Help! Over heating!

[ajvares]

Today on my drive back from class (only a 5 min drive) I noticed my car was overheating. (I'm going by the stock gauge) It was as if there was no coolant getting to the engine, cuz everytime I got on it, the temp would go up. And when I parked the temp went back down, but not to the normal level. (usually my car stays at the same temp while driving but heats up when parked, I imagine it's the same for everyone with a mech. fan)

It almost went up to 230 degrees, and prolly would've if I didn't park it. I know my heater core leaks, but I keep a watchful eye on my fluids. Could that have anything to do with it? Could too much fluid upset the pressure? I forgot to check the hoses to see which ones were hot or not... My car already has a 180 thermo. It's mostly stock, with the exception of an xpipe, gears, intake. (btw, all of these have been on the car for over a year).

I know when I had a leaky radiator cap it did the same thing, but not the extent I witnessed today. Sorry for the long post, but I need to get this figured out soon.. I only have a week of classes left and some idiot stole my bike last week

 

[DMAN302]

Check for air in the lines, and proper fluid levels. Check your oil for any color change..milky look to indicate a head gasket.

 

[ajvares]

Would there be any other problems that indicate a bad head gasket? (I'll have to check the oil after class) Also, how do you test to see if the water pump is bad? And air pockets in the lines?

I just went outside to test the car; I ran it for 5 min., revved it a bit... everything seemed ok. I'll have to see how it does on the way to class.

Man, this really gets my blood boiling. All I need is for my car to last one more week and to make it home where I can work on it, or take it to a shop.
Thanks for the reply...

 

[blkstangman88]

if your coolant levels fine maby your t-stat went bad? that happen to me, replaced it and car ran fine.

 

[ill advised]

Hopefully the heatercore isn't shot (if it's leaking it's probably on it's way out) but try the small things mentioned first.

 

[ajvares]

Yeah, I will need to replace my heater core whenever I go home. (i'm in college right now) Ok, I'll replace the thermo (which, if I remember correctly, is a pain in the ass). I'll check the hoses, water pump... anything else? Also, if the heater core is bad, will it affect the engine performance? (I doubt it) Also, if this was a one time thing, what could have caused it? Anything electrical I need to check?

 

[Kerpal]

First make certain your coolant level is full and that the system is burped (no air in the system). From there make sure your radiator cap is warm, and after that check the thermostat. Easiest and cheapest things first.

If your heater core is going out you can lose a lot of coolant without even knowing it. Mine is bad, and it leaks through the drain hole in the firewall as well as evaporates through my defroster vents. I top it off every couple of days, but I've been meaning to just bypass it entirely until I get around to replacing it.

 

[ajvares]

Oh yeah, I know the mess a leaky heater core can make. There is usually a pool of coolant around my front tire everyday... it gets kinda embarassing
But I top it off almost every couple of days. How would I go about by-passing it?

Update: Before class I opened the radiator cap and filled it (it was missing almost a liter, eventhough my resevoir was full) Drove to and from class with my eye glued to the temp...which almost caused an accident..heh... Everything is fine, from what I can tell. I guess it was an air bubble.

Thanks for the help, guys. When you own a mustang, your life is never boring...dunno if that's a good thing or a bad one...

BTW- How do you get air pockets in the cooling system anyways?