Radiator

Wickedyota97 · Aug 23, 2015

I'm working on a buggy with a rear mounted radiator. Will swapping the hoses (i.e. the top radiator hose to the water pump and the lower hose to the thermostat) make it overheat? The room in the buggy is tight, like most, but would need to change several things to hook it up like normal. I figured I'd throw this out to see if anyone has done this with success. Thanks

Rokcrler · Aug 23, 2015

Re:

Mine overheated until I hooked it up correctly

skipnrocks · Aug 23, 2015

If you buy a ford radiator it has the proper hose setup for gm motor. I wish I would have known when I built mine

crawlin85cj · Aug 23, 2015

Re: Radiator

That's a bad idea. The line to the water pump is the suction line. If you connect it to the top of the radiator it will not be able to get water to the pump.

2010 Jim's Garage 4429
2012 Jim's Garage YJ
2013 Wide Open Design WFO

Wickedyota97 · Aug 23, 2015

Thanks guys

bad80cj · Aug 23, 2015

Cavitation

timothy2323 · Aug 23, 2015

I'm in the same spot, I have a lt1 and when I got the buggy it ran cool with no problems. My water pump started leaking out the wep hole so I changed it. I put a new one on and it runs hot. I thought it might have had a high flow water pump so I took the other one off and put it on. It still runs hot even with the high flow. The temp jumps up fast like it has air but I backed it up on my trailer to get the radiator higher and bled the system and still running hot. So I read this thread and swapped my hoses so the thermostat is at the bottom of the radiator and it still runs hot. It's like the water isn't flowing. The coolant is ran down the sides up my buggy and their not getting hot like when I first got the rig. Any ideas what going going on?

crawlin85cj · Aug 23, 2015

Re: Radiator

timothy2323 said:
I'm in the same spot, I have a lt1 and when I got the buggy it ran cool with no problems. My water pump started leaking out the wep hole so I changed it. I put a new one on and it runs hot. I thought it might have had a high flow water pump so I took the other one off and put it on. It still runs hot even with the high flow. The temp jumps up fast like it has air but I backed it up on my trailer to get the radiator higher and bled the system and still running hot. So I read this thread and swapped my hoses so the thermostat is at the bottom of the radiator and it still runs hot. It's like the water isn't flowing. The coolant is ran down the sides up my buggy and their not getting hot like when I first got the rig. Any ideas what going going on?

Check the water pump rotation

2010 Jim's Garage 4429
2012 Jim's Garage YJ
2013 Wide Open Design WFO

bjeep · Aug 23, 2015

Re: Radiator

crawlin85cj said:
Check the water pump rotation

2010 Jim's Garage 4429
2012 Jim's Garage YJ
2013 Wide Open Design WFO

X2

timothy2323 · Aug 23, 2015

So I need find out what exactly the motor came out of. The first water pump I got was for a corvette, the second high flow pump I got was for a camaro. I take it that certain lt1s ran clockwise and some counter clockwise?

bjeep · Aug 23, 2015

timothy2323 said:
So I need find out what exactly the motor came out of. The first water pump I got was for a corvette, the second high flow pump I got was for a camaro. I take it that certain lt1s ran clockwise and some counter clockwise?

timothy2323 · Aug 23, 2015

The pump is cam driven or off the timing chain gears or something like that, it doesn't run off belts. It has a electrical connection on the bottom of pump so I thought I might have blown fuse but I haven't found one yet. I appreciate all the help on this, it has about drove me crazy trying to figure this out.

SB406 · Aug 26, 2015

Sounds like you have an air pocket. The water pump will not force the air to the radiator like you'd think. The easiest way to resolve it is to add a bleeder at the motor (preferrably at a high point).
Some guys also run an electric curculation pump back at the radiator to help the engine water pump move the coolant.

timothy2323 · Aug 26, 2015

Figured it out today, the coupling came off that connected the two shafts together. I thought when I took it off that the two shafts just splined together like a gear drive timing chain, but that was it the whole time. Insert the coupling on the shaft coming out of the engine then the shaft coming off the water pump slides rite in the other end of the coupling. The coupling must have fell off when I was fishing the pump out and didn't see it. It's in a Toyota truck body so it's a tight squeeze getting the pump in and out.