from an EL Falcon I think but had to cut it up and modify a bit for the top radiator inlet. Have an XD triple flow radiator that is a work of art. I use the correct thermostat but 180 degree. Used the heat gun to confirm block stays around 180. Made a custom battery tray to fit as no chance original fits with XD radiator.

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day Roger! Ah think I know that fan controller - Is it the digital one? I have one in a draw somewhere but never bothered to fit it up. Sounds like you have done a fair bit of work to get your cooling system to work together and all fit nicely - awesome stuff! What temp thermostat are you running? Also, tell where is the original temp sender supposed to go? I don't think I have ever had it in the proper spot! Cheers mate!

[@ChadFlanagan-fw1eh]

Love the car man great job. What is that fan from part number?that

[@MeatballGarage]

Thanks Chad!! Appreciate that mate! I am not sure if the fan is an OEM job but it's a BF or FG Single Thermo - I think mine had 6 blades (i have seen ones now that have 10). The S shaped blades are nice and quiet compared to the straight ones too. If you know a good radiator shop ask them which one to get (or which ones to stay away from) as I assume the cheapies are prob no good. If i find a part number i'll pop it here in the comments for ya! What are you looking to keep cool? What radiator are you running? Cheers!

[@vasc4073]

I had issues with my thermostat on my clevo. Went and asked at the local parts shop for a new one, typed into their system found the part and wacked it in. Gave me heaps of grief. After chatting to a few guys on forums, the correct thermostat is a dayco dt66a. It's worked perfectly ever since.

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day Vas - ah yep that was the other one - the Dayco DT66a! I think they are all derivatives of the Robert Shaw one from back in the day. And you are spot on, heaps of parts peddlers gave out the wrong ones! That is awesome that the correct t stat sorted out your overheating issues - happy days! Thanks for watching and for the comment mate! Cheers - Marc

[@vasc4073]

@@MeatballGarage it's unfortunate how hard it is to find the correct parts these days. Going through motions of the new engine build and the issues I'm finding is ridiculous.

[@MeatballGarage]

Geez what a pain!!

[@vasc4073]

@@MeatballGarage I'll message you on insta and let you know what's happening.

[@paulthompson1654]

Late falcon XF radiator in copper or even go to alloy 2 row of 1.25 in [each] . Down flow or crossflow does not matter ,,a LARGE surface area exposed to air flow is king PWM fan controller also helps with start up and running amp load plus fan noise

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day Paul! Mate that is a great point about surface area! I reckon a lot of people get carried away with thickness (I.e. 5 row!!) but don't consider airflow! I'd love to get one of those nice big alloy 2 row jobs one day - would be ace! Cheers mate thanks for watching and the comment! Marc

[@paulthompson1654]

What u will find is most USA car radiators are bigger vs ozzy units .re chevy or ford . Ehrn going to high horse power in ozzy cars it is almost compulsory to go to a large 1.25 inch 2 row Be warned a 4 or 5 row does not cool as much vs an alloy 2 core

[@MrJak427]

Top tip if you don’t want to do half of this work just dump all the coolant to make sure you don’t have any glycol in there top up with plain water and add a product called “DEOX-C” get it in power form !!. it dissolves rust completely…… and I contacted the company and they said it was safe on the metals and plastics that are in the system leave it in there for a month it likes heat so drive the car My cars heater started working again!! My blocks coolant jackets were clean The radiator had no scale left in it I also had no deposits in my tefba radiator strainer the stuff works It also allowed me to unscrew the lower block coolant plugs out as they weren’t rusted in anymore I drained then flushed with distilled water then refilled with coolant from my local diesel truck mechanic Edit: I also had a water pump noise on this same Cleveland I did this work to.. it was the built up scale on the impeller scraping on the front timing cover that noise also went away 😊

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day MrJak! DEOX-C - I will have to so some serious googling on this! My old man always use to say back in the day there was a product that use to clear up cooling systems like you describe! I wonder if it was this one! Thanks for the tip mate! How long ago did you treat your car with it? Any dramas since? Cheers! Marc

[@MrJak427]

@@MeatballGarage never had a problem! probably had the car for three years after I did that it was seriously worth doing That particular engine had been built assembled then sat for ten years never started. then I ran it in my car that also had a fairly blocked heater core Everything worked after doing it Only issue I could see ever happening would be if your original/factory Cleveland timing cover was really rusty if the detox-c stuff ate the rust away it might get through if the rust had reached the other side then you’d have water in the oil

[@stevegus2845]

Probably the camera angle but it looked like your Alt. alignment was on the piss.

[@MeatballGarage]

G'day Steve - thanks for your consern mate! Reckon it was the old Go Pro fish eye lense - puts a curve in everything when up close. It shits me but it's the only camera I can repeatedly drop and still work 🤣🤣! Cheers!!