Off Roading Forums banner

77 Scout ii heating up

11K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  johncrumptwo 
#1 ·
Hi all. Hopefully i can get some good advice here, getting tired of listening to the bar room mechanics. I just got myself a 77 Scout, with a 345 in it and rebuilt carb. Its running, driving on the road but one problem i seem to be having is that it overheats fast after about 20 min. I changed the thermostat, the pump and clutch fan are working, i have no leaks, but it still seems to start boiling into my resevoir tank and that cant be good. Ive seen some people say to get a new radiator cap but i dont know what lbs to get.

Also another maybe issue. My scout is an automatic, im just curious, how many gears is it supposed to shift when it is in drive. I here it shift 2 times but after that it seems to run at a high rpm, but its hard to tell when im driving because of all the squeeks and bangs due to it being an old truck. (Need to redue suspension i think)

Thanks guys, any help would be greatly appreciated, im not the best mechanic around so sorry for using laymens terms (im the guy that says "the thing goes into that thing and connect with that thing"):censored:í
 
#2 ·
Heating

Hmmm......Some quick things to look at....your cap should be a 15lb cap......your automatic is a three speed........pull it all the way back is first....bump it once....second.....drive is third...you have said you replaced the thermostat......and not to sound like a jerk....but did you put it in upside down?.......if no....and you say the water pump is good........my only other 2 things to look at is a plugged up radiator....or check your timing and firing order. Your timing comes off the number 8 cylinder.....not number 1 like everyone else........if the radiator is fine and clean...and timing is correct......I would go back to the water pump.
 
#3 ·
haha, already got asked that and did a double check on the thermostat, it was in the right way. thanks for the answer on the tranny, that's what I thought, it just seemed like it should be shiftin again, it does the 2 gears just when it hits third and im about 50-60mph it sounds like its running high, like it should shift again. i'm gonna take my radiator in next week and get it flushed out, I don't think I need a new one since there are no cracks or anything, but ill get it checked. Ive been told I can throw in a couple bottles of Wetter Water with my coolant and that should help to keep the boiling to a minimum. And you are right about my radiator cap, I only have a 7 lb cap. gonna get the proper one tonite and see if that works...

I appreciate the advice. Workin on my brakes tonite.
 
#4 ·
R u still having problems?

Another thing you might want to do; is pull the intake off and check the passages to ensure the coolant is flowing uninhibited. While it is off; clean any buildup present and inspect the intake for pinholes - preventative maintenance. Using RTV (red stuff suggested) put it all back together; if nothing else you now can ensure that the intake will be clean.
 
#5 ·
Another thing to look at is air pockets. The thermostat housing is higher than the radiador so pockets of air can get trapped and cause over heat, make sure the cap is replaced. Also the fan clutch, many aftermarket ones the shank is to long making the fan to far in the shroud, so its not pulling the air through the radidor. The fan should stick out of the shroud about a 1/4".
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top