Well, it’s official: I’m overheating. I got the Scout out on the first dry Saturday in three weeks, made it down the hill to Ellicott City to gas up, and across the river into town before the temp gauge spiked beyond where I was comfortable. I pulled over into the International dealership at the top of the hill and popped the hood to take a look. The radiator cap was cool to the touch and the overflow tank was at its normal level; there was no sign of steam although I could faintly smell cooking antifreeze. I slowly unscrewed the radiator cap and got a burst of steam as well as gurgling from down below. After a half an hour cooldown, I made it back through town and about halfway home before I had to pull off again. It took two more rests to get it back in the garage.
So, the plan has changed a little: I’m going to mock up the fan shroud supports, probably out of some aluminum sheet I saw at the Lowe’s, buy a new water pump online, and then scoot down the street to our local garage to have the cooling system sorted out. At this point I just don’t have the time to fool with it myself, and I don’t want it sitting for months without running like my last Scout.
Then, after that’s fixed, I’ll bring it down to my other mechanic, who has experience with carburetors, and have him go through the Thermoquad and the ignition for me.
Meanwhile, there’s a fantastic thread on the Binder Planet about tuneups, including overhaul of distributors and cleaning carbs. I’m subscribed and watching it closely.
Evil Mr. Clean says:
Hey Bill,
I’m happy to help install that water pump. Between my stash and Alan’s, we should have a serviceable shroud around. If not, I am thinking about making a trip up to Ed Lucke’s junk yard in the next week or two if you are free any weekdays. Their stuff is usually pretty reasonable.
bill says:
I’ve actually got a pair of fan shrouds waiting for me to get off my butt–it’s just a matter of getting the parts and getting to it. I’ll take you up on that offer, though!