Re: IML: Overheating Imperials?
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Re: IML: Overheating Imperials?



Fan clutches with six bladed fans were used on all factory A/C equipped Imperials from 1960 on, and possibly before that. From the factory, their cooling systems were robust, and easily capable of anything one could do that might overheat other cars. FOMOCO's from the '50s tended to over heat and vapor lock when others would not.

In the '60s folks bought Imperials and Chrysler New Yorkers to pull full sized Airstream trailers, admittedly with add on cooling mechanisms for the transmission, and possibly to beef up the radiator. I can recall seeing many bright shiny mid-fifties to early sixties cars sitting at the top of the Grapevine in Southern California with their hoods raised, waiting to cool down, but not a single Chrysler Product was even among them.

Anyone with owning an Imperial from this period with an overheating problem definitely is experiencing a malfunction, probably clogged radiator, stuck thermostat, or worse. These cars were built to take it and not with inherently weak cooling systems.

Paul W.


-----Original Message-----
From: Klebert L. Hall <crocuta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 3:26 am
Subject: Re: IML: thermostats


Subject: RE: IML: Thermostats 
From: Ken Lang <imperialken@xxxxxxxxx> 
 
My suspicion for this scenario (below) is that the fan clutch is not 
 > working 
and/or the fan shroud is missing. I'm thinking that lots of air over 
the 
radiator at highway speeds will keep everything cool. Once you slow 
down 
and get into traffic the fan clutch should take over and engage the 
fan to 
keep plenty of air going through the radiator. If it's not working I 
think 
what Kle has described would be the end result. Eventually the slow 
 > moving 
fan will pull enough air through the radiator to finally overtake the 
temperature increase. I would suspect that running the AC while in 
traffic 
causes temperature increases as well. A sure sign of a failed fan 
clutch. 
 
  Yes, or of a car w/o a fan clutch - like every Imperial before, what, 1965? 
 
  The other issue is, and I know this is a sin to say here, bad design. Not bad design for the period, but bad design by modern standards. New cars never overheat unless they're broken - this was not the case in the '60s. My '69 has never has overheating problems, but then the A/C never worked, either. Irrespective of how well designed and tested our cars were, I guarantee I can overheat *any* stock pre-fan clutch Imperial if I work at it. None of them really have big enough radiators to prevent this. You can probably do it just by turning the car off and on enough times in rapid succession once the engine's at about 220. 
 
  I'm not suggesting this - I'm just saying that the designers set up the cooling system based upon certain assumptions of use, and certain cost goals - it is possible to exceed these assumptions, even for a car as superior as an Imperial. 
 
  The car I had the most need of a lower thermostat in was my '77 LTD Police Interceptor. This was a perfect case of bad design, because they took a stock vehicle, and suped-up parts of it, likely w/o doing through testing of the new package. 
 
  Ever notice how many police cars have their hoods open when they're parked for summer details with their flashers (and engines) on? Increased cooling. Auto engineers can make mistakes, and they can also decide to cut coats, based on projected use. Corners were cut, even on a flagship car like an Imperial - they could have easily cost a *lot* more. 
 
  -Kle 
  '69 Crown 4DHT (not laid up because of cooling issues) 
 
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