Hey all,
I'm having an issue with my 1991. The car has been sitting for a month or two with a leaking power steering high pressure line; I have not had time to fix it but I've been starting the car up every week and letting it get up to temp.
Last weekend, I started it up, everything seemed fine, aside from the leaking power steering line which I kept a close eye on. Car was running for maybe 3 minutes when it started barfing coolant out of the purge tank, which had become completely full. I shut if off immediately. No apparent milkshake in the coolant, didn't have time to mess with anything else. I don't know if it's a stuck thermostat, or if air somehow got in the system (bad radiator cap? Radiator is relatively new). Car had been driving fine before I parked it due to the issue with the power steering leak. It has had a "coolant low" light on intermittently for a while, but I had frequently checked the coolant and the level was fine.
To help in the diagnosis, below is a list of modifications done by the previous owner (according to him)...........sorry in advance for the wall of text……...
1991 Mustang LX 5.0 5-sp. hatchback.
Modifications per previous owner - all done within 10k miles ago (I have omitted suspension and interior mods for obvious reasons):
“Rebuilt” original 302 w/approx. 105k miles on car, 5k miles since rebuild; ARP bolts/hardware used
Ford Racing B303 Cam
SVE cylinder heads
Ford Racing hardened pushrods
Ford Racing hydraulic lifters
Trick Flow RR 1.6
Ported Ford GT40 upper and lower intakes with 1/2 inch phenolic intake plenum spacer
AEM adjustable FPR with liquid-filled pressure gauge
DUI Billet aluminum HD distributor with MSD coil
Summit Ceramic shorty headers
Cat deletes
Smog system deleted
H-pipe with Flowmaster 40 series mufflers
New brake master cylinder with brake booster
New aluminum radiator with overflow tank
New motor mounts (OEM)
Polished aluminum UDP’s (BBK)
Upgraded 3G alternator with wiring
New water pump
New timing gear kit with timing cover
New hoses for heater core and radiator
New heater core and AC evap
BBK fender well cold air intake
BBK 65MM TB with new IAC valve and Ford Racing adjustable IAC plate
New TPS sensor with adjustable plate
New IAT sensor
New oil pump with oil pressure sensor
New fuel pump (OEM) with fuel filter and fuel level sending unit
“Salt and pepper shakers reworked”
OEM computer checked and capacitors replaced
Chrome valve covers (not stock style)
New OEM harmonic balancer
New engine seals, including front and rear main seals
New OEM clutch fan
Since I have had the car, I have done the following:
New Duralast distributor with new TFI
New Accel coil
New AC compressor
New pushrods, guide plates, inspected lifters, and adjusted rockers - apparently there was an issue with the lash/preload adjustment and the
guide plates were gouged out a bit and there was some valve train noise. The entire valve train was inspected professionally, pushrods replaced in an abundance of caution, and rockers adjusted properly.
Car was tuned by Thunder Autosports.
New valve covers (old ones were leaking oil)
Rebuilt rear end again
Computer wiring checked, another new TFI put on
New power steering rack
I don't know what's going on. Should I run the car with the radiator cap off to try to burp air from the system? Stuck thermostat maybe? Head gasket? Cracked head or block?
Seems like just another random problem on a car that I've put a lot of money into and was "built properly" and then had been gone through by various mechanics and professional shops.
I'm having an issue with my 1991. The car has been sitting for a month or two with a leaking power steering high pressure line; I have not had time to fix it but I've been starting the car up every week and letting it get up to temp.
Last weekend, I started it up, everything seemed fine, aside from the leaking power steering line which I kept a close eye on. Car was running for maybe 3 minutes when it started barfing coolant out of the purge tank, which had become completely full. I shut if off immediately. No apparent milkshake in the coolant, didn't have time to mess with anything else. I don't know if it's a stuck thermostat, or if air somehow got in the system (bad radiator cap? Radiator is relatively new). Car had been driving fine before I parked it due to the issue with the power steering leak. It has had a "coolant low" light on intermittently for a while, but I had frequently checked the coolant and the level was fine.
To help in the diagnosis, below is a list of modifications done by the previous owner (according to him)...........sorry in advance for the wall of text……...
1991 Mustang LX 5.0 5-sp. hatchback.
Modifications per previous owner - all done within 10k miles ago (I have omitted suspension and interior mods for obvious reasons):
“Rebuilt” original 302 w/approx. 105k miles on car, 5k miles since rebuild; ARP bolts/hardware used
Ford Racing B303 Cam
SVE cylinder heads
Ford Racing hardened pushrods
Ford Racing hydraulic lifters
Trick Flow RR 1.6
Ported Ford GT40 upper and lower intakes with 1/2 inch phenolic intake plenum spacer
AEM adjustable FPR with liquid-filled pressure gauge
DUI Billet aluminum HD distributor with MSD coil
Summit Ceramic shorty headers
Cat deletes
Smog system deleted
H-pipe with Flowmaster 40 series mufflers
New brake master cylinder with brake booster
New aluminum radiator with overflow tank
New motor mounts (OEM)
Polished aluminum UDP’s (BBK)
Upgraded 3G alternator with wiring
New water pump
New timing gear kit with timing cover
New hoses for heater core and radiator
New heater core and AC evap
BBK fender well cold air intake
BBK 65MM TB with new IAC valve and Ford Racing adjustable IAC plate
New TPS sensor with adjustable plate
New IAT sensor
New oil pump with oil pressure sensor
New fuel pump (OEM) with fuel filter and fuel level sending unit
“Salt and pepper shakers reworked”
OEM computer checked and capacitors replaced
Chrome valve covers (not stock style)
New OEM harmonic balancer
New engine seals, including front and rear main seals
New OEM clutch fan
Since I have had the car, I have done the following:
New Duralast distributor with new TFI
New Accel coil
New AC compressor
New pushrods, guide plates, inspected lifters, and adjusted rockers - apparently there was an issue with the lash/preload adjustment and the
guide plates were gouged out a bit and there was some valve train noise. The entire valve train was inspected professionally, pushrods replaced in an abundance of caution, and rockers adjusted properly.
Car was tuned by Thunder Autosports.
New valve covers (old ones were leaking oil)
Rebuilt rear end again
Computer wiring checked, another new TFI put on
New power steering rack
I don't know what's going on. Should I run the car with the radiator cap off to try to burp air from the system? Stuck thermostat maybe? Head gasket? Cracked head or block?
Seems like just another random problem on a car that I've put a lot of money into and was "built properly" and then had been gone through by various mechanics and professional shops.