This sounds to me like a failed thermostatic fan clutch. To investigate
this, when the engine is as hot as it gets, open the hood and rev the engine
in neutral to see if the fan is really making a lot of noise. If it is just
idling along, your fan clutch has failed.
If you haven't heard the fan making a big noise lately, it has probably
died. When they die, they just allow the fan to turn slowly all the time
and not make the whooshing sound. The car will still stay pretty cool as
long as it is moving along at moderate speeds, but under severe conditions,
it will run warmer than usual. I had the fan clutch die on me when I was
touring Death Valley in 3 digit temps with my whole family aboard (in my
68) - I temporarily bent up some coathangers from the motel closet to force
the blades to turn with the pulley all the time. Noisy as hell, but it sure
cooled the engine down!
Dick Benjamin
----- Original Message -----
From: <Jkelly808@xxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, June 14, 2004 11:55 PM
Subject: IML: '68 running warm
> My 120,000-mile '68 LeBaron has recently been running warmer than usual.
Not
> overheating, but the needle on the temp gauge, which until recently always
> rested comfortably between the "C" and the first notch of the gauge,
unless I was
> climbing the Tejon Pass at 70, is now moving to the middle of the gauge
when
> I'm sitting in traffic only briefly or if I climb a hill. It isn't
overheating
> to the point of steam billowing out and the needle all the way to the "H",
> but it's definitely running warm. And when that happens I'm getting
coolant
> running out of the overflow tube.
> All coolant components are new within the past year -- water pump, hoses,
> thermostat, radiator.
> So, I'm just looking at a cheap easy fix like a thermostat, right? Right?
> Jim Kelly
> Honolulu
>
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