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96 Cobra Overheating?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cobra_mobile
  • Start date Start date Apr 8, 2006
C

cobra_mobile

New Member
Nov 27, 2005
75
0
0
Russellville Arkansas
Apr 8, 2006
#1
  • Apr 8, 2006
  • #1
Alright guys im in major need of help,
My car overheats at low speeds or high rpm... driving down the highway it runs great temperature wise. It just way up there in town. This problem really makes the car not fun to drive and kind of takes away from the perforance of the car.. the thermo has been changed, radiator flushed i dont know what else it could be.. waterpump shouldnt be the problem
If you could help me i would greatly appreciate it or if u have a cobra and have had the same problem maybe you could fill me in on what fixed it.
 

cobranator

Founding Member
Sep 16, 2001
90
0
7
Kelowna, B.C. Canada
Apr 8, 2006
#2
  • Apr 8, 2006
  • #2
If your car is fine at highway speeds and overheats in traffic I'd suspect the fan is not comming on. Check to see if the fan motor is not burned out or a blown fuse, if those check out ok than I'd say the CCRM has gone south on you.
 

96SVTpilot

Member
Mar 10, 2006
82
0
6
Spanaway, WA
Apr 8, 2006
#3
  • Apr 8, 2006
  • #3
cobra_mobile said:
Alright guys im in major need of help,
My car overheats at low speeds or high rpm... driving down the highway it runs great temperature wise. It just way up there in town. This problem really makes the car not fun to drive and kind of takes away from the perforance of the car.. the thermo has been changed, radiator flushed i dont know what else it could be.. waterpump shouldnt be the problem
If you could help me i would greatly appreciate it or if u have a cobra and have had the same problem maybe you could fill me in on what fixed it.
Click to expand...


My 96 gets hot also. It will steadily heat up when sitting at idle, more so when the A/C is on. The design of the cooling system is poor, not allowing good airflow to the radiator. That, combined with the fan kicking in too late makes for a nice barbeque. This problem was brought to Fords attention almost as soon as the 96's hit the street, mostly from southern states. They offered a recall but it is not available anymore unless you want to pay out your *ss. If you do a search you can find a manual fan switch mod which is supposed to help our cars. I am planning on trying this later in the summer. Good luck with yours, post back if you fix it.
 

Silver66FsBk

New Member
Nov 5, 2005
51
0
0
Apr 9, 2006
#4
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #4
Ford had a recall on 96 Cobra's, it had to do with the cooling I think
they replaced the radiators,also in the back of the blocks there are
some heater hoses that were also under recall.
 

5.0's 4 ever

The #1 Stunna
Founding Member
Jan 22, 2000
5,794
0
76
Orlando, FL
Apr 9, 2006
#5
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #5
Its a TSB not a recall, TSB 96-25-12 severe duty cooling system kit. It includes a larger radiator, larger cooling fan, a revised A/C condenser. It has never been done on my cobra and it does not run hot even in florida. I did however use my SCT Xcal2 to change the fan settings to come on 20 degrees earlier than stock programming, the car runs a lot cooler this way.

I would personally look to see if your cooling fan is working properly.
 
M

motorjock205

New Member
Apr 9, 2006
8
0
0
Odessa, Texas
Apr 9, 2006
#6
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #6
Cooling Problem

I had the same problem on my 96 GT a while back...The CCRM (Constant Control Relay Module) was part of the culprit along with a bad cooling fan. I'd be willing to bet either or both could be your problem.
 

cold96snake

20+ Year Stangneter
Jan 26, 2004
817
1
39
Truly, out to sea
Apr 9, 2006
#7
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #7
cobra_mobile said:
Alright guys im in major need of help,
My car overheats at low speeds or high rpm... driving down the highway it runs great temperature wise. It just way up there in town. This problem really makes the car not fun to drive and kind of takes away from the perforance of the car.. the thermo has been changed, radiator flushed i dont know what else it could be.. waterpump shouldnt be the problem
If you could help me i would greatly appreciate it or if u have a cobra and have had the same problem maybe you could fill me in on what fixed it.
Click to expand...
You should be able to hear the fan at idle...

Maybe the coolant wasn't filled/properly burped at crossover.

I've never had a problem w/ mine, and I've driven it in alot of circumstances.
 
C

cobra_mobile

New Member
Nov 27, 2005
75
0
0
Russellville Arkansas
Apr 9, 2006
#8
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #8
Yeah i got the air out of the system cause i myself thought that thhat might be the problem... its still does it and i can turn on the heater and it will go down a little after i turn it off... I have heard of people putting lincoln mark 8 fans because the base cfm is like 4500... i thougt about doing that on a switch... what does the CCRM do?
 

COBRA90GT

Mustang Master
Sep 22, 2001
6,654
0
87
HOCKEYTOWN ® , MI
Apr 9, 2006
#9
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #9
cobra_mobile said:
...what does the CCRM do?...
Click to expand...

The CCRM (or Constant Control Relay Module, as motorjock205 pointed out earlier) is a little black relay box that controls several items, one being the radiator fan.

Check with SVT (1-800-ford-svt) to see if your vehicle has had the cooling system TSB performed.

If you are positive that all the air in the cooling system has been properly burped, turn the HVAC controls to turn on the air conditioning blower motor and check to see if the low-speed fan turns on (it should). If it does not come on, this *may* indicate a problem with your CCRM.

Your cooling problem *may* stem from other issues as well (tired water pump or perhaps a plugged radiator).

Also doublecheck that your front air deflector is still in place (this black plastic trim piece creates a low pressure area around the radiator and directs incoming air towards the radiator which greatly assists in cooling). Many people who remove this piece wind up putting it back on because they were not aware of what purpose it serves...

G'luck!
 
C

cobra_mobile

New Member
Nov 27, 2005
75
0
0
Russellville Arkansas
Apr 9, 2006
#10
  • Apr 9, 2006
  • #10
where is the CCRM located at and ill check it out
 

tomustang

Psychotic Member
Founding Member
Jun 8, 2000
3,434
2
78
McLean Hospital
Apr 14, 2006
#11
  • Apr 14, 2006
  • #11
cold96snake said:
You should be able to hear the fan at idle...

Maybe the coolant wasn't filled/properly burped at crossover.

I've never had a problem w/ mine, and I've driven it in alot of circumstances.
Click to expand...
+1 for properly burping out the air in the system
 
S

SLVRBOY

Member
Apr 7, 2005
91
0
6
st. augustine , fl.
Apr 14, 2006
#12
  • Apr 14, 2006
  • #12
is your car runnung hot or overheating?? like the rest of these guys said the 4.6 cobras run a little bit hotter, mine included. if you can get your hands on a programmer to make your fan come on sooner its a good idea.(one ill do now)
if its overheating you might want to look at the temp sending unit. i changed the thermostat , water pump , and coolant. it was still overheating so i changed the t.s.u.
and it fixed it. its a sensor on the front of the motor, you will have to take the belt off to get to it i think. i had everything off already so im not real sure what needs to be out of the way.
 
0

01TrueBlueCobra

New Member
Feb 16, 2004
336
1
0
somewhere
Apr 18, 2006
#13
  • Apr 18, 2006
  • #13
I would get a fan off of a 97-04 GT and Cobra. It's much larger then the 96. Also think about a aftermarket radiator
 
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