You must mean the NASCAR race at Dover.



try putting a pizza box in front of the radiator, and see if the fan gets loud again. It should. If it doesn't, before it overheats (obviously), the new clutch isn't up to par.

 

Chris,

No.... these guys turn both directions, have multiple braking points each lap, can't draft and go much faster. They call it road racing..... you NASCAR types should check it out sometime!

The BMWs are pushing 900+ HP this year.... not bad for a NA 3 litres. Fastest lap over 100 mph average, but considering Monaco has some slow (25 mph range) turns, that says a lot for the power to weight ratio. With launch/traction control they estimate 0 - 100 - 0 is just over 6 seconds.




As for the clutch, I've checked it out and it does engage better as temp comes up. It just seems that they never engage as strong as when you first crank it on a cool day. My truck doesn't generate much heat without a load, so you have to really block the rad good to get the heat to come up.

This thing is making me insane. Speed the pump and heat is up even more. Weather sucks.... looks like just the sender today if I'm lucky. On the plus side the stock pulleys did seem to blow the air pockets out much quicker. I got a slosh through the heater core the first time I got the revs up, but that was the last time I heard it. Since it cooled better with the UDs I'm leaving the stockers on until I get it right, then going back to the UDs.

 

Well the new pump is in. Being that it's 11 pm and I haven't eaten or showered yet, finishing the job can wait until the morning. Other than getting the gasket off the front cover it was cake. I hate gasket material.

I'll top it off in the morning and let 'er rip. All the passages were clear and good flow everywhere. The old pump did spin a little too freely and a tiny bit of a notchy feel..... who knows for sure.

Picked up the temp sender as well, but making sure the pump cures the problem first.




I did find a great trick to save some time and hassle on this job. Anyway that has done one of these on some Fords knows how the A/C and PS pump bracket has to come off the stud on the water pump bolt. This is no problem, but getting the bracket, compressor and PS pump to stay out of your way so you can get to the water pump can be a PITA. I've seen people using rope and what not to tie it up out of the way.

Anyway.... take the upper left bolt hole on the bracket, and thread it into the block threads for the upper RIGHT bolt. It sits up there out of the way and no strain on the A/C or PS lines. You do have to disconnect the two A/C electrical connectors, but you usually have to do that anyway.

 

Good tip! Thanks!

So, what's the verdict?

 

Chris,

You wouldn't believe how quick moving the bracket to that other hole was once the light bulb came on. It's a coarse thread and you can see the bolt end to line it up quick.... piece of cake!


Buttoned things up about 7 pm, took a test drive and temps are back down. Worst I got was maybe mid way into the "M". It's fairly warm and humid here so I'm hoping that was it. The next couple of days will tell for sure. Since the stock pulley set runs warmer I should stay out of the "M" with the underdrives back on.

... and before I forget. The stocker had a metal impeller. It spun real easy, and just a very, very slight notchy feel to it. Passages within the pump were good too.


I did notice a dark film on the thermostat which I thought was strange since the fluid and passages were good. With all my problems I looked at the stat as soon as I pulled the upper hose off to make sure it was in the right way.

 

Interesting. Maybe it was just the 351's that had the plastic impeller. I dunno. My buddy swears that 302's had them too, but most of the trucks he worked on were 351's and 460's.

Still, here's hoping it was the pump!