Re: IML: Overheating Imperials?

[PAUL WENTINK <randalpark@xxxxxxx>]

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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