Is My Alfetta Overheating?

[Leslie Wong <lesliewong@domain.elided>]

I am wondering if my 1979 Alfetta Sprint Veloce is overheating
and if the cause is a faulty bypass hose restrictor. I read Mr.
Hirsch's Bypass Coolant Restrictor article
(http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/downs/3837/bypassco.html) but
I'm still not sure if a faulty restrictor can make the car
overheat as I describe below.

I just installed a new thermostat. I tested the new and the old
thermostat on the stove and they both opened at the same time at
about 180 degrees F. They have the proper disk to close off the
bypass restrictor. I have one bottle of Redline Water Wetter in
50/50 mixture of coolant. The engine, from cold, comes up to
temperature after a few minutes.

The electric fan for the radiator switches on just past 175
degrees F. The fan for the a/c in front of the condenser seems to
be working OK.

Most of the time, the temperature gauge remains dead center 175
degrees F. (e.g., when at a steady speed). Under high stress in
higher ambient temperatures (>80 degrees F.), the gauge creeps up
to the third mark between 175 and 250. Yesterday, I drove up a
six mile long hill (about 1100 ft altitude gain) with the air
conditioner on, mainly in third gear at 4000-5000 rpm and the
temperature gauge went past the third mark. I stopped at the
summit and used my SuperSoaker to spray water on the radiator
from the front and the rear to see if it would cool down. It
didn't have any significant effect. Once I started going back
down the hill, after less than two minutes, the temperature went
back to 175 degrees F. The car behaves this way if the A/C is on
or off.

Once, on a trip, where ambient the air temperature was 90 degrees
F, on the Interstate freeway traffic jam, the overheat light came
on. I pulled into a gas station and cooled down for a few minutes
and once moving again it was OK.

I read most of the Digest archives referring to overheating,
coolant, radiator, etc., and most seem to describe Alfa cooling
systems as more than adequate. Does my situation seem to be a
problem?

Thanks,

Leslie Wong
'79 Sprint Veloce
Pacific Grove, CA
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