I have an 87 pickup, 22r, weber 32/36. I just got an engine swap done with a new rebuilt 22r, and since than I've had problems with overheating. Before the swap I never had any problems with that, my gauge never went past 1/3-1/2 way. Yes, we added new coolant and flushed it when we did the swap. I figured it could be an air bubble so I tried to "burp" it out; emptied my coolant from my radiator, added distilled water, let it idle for about 10 minutes, turned the heater on, parked it uphill, and gave it some revs. My temperature rose which I had expected and I let it go for about 5 minutes. I parked it flat again and went to check to see if it had taken in the water and it hadn't???? All my hoses are fine, my radiator seems fine, thinking maybe a water pump? Just curious to hear if anyone has had a similar problem (not taking in water or coolant). Thanks

 

Thermostat not opening? Not installed right?

 

Is it possible the rebuilt engine has the head gasket on upside down?

 

If you suspect any sort of bubble in the system squeeze the upper radiator hose like crazy over and over. I thought I had filled my system up all the way but after working that upper rad hose for a few minutes I heard a gurgling sound and the level dropped from the top of the cap neck to below the core. You definitely don't want to be running it if there's a bubble.