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caddy overheat?

D

DAVE

Well-known member
:?: i have recently purchased a apache with a 500 caddy nothing unusual there but the thing has a belt driven fan and the radiator is up top in front of the motor just like it was in a 1969 fleetwood whats the deal with that!!!!
 
Well I don't believe I would drive it that way but have seen a few of those setups. I would seriously consider moving it (radiator) down by the prop and get than spinnin fan the heck away from my head.
 
have not seen one in front of the engine yet can you move it below the engine or on top of the motor and get the wind flowing threw it that will help alot.
 
Place your radiator in front of your prop on the engine stand. I prefer to place it at least a foot in front of the prop. The closer you get to the prop the more grass will plug it up. Remember you will run cooler with a 78inch fan (your prop) than the stock 16inch fan.
 
The Caddy setup I have. I have no fan. The radiator is mounted just inside the back legs of the engine stand, down low. The bottom of the radiator is about half way down from the top of the transom. I'm not running a lot of grass but if mine falls it will have a hard time getting to the prop. I Have a 160 deg. thermostat and it stays there. On cold days it takes a little bit to get there.
 
thanks for all the input i never intended on running it this way my other boat is set up with radiator on the engine stand. i was just curious as to why this setup would have been used guess it dont matter we are already tearing it apart thanks again for all the input
 
Dave

We have a setup on a factory build 1980 airgator that has the rad on top behind the seat. When we refurbished the boat we moved the rad under the engine, and for some reason the water pump would did not have enough push to circulate. We had to move it back on top. Does anyone know if the newer water pumps have a larger flow rate? Never did figure out why it just would not circulate. So Dave I'm just telling you to be careful the first time you run your engine after you make the alteration.
Swampdonkey
 
hey thanks for that bit of info i will definatly watch my temp. i hope i dont have that problem i really dont like that fan that close i will keep you posted on how that works
 
Hey Swampdonkey,
That lack of circulation problem you mentioned could happen fairly easy.

If the coolant level in the system drops below the impeller in the pump, it's all over. No more pumping. Even if youv'e got a full radiator. If you develop a small leak while running, then it may not take long for the level to drop down far enough to stop the pump. No liquid moving, no cooling, even though the radiator may still be slam full.

I would imagine that if the system you had on your preveous boat had air trapped in it, the result might be the same.

We don't have a liquid cooled boat in the fleet, but if we did, I would mount the radiator as high as possible.

Just my opinion. Stay cool.
 
As Cowboy said, the colant has to be above the impeller. I run a Cadillac, it has a filler neck about a foot tall, bolted on in place of the themostat housing. It is the highest point in the system. I have the radiator mounted below the engine on the rear legs of the engine stand. The engine runs cool with this setup.
 
Thanks for your info (cowboy) and (BigBoom). We did have our reservoir up high on our cage. And our mechanic had his gizzmo to suck all the air out of the system and then sucks the antifreeze into the system. It just didn't seem to be able to push the water. This is the only airboat in these parts and we had no one to consult with and with hunting season fast approaching we ended up putting the rad back where it was up in front of the motor, which is behind the drivers seat. That setup isn't bad but it just makes it more difficult to work on the engine because you have to reach over top of the rad. We are going to upgrade from a 350 to 455 ci and we,re going to leave the rad on top.
Swampdonkey
 
We've had caddy's with the radiator mounted down low around here for almost 20 years. Never had a problem with cooling. My dad's ran about 140 with no thermostat on cruise and would get up to around 195-200 after 20+ minutes of running dry. Have you checked the water pump impellor to see if the blades have rusted off?

Larry
 
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