2F heating up more than normal after highway driving

[CMD82]

Well I drove the 60 to work this morning ~17 miles. It ran like a champ. After 10 miles or so down the intersate ~60 mph, it looked like the needle was a little bit above half way. When I exited the interstate the needle rose to a little bit more than 3/4. Not in the red but more than normal. After I got moving again from the stop light it barely came down, so I turned the heat on, and kept on driving at ~45 mph. I don't know of it was turning on the heat or driving at a slower speed but the temp went right down to normal. After that all was fine. I drove another ~5 miles @ ~50-55 mph to work. When I got to work I let it idle for a minute or so and it didn't heat up at all. I checked the coolant overflow tank and it was a bit below the low level. So I filled topped the overflow tank with water.

I had planned on flushing the system anyways. I just don't know if I need to change the thermostat and/or the water pump while I'm at it. No leaks anywhere and nothing no coolant in the oil.

What do you guys think?
Thanks,
Chris

 

[lowtideride]

sounds like your rad might be a lil stuffed. try getting it flushed.

 

[Landpimp]

I wouldn't worry about the h2o pump, if it going it will be leaking out the weep hole or making noise.

t-stat, I replace them when ever I get a new cruiser.

flush, yep won't hurt but I have never flushed one and had it run any cooler
fan cltuch maybe.
timing correct?

 

[swank60]

A good general rule that i go by: if it heats up at higher speeds, on the highway, the system is blocked and it's not flowing the way it should. If it heats up in-town, stop and go traffic, etc, it's fan related. If that's the case, check the fan clutch and your shroud. You need to do some more tests to see what happens, but I think a good flush might be your ticket out of this mess (considering that it got hot on the highway and then the temp rose when you shut her down.)

I agree with pimp about the timing. If it's off, it'll run hot, and if your vac advance isn't working right, it'll heat up too. Those are easy checks.

 

[Doc]

The first sign that my radiator was shot was overheating on the freeway. Try a flush, but it might be time to start shopping for a good price on a new rad.

 

[sl33py]

not really a hijack, but anyone used the CCOT 4row rad? I am thinking of flushing my rad out, but if it were to have a problem i am looking at what would be a good replacement. Better cooling than stock or not? Also, how difficult to replace the thermostat? Along pimp's suggestion i'd like to get a fresh one just for peace of mind. thanks guys!

 

[jwest]

Could be the 60 series phantom temp. gauge spike.

Is it random or chronic?
See if it happens again at the same place and time.

Still, it's a good idea to go through the system if it's due.

.

 

[satdish]

check the belts check the belts check the belts. made big simple difference in my rig.

 

[CMD82]

Thanks guys for the responses. When I got to work I added some water to the resivour tank since it was below the low level. One the way home everything was fine. I hope that the coolant was just on the low side. I will be keeping an eye on it for a while. Thanks for the help. I ran a bunch of errands in it and the guage in the normal range the entire way. I hope that fixed it.

 

[Ron_85BJ60]

I had symptoms very similiar to yours, I replaced the t-stat and all is good. I strongly recommend replacing the t-stat, it's a cheap easy fix that could save you a lot of trouble ($$$) in the future.

 

[rightlane]

i had the same problem in 112 degree az heat, the solution was to have the rad serviced. i pulled it, took it to a rad shop, dropped $60, and now i barely run middle of guage. was told it was full of gunk

 

[cruiserhunter]

Eleanor, my 86 fj60, had the same problem. I changed the water pump, fan clutch, flushed the hell out of the radiator and changed all the belts and she still was over heating, but only on the highway. I was told on this message board that if it overheats on the highway it is probably a flow problem. SO, I had my radiator recorred and al my overheating problems went away. It would probably been better to replace my rad, but I am a poorass medical student so recorring was all I could afford. Good luck with your cruiser

Patrick