The 89 Chevyvan 20

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Jimmy the saint - 13 Sep 2006 12:02 GMT

Hey guys I just got a reconditioned 89` chevy van 20, the 350 8cl gas
beast. My mission is to drive it across Canada, then mayby down through
the states into Mexico. Sangria and senoritas.... Trouble though. There
is a problem with the coolant/pump? The radiator overheats on the
smallest trips, I know its a new radiator. I dont know how much coolant
should be in the engine or water in the Rad.

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jeffcoslacker - 13 Sep 2006 12:51 GMT

Jimmy the saint Wrote:

> Hey guys I just got a reconditioned 89` chevy van 20, the 350 8cl gas
> beast. My mission is to drive it across Canada, then mayby down through
> the states into Mexico. Sangria and senoritas.... Trouble though. There
> is a problem with the coolant/pump? The radiator overheats on the
> smallest trips, I know its a new radiator. I dont know how much coolant
> should be in the engine or water in the Rad.

The cooling system needs to be filled with a 50/50 mix of water and
coolant, the short trip overheat is usually a thermostat problem, if it
gets hot within a few minutes of starting it up cold...

You can open the radiator (cold) fill, and start the motor and watch
what the coolant level does as the motor warms up...a healthy system
will begin to surge coolant level up and down as the motor gets warmer,
then after a few minutes the level will drop away, and you'll see flow
through the horizontal tubes in the radiator core, which should
increase flow a lot as the engine is revved...it may eject a small
amount when it begins surging, but if it gets to where it is ejecting a
strong column of coolant from the radiator, but the rad and upper hose
still feel cool to the touch, the thermostat is not opening and
allowing coolant flow out of the motor to the radiator...in this case
be careful when you shut it down...it will most likey eject a large
amount of coolant when the motor stops...you or anyone standing around
could be burned...

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Bob Urz - 13 Sep 2006 14:33 GMT

Got new radiator hoses on it?
DOes it have a fan clutch on the fan blade?

If you have not, put on new hoses and new fan clutch.

Bob

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jeffcoslacker - 13 Sep 2006 15:04 GMT

Bob Urz Wrote:

> > Hey guys I just got a reconditioned 89` chevy van 20, the 350 8cl gas
> > beast. My mission is to drive it across Canada, then mayby down
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption
> =----

I f it heats up while moving, the fan clutch has nothing to do with
it...even without a fan they will run a normal temp when moving...

I can't see what effect hoses have on engine temp...unless the coolant
is leaking from them as fast as you can put it in :)

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Mike Romain - 13 Sep 2006 15:30 GMT

You need a 50/50 mix for the rad and engine of coolant and water. Auto
parts stores sell an antifreeze tester really cheap. Well worth having.

Besides the thermostat, there should be a clutch on the rad fan. To
test this clutch, heat up the engine fully and have someone shut it down
while you watch the fan blades. If the clutch is working, it will stop
the fan almost instantly. If the fan keeps on spinning, it's clutch is
dead.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
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jeffcoslacker - 13 Sep 2006 15:58 GMT

Mike Romain Wrote:

> You need a 50/50 mix for the rad and engine of coolant and water. Auto
> parts stores sell an antifreeze tester really cheap. Well worth having.
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> coolant
> > should be in the engine or water in the Rad.

Most clutch type fans you can also just fling them with the engine
cold, and if they rotate more than 1/2 turn or so, the clutch is
probably pretty weak...should be declutched, but not able to completely
freewheel...seen a few you could just grab and hold stationary with the
motor running (no, I don't recommend this!) and had slow rotation even
when engaged...but like I said, if you run hot when moving, it's
probably not the fan...I've set up large engines with on-demand
electrics and eliminated the mechanical fan...they only run after
idling for a minute or two at a stop, then cut off once the vehicle has
moved more than a block or so....

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ray - 13 Sep 2006 15:43 GMT

How do you know it's overheating? Do you have a temp gauge? If so,
what's it doing?

Why was the rad changed? Is it possible they put the wrong one (too
small) in there?

Overheating can be caused by:
thermostat stuck closed
radiator plugged/leaking
airflow - missing spoiler, plugged rad
fan/fan shroud - wrong size, dead clutch fan, missing shroud
water pump

I'm inclined to agree with starting by changing the thermostat.

Ray

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