It does sound like the fan clutch is shot, but that shouldn't have resulted in that much of an overheat as you have described in this post. When this happened to me, it was due to a stuck thermostat. The gauge must not be operating correctly because anytime that the car gets that hot it should read WAY past the middle of the range.
Another reason that the car could get that hot is if the water pump wasn't pumping water. It sounds like the system was full to begin with, which is the only reason that the 440 probably didn't get cooked. If you replace the thermostat, be sure to by one that is FAIL SAFE, meaning that when it fails, it is in the open (not closed) position.
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From:
Creesto4 Lynch <
creesto@gmail.com>
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, 10
Jul 2006 20:18:56 -0400
Subject:
IML: Fan concerns
Pt 2, my '66 Coupe
I recovered this clip from an earlier post:
> If your radiator fan freewheels after shutting the car off, and the
> engine and outside temp are hot, then the fan clutch is shot. Replace that,
> and it might solve the problem by itself.
My car died today at Sears, from overheating. When we stopped and I popped the hood, the radiator overflow was puking coolant and the entire 440 was steaming hot. The temp gauge, however, never went above the halfway mark. While poking at my fluid dipsticks, I noticed that MY fan freewheeled. The temp in Columbus today was in the high '80s. Does this mean my fan clutch is toast? I couldn't be more frustrated as I have spent 3 weeks tearing down and building up after replacing my rear main seal. HELP!
--
Chris Lynch
Feinex Design House
c: 614.214.6027
"About half my designs are control
led fantasy, 15 percent are total madness and the rest are bread-and-butter designs." --Manolo Blahnik
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