@Pete Gonzalez answers your questions in Ask Pete Anything!
Q: Overheated Merc: I have a 62 mercury meteor that keeps over heating, we have changed the thermostat multiple time with no change, what do you suggest I do next? - @Magsy87
Pete: Thank you for your question! While I am not overly familiar with 62 mercury meteors, I have dealt with a few overheating issues on carbureted vehicles.
When does it tend to over heat? Idle, in town, or highway? Sometimes when it’s doing it can help narrow down what part(s) might be causing it.
If it is mainly occurring during idle, I would suggest having your carburetor adjusted and timing looked at and possibly replacing the fuel filter. Improper fuel/air ratio or the timing being off has been known to cause overheating issues.
However if it’s occurring after driving on the highway for or after longer periods of time, it could be a circulation issue, a bad radiator, clogged or degraded hoses. Sometimes the hoses will appear ok from the outside, but are degrading inside and will continue to clog the radiator as they break down.
I wish I had more insight to offer, but I hope this helps. Please keep us posted, would love to know what the root of the problem was!
@JJFerrero: There are not many pieces to a cooling system. If money was no object, and you just wanted new parts for everything in your cooling system, you would have a cap, radiator. Hoses, clamps, water pump, thermostat, gasket, and coolant.
You said that you replaced the thermostat, but remember that just because a part is new does not mean that it's good. I will try to explain methods of checking the function of various pieces of the coolant system . Some people here may have other ways of checking these parts, and I hope that they add to this post.
Let's say you have a 195 degree thermostat, put it in a pot of boiling water and see if it opens. If it does open, then the thermostat. Is good. I have seen some bad out of the box.
I would then try flushing my coolant system. Corrosion, debris, and dirt can cause your system to overheat. If water doesn't flow, or your radiator or engine block are plugged, then your car will overheat.
If water can flow freely and clean, then maybe it cannot circulate well. This could be due to a bad water pump.
To test your water pump, be sure your coolant system is cold, remove the radiator cap and then start your car. When your car comes up to temperature and your thermostat opens, you should see a fast moving current flowing through your radiator. If this is not a fast current, your water pump is most likely bad.
Don't forget about your radiator cap. It has a pressure rating. It can be tested with a pressure tester offered for purchase at places like harbor freight. Your coolant system is pressurized, which raises the boiling point of the coolant system. If the cap is bad, your system will overheat.
Also, don't forget to check your coolant... you can use a hydrometer to check its coolant properties and a multi meter for its conductivity. If it is too conductive, corrosion will occur blocking coolant flow throughout your system
If you have other questions or need more details just drop me a line.
I hope this helps.
@vince casty: Old hoses had a coil of metal, if it sat a long time check the lower hose big ball of rust!
Q: Rubber shine tech: Pete, I want to ask you about tire and trim restorers. I remember back in the day it was said that those type of products actually broke down the rubbers and plastics to bring oils back to the surface. I knew some who would use brake fluid to their tires to make them shine. Remember this was back in my teen years. Lol. Was this true?, And if so, how do today's products differ? - @Luggnutt
Pete: To be honest, I am not sure if there was any truth to past tire shine products degrading rubbers and plastics.
However, as a kid in definitely saw people, including my dad, use brake fluid to restore their tires and trim. It does seem to restore the shine well, but does not last long. And I’m not sure how it reacts to the rubbers and plastics made today.
Most of today’s tire and trim products don’t just restore, but also offer continuous protection via ceramic or silicone.
@lindenbob: Had some down time this after noon and was scanning the pages of Rusto Garage. Reading this made me think back to 1969 and there really wasn't much other than carnauba wax as far as car care products. Rally is the only product that comes to mind. Us teens in them days had to have a good looking ride for the Friday Saturday night circuit runs in town you know. Tires had to be black and shiny and the cheapest liquid floor wax was the chemical of choice. Vinyl interiors had to also be dust free and shiny and lemon Pledge did that trick. The down side was, floor wax would get hard and flake off after a few days and Pledge would get greasy in the hot sun. We didn't care, our rides looked good and we would just wash and repeat. Good times had by all.
Q: Vintage plastic parts repair/rebuild: Ok so we all know as vehicles age the plastic parts become brittle and break easily. Is it because plastic was still in it's infancy and not very good or just from the suns UF rays breaking it down? It doesn't really matter. We just know that when working on old car interiors it is like walking on egg shells. Parts crack and parts actually become missing. Many parts can not be purchased new or eve from the salvage yards. Some time back, I think maybe late night TV, I watched a guy rebuild plastic parts and repair plastic parts where they look new. At least on TV they looked new. So getting to my question, what is the best kit for plastic repair and rebuild? Or maybe I should ask is there such a kit? Thanks for you expertise as always. - @lindenbob
Pete: Great question! It’s getting harder to find these old parts, let alone still in good shape.
To the best of my knowledge, the suns UV rays lead to the degrading of plastics through a process called photo-oxidation, the polymer chains begin to break down, resulting in faded, cracked, brittle or chalky plastics. My assumption would be, is that over the years better UV resistant plastics are being used or additives have been introduced to reduce or slow the effects of UV rays.
When it comes to repairing plastic parts, it’s really going to depend on the condition and function of the piece. Plastic welding can be useful if the piece is cracked or broken but in other wise good condition.
There are also UV light curing glues, activator & powder kits, expoxy glues, and fiberglass patch kits that all work well to bond the plastic back together. I don’t think there’s one universal kit I could recommend, It just depends on the type of repair.
For pieces that are too far degraded and crumbling, using a 3D printer to recreate the piece is an option when a replacement can not be found.
We can help alleviate this issue for future generations by using protective and restorative products such as Wipe New Trim Restore on our plastics 😉😉
Thanks to @Magsy87, @JJFerrero, @vince casty, and @lindenbob for your questions and insights! Watch for Part 3 of this series, and drop your questions into Ask Pete Anything.
