Cooling System (urgent!)

please give more specifics. is it properly filled and has it been run a bit to purge air? are you using the stock gauge as your reference? what did you do to bleed it?

off the cuff, i would say that either something is horribly wrong (does it do this after you sit in traffic for 3 days, or within 3 minutes?) or your gauge is wrong.

i would run it with the cap off and use the turkey thermometer (dont tell the g/f) to check coolant temps. this will help compare what it is in the rad with what the gauge says. the stock gauges suck anyhow. aftermarket guage would help. is the upper rad hose hard or really hot (indicates t-stat is opening).

this is what comes to mind for now. any mods (fan,etc?). i think you would know if you were really at 270. thats on the verge, if not in the middle of a meltdown (speaking for water temps).

good luck.

I know you're in Tex, but has it been cold there? Recently my cooling system froze up. The temp gauge climbed, while there was no heat in the car, so it must have froze near the heater core. Or it could just be clogged, and you might need to flush it.

extozy said:

i had a horrible wreck in september.. i've been working on putting the car back together all day today. i haven't driven the car since the wreck.. it never got hot in the summer when i had the stock radiator, and i am in Texas...

only mod would be the new aluminum radiator. i'm using the stock clutch driven fan for now.. i have a 95 electric fan sitting here but i don't want it in there right now.

i don't know how to properly fill a cooling system i guess.. i put coolant in, then i put in water and turned it on with no cap to see if it would circulate. i had a few people helping me with this, i'm not real good with cars yet, so some things i don't really know.. i do remember the top hose getting hot and stiff. i could feel bubbles in it also. i am also using the stock temperature gauge also. as far as bleeding.. after the wreck i just let all the fluid out of the radiator through the drain plug, and then took off the hoses.. thats all.

i'll try using a turkey thermometer tomorrow.. i ran out of day light and it began to rain. so i quit, i was pissed too! i wanted to drive my car.

thanks HISSIN50, i'll take more of you advice anytime!

but others should post PLEASE!

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Hey man, i know how it is (Tucson for me).
im sorry to hear about the wreck. i am glad you are (hopefully) alright.

sounds like you are jumping in head first if you are cutting your teeth on wrenching. like to see that.

a couple of things came to mind. BTW, what part of the car was wrecked?

when you do coolant, premix (in a big pitcher is how i do it. just dont reuse the pitcher for human consumption . put 40-50 % coolant and 60-50% DISTILLED water in (please dont use the house water). more water (to a point) allows more cooling (water is what cools). we dont need the freezing protection too much. anyhow, do the 50/50 mix and stir it up. then pour it in. coolant and water dont get a great chance to mix once poured in the rad and block seperately.
i like to park the car (or jack it) so that the drivers side front is higher than the rest of the car. this allows the rad filler neck to be the high point, which helps air purge. fill it up and let it burp. then once its full (dont forget the reservoir), start it up (no cap idea was smart. thats right). let it run for about 20 mins. you can put a piece of cardboard in front of the rad to help it heat up and stay hot once the t-stat opens. just dont forget to monitor temps and remove it later. make sure to turn the heater on. that is where a lot of air gets trapped. let it run like this. when the stat starts to open, you will see coolant travelling from the pass side of the rad towards the drivers side. the upper hose should start to get hot. remove the cardboard if you havent already.
i did this when i did my t-stat this summer (110* outside. you know). i never got over 200* doing this. once the thing seems to run ok, shut it off, lower the jack, and recheck fluid levels (check levels while its runnin too).

some cars dont need to be jacked up, but some do. two things that glare at me are the t-stat and temp gauge.
how old is your stat? given the trauma the whole car has endured, i would swap it out. you can very safely run a 180* stat (stock is 192 or 195, cant remember). i love Mr. Gasket thermostats. speed shops carry them for under 10 bucks. they are balanced, open fully sooner (than parts store cheapies), and flow more. in our climates, i think you need one (i ran a parts store 180 and within one week went to the Mr G. car runs ~10* cooler cuz it opens all the way so fast).

another thing is the gauge you are using. my stocker happens to read too cold (normally ~35* too cold). some people's read too hot. i would highly recommend getting an aftermarket gauge, even if its a $10 gauge from the parts store. anything is way better than stock. and try the thermometer in the radiator fill neck when you are bleeding it. the coolant will be somewhat cooled by the time it hits the neck; mine read about 170 at the turkey thermometer, when the gauge (i have aftermarket gauge) showed ~180-185* (measured in the lower intake).

and while you are doing this, get a new rad cap for the heckuva it. when they go bad, they create problems. parts store one works fine. thats not your problem now.

this is my take on it. i really think either your gauge is bad (most likely) or your stat is bad and opening late (doubt it, based on what you said). definately worth replacing anyways. you will lose some coolant, but it is easy. takes about 10 mins to do (if its your first time and you are like me on the first time, it will take an hour). LOL.

i run a full complement of aftermarket gauges for motor function. the stock gauges do really suck. i highly recommend doing at least oil pressure and coolant temp. you can get parts store ones and a pillar pod off the internet for under 50 bucks. if it matters, i like mechanical water temp and for you, electric oil pressure (for when you do that one).

i will try to find a thread i had a long time ago where Mike (Mustang 5L5) posted some awesome pics and i wrote up one way to wire up a temp gauge and keep the stocker, in case you want to do all this and want to keep the original gauge functional.

good luck, bud.

for more info on the sender for the temp guage, look at this if you want. check out the intake pics from Mike, and read my last post.

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=354371

yea, mine hit 270 also, because there was air in my heater core, I bled my system without turningon the heater and it was fine until i turned it on and then wham temp shot straight to 270 i shut it off real quick cause i realized what i had done. try bleeding your system with heater on and with the cap off check temp too.

there are a lot of possible variables involved given the events of the car.
i would really get another gauge (like i said, 10 bucks or so at autozone). same for the t-stat. for around 20 bucks, you can rule out some variables.
the HVAC switch is another matter. as i recall, its all done with cables. may need to remove the facade and check things and give them some lube. or do it by hand.
i got your pm and shot you one back. lemme know whatcha think and if i can help.
good luck, bud. it will get all sorted out.

HISSIN50 said:

...(if its your first time and you are like me on the first time, it will take an hour)....

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hah hes right, the driver side bolt is one of the stupidest placed bolts of all time. look forward to 100 little baby turns flipping the wrench upside down each time.

MY86GTVERT said:

hah hes right, the driver side bolt is one of the stupidest placed bolts of all time. look forward to 100 little baby turns flipping the wrench upside down each time.

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yep. thats right on. having ratcheting box wrenches helps a little.
going back in, its nice to either slot the bolt head (for a flat head screwdriver) or use a button-headed allen/hex bolt. makes it easier next time.