Help!! -- Overheating -- Help!!

88GT460 · Jul 8, 2005

I seriously do not know wtf is going on with my car. Tuesday afternoon, it overheated at a stop light... pulled it over and only place water/antifreeze was coming out was from the overflow/radiator as far as I could tell. The water pump was dry and the engine was dry aside from where water splashed. I let it cool down for an hour or so and drove it over a mile to my mechanics house.. did not attempt to get hot... so.. with knowing that much I replaced the thermostat with a 180° and went on my merry little way.

Fast forward to today.. car was doing great all week, did not run the A/C much during the whole week. Used it today and everything was great until I turned the A/C off and left the car running. Note that I have done this several times the past week but today after about 3 minutes, the car starts steaming up and outta the hood again!! !WTF! .. of course it had overheated. SAME exact characteristics as the first time. Let it cool down, cranked it up and turned on the A/C.. popped my hood and made sure the fans were running which they were. ... so right now I am clueless as to what is happening with the car.

PLEASE HELP ME!

Note. there was plenty of water/antifreeze in it also and no I do not drive the car hard

94GTLaserRC · Jul 8, 2005

Could just be time for a new radiator....17 years old

Or at least a good flush out first, assuming that there are no leaks.
RC

HISSIN50 · Jul 8, 2005

You kind of lost me, and did not post particulars about the situations in which the car ran hot (stationary, on the freeway, etc). But I would want to ensure that the fan is kicking on when it should, WHEN A/C is not on (which kicks the fan on in and of itself).

With no A/C on, the low speed fan should come on at ~208*F. I am wondering if the CCRM is taking a powder and the A/C is the only thing kicking the fan on.

One can run a manual switch for the low and high speed fan. Or use a stand alone controller (variable would be my choice).

Good luck.

jmoore16 · Jul 8, 2005

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=561491

I don't know how to cut and paste other posts but read this post. It is a few posts down from you entitled "running hotter than normal" or something like that. Tells you how to wire the fan up through CCRM Pin 17 so the fan stays on high with a switch and ground wire.

I had the same problem at the end of last year. I would drive the car around and everything would be fine. Then, after a little city traffic, it pushed all the fluid out. I had to replace the intake gaskets (leak at the reight rear water passage), rear heater hose, new radiator and then used the switch to turn the fan on to finally get ahead of the problem.

I think that old age got to my cooling system and when it gets hot and overheats once, it springs leaks all over. A leak check on the system would be a good thing.

Can you give us details on what the driving conditions were and how old your water pump, thermostat and radiator are?

Thanks.

John

88GT460 · Jul 8, 2005

I am not sure how old the water pump is. The car does have an aluminum radiator though but I don't know how old it is. Again, I do not know if the fan is coming on regularly (w/out a/c).. Driving conditions are rarely above 40mph since I have 4.30 gears I do not take it on the interstate or for highway rides very often.. (today was the first time I had taken it on the interstate in a few months). I am thinking that the fan is not coming on when it should so I think I will have to rig up a switch like you guys said and see if that solves the problem.

I cannot see any leaks on the hoses, where they attach or near the radiator.

This is on a 94 GT btw. sorry if that got you confused.

88GT460 · Jul 8, 2005

jmoore16 said:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=561491

I don't know how to cut and paste other posts but read this post. It is a few posts down from you entitled "running hotter than normal" or something like that. Tells you how to wire the fan up through CCRM Pin 17 so the fan stays on high with a switch and ground wire.

I had the same problem at the end of last year. I would drive the car around and everything would be fine. Then, after a little city traffic, it pushed all the fluid out. I had to replace the intake gaskets (leak at the reight rear water passage), rear heater hose, new radiator and then used the switch to turn the fan on to finally get ahead of the problem.

I think that old age got to my cooling system and when it gets hot and overheats once, it springs leaks all over. A leak check on the system would be a good thing.

Can you give us details on what the driving conditions were and how old your water pump, thermostat and radiator are?

Thanks.

John

I am uncertain about the water pump and radiator.. thermostat is only a week old, and its a 180°

94GTLaserRC · Jul 9, 2005

88GT460 said:
I am uncertain about the water pump and radiator.. thermostat is only a week old, and its a 180°

This may seem trite, but is that stat put in the right way, and/or is it working right?

RC

88GT460 · Jul 9, 2005

94GTLaserRC said:
This may seem trite, but is that stat put in the right way, and/or is it working right?

RC

yes, it was put in by a guy with over 10 years exp on mustangs.. has three of his own.. I am sure he has done this plenty of times

MrMegawatt · Jul 9, 2005

I'm sure you don't want to hear it but you could have a head gasket leaking. The fan should run all the time when the AC is on, so if you want to try running the fan before you wire in a switch just unplug the clutch on the AC compressor and leave the control for the AC on in the car.

88GT460 · Jul 9, 2005

MrMegawatt said:
I'm sure you don't want to hear it but you could have a head gasket leaking. The fan should run all the time when the AC is on, so if you want to try running the fan before you wire in a switch just unplug the clutch on the AC compressor and leave the control for the AC on in the car.

The fan does run all the time with the A/C on.. I am not sure if it is kicking on normally though (w/out the a/c). I am going to wire a manual switch today and see if that will solve it.

88GT460 · Jul 11, 2005

Mechanic and I figured it out.. was the damned radiator cap, only holding 11lbs pressure at first.. then went all the way down to 5lbs.. ON A 16lb cap!

S/CBlack95GT · Jul 11, 2005

88GT460 said:
Mechanic and I figured it out.. was the damned radiator cap, only holding 11lbs pressure at first.. then went all the way down to 5lbs.. ON A 16lb cap!

Yea the cap spring can only flex so many times. I just replaced mine today. I figured I could spend 5 bucks to replace a 10 year old part.

mo_dingo · Jul 11, 2005

Are you losing coolant??? If you are, check your oil and make sure it's not milky.

If you aren't losing coolant, check when the low and high speed fans are coming on in relation to temperature of the coolant (use an infared thermometer and shine it on the brass part of the ECT sensor.

If the fan is coming on at the right temp, then you either have a clogged radiator or bad water pump. Check both.
Scott

eschlenz · Jul 13, 2005

What temps for each fan speed?

Does anyone know what temps the low and high speed fan should come on?

I've had this exact same problem for a couple years now. I have a huge alum. radiator, 180 degree stat and brand new ECT. For the time being I've used my manual fan switch but I'm just about sick of having to stare at the temperature gauge. I'm fairly confident it's not an issue of having air in the system since the system has been flushed and refilled several times by me and mechanics in the past two years.

I believe it to be either my water pump or something about the fan. Kicking the fan on high works just fine. I don't know that the low speed ever kicks in though.

Ideas?

HISSIN50 · Jul 13, 2005

Low speed comes on at ~208*F and high speed comes on at ~226*F.

Good luck.

V8302stangs · Jul 27, 2005

Mine isn't coming on when the AC is switched on. The fuse 60A fuse is working, and I know the fan motor works. Any ideas anyone?

HISSIN50 · Jul 27, 2005

V8302stangs said:
Mine isn't coming on when the AC is switched on. The fuse 60A fuse is working, and I know the fan motor works. Any ideas anyone?

Did your high speed or low speed come on with the fan before? First thing to check is the fan connector. Then go backwards (literally tracing wires).

Good luck.

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