Cooling problems ,need advise....

[lmk]

My car got a new motor recently, close to stock, and it now runs hot when
idling. I had the radiator rodded out and the fan has a new clutch with shroud. I havn't changed the thermostat yet, but I was wondering if by chance I may have installed the head gaskets backwards. What would the symptoms be if they were installed backwards? Would the car overheat very quickly or would it be a slow gradual thing. Usually If I start the car and let
it idle for about 20 minutes it will creep to the midpoint on the gauge and then start to go higher but its not rapid. If i'm driving around the temp will stay around the mid point but as soon as I come to a light it creeps up. The
tstat now is a 180.....thx

 

[ALMOSTFINISHED]

Sounds to me like the water pump is not moving enough coolant at idle, as long as you are moving its ok? That to me would rule out the head gaskets. Your water pump may be on its way out. Do you have underdrive pulleys? I no alot of people complain about the temp at idle with underdrive pulleys. Hope this helps

Nick

 

[HISSIN50]

agreed - so it seems to mostly just be a pure idle issue. how hot is it where you are at?
was the new clutch a HD unit?

i would swap in a new stat - i really like the Mr Gasket 180* units - night and day difference in construction compare to a parts store generic.

but your problems just seems to be idle flow. if it is real hot where you are, that might not be too unusual.

i will add that an aftermarket gauge is a must, esp if you think you are having issues. i would do that first - you might be running a lot hotter than you think.

good luck.

 

[Killer50stang]

Check this post out! http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=488574

 

[PNY PWR]

With the new motor, new water pump? new t-stat? good belt? engine bored over? 50/50 coolant mix? as mentioned above..u/d pullies? sounds like a typical u/d pulley temp. problem. Could be lots of things.

 

[lmk]

Thanks for the responses,, my water pump is only a year old and it is not
underdriven. I would really like to rule out backward headgaskets if possible.
Would the symptoms be a rapid overheating if they were placed incorrectly?
has anyone done or know someone who has done this. thx.....

 

[hllon4whls]

Just an FYI. The water pump is a pulley,shaft and impeller. It will either work and leak or not work. The rare exception being if there were a mechanical bind.
If the impeller did not fall of, it will pump water at a rate determined by the speed of the pulley attached to it.
If it did fall off, then there would be no water pumped at all.

 

[hllon4whls]

On the heads...
I'd think that if you installed the gaskets incorreclty, then you would not get enough cooling at any speed.

I know it is driving you crazy, but try the few cheap things first before you spend $100 on gaskets and hours taking the whole thing apart.

 

[Killer50stang]

Thanks for the responses,, my water pump is only a year old and it is not
underdriven. I would really like to rule out backward headgaskets if possible.
Would the symptoms be a rapid overheating if they were placed incorrectly?
has anyone done or know someone who has done this. thx.....

What kind of Head Gaskets are you running? Felpro? Felpro is the best way to go, around $30 a peice but they hold up real good, especially if you're running any type of boost. Also, I think the gaskets can only go on one way. All the holes should line up, so there isn't really a way they can go on backwards. If for some reason you did, they car would not slowly get hot, it would be hot all the time.

 

[cathartic]

felpro gaskets are good but not the best. Cometic Gaskets are the best head gaskets PERIOD.