Keeps Overheating

lxman · Jun 15, 2011

My car keeps overheating. I flushed the coolant system replaced the t-stat (195 degree), and put new coolant in. I drove it 40 miles the it overheated again. I live in AZ where it is hot. Right now this is the only car I have working. PLEASE HELP! Thanks!

tb9050lx · Jun 15, 2011

lxman said:
My car keeps overheating. I flushed the coolant system replaced the t-stat (195 degree), and put new coolant in. I drove it 40 miles the it overheated again. I live in AZ where it is hot. Right now this is the only car I have working. PLEASE HELP! Thanks!

is your fan working ? is it a stock fan ? possible head gasket problem does the coolant smell like fuel,or exhaust . is the chin spoiler installed ?lots of things can cause overheating ?what does the inside of the radiator look like?any scale inside ?

Mustang5L5 · Jun 15, 2011

Need more info.

Does it overheat on highway? In traffic? Stock cooling system? E fan? How is your mechanical fan clutch?

lxman · Jun 15, 2011

Ok, sorry I forgot to put all that in I was in a hurry. It over heats on highway. Original 4 banger radiator, mechanical clutch fan. I don't know if the clutch is bad or not. No fan shroud on it. If I should upgrade just let know what and where to get it on a budget. Thanks guys!

lxman · Jun 15, 2011

Radiator looks good just flushed it. Nice and green!

Mustang5L5 · Jun 15, 2011

4-banger radiator? 2-core or 1-core?

The non-ac 4-bangers come woth a single core radiator that is too small for a 5.0. The ones with ac have the standard 2-core.

Overheating on the highway could be caused by not having the lower radiator deflector in place. Is yours present?

tb9050lx · Jun 15, 2011

lxman said:
Radiator looks good just flushed it. Nice and green!

a fan shroud is a must ,also i dont think a 4cyl radiator is up to snuff on a v8 .the lower air deflector is a must as well

lxman · Jun 15, 2011

Ok so I definitely need to upgrade my radiator then and get a shroud. I think the defletector is on there. What does it look like so I can make sure. My lower front bumper is missing a 1 ft section right in the middle. It drives great, just keeps over heating. It is driving me nuts! Where can I look to get a bigger radiator for cheap. I just moved to AZ and have like no money.

lxman · Jun 15, 2011

I read some where that people who live in hot climate should run a 160 degree t-stat. Since I live in AZ now is that something I should do to keep my temperature down?

Mustang5L5 · Jun 15, 2011

160 stat is a bandaid. Doesn't fix the issue and can cause other issues. You shouldnt overheat with a stock t stat.

The deflector looks like this, and mounts to the bottom of the radiator support. If it's missing, it can sometimes cause the car to overheat on the highway

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/87-9...Accessories&hash=item20ba54bda7#ht_2444wt_948

lxman · Jun 15, 2011

Ok thanks for the pic. Yeah mine is there. I can go like 5 miles on a highway and then it starts to over heat. Thanks.

lxman · Jun 16, 2011

Its bent slightly backwards is it ok still? Should I try and bend it forward or what?

2000xp8 · Jun 16, 2011

If your car overheats now, it will certainly overheat with a 160.
My preference is the 180 mr gaskets stat, but if your thermostat is not bad, it won't prevent anything right now.

Get a good radiator and the correct fan shroud, that should probably fix your problems.

gtcobra302 · Jun 16, 2011

Im in central florida and we are getting up to around 98 in the afternooon right now. I am running a stock gt radiator and a 180 degree t stat. In december I did the 3g alternator and electric fan upgrade. It runs great, the thermostat opens around 180 degrees, the fan turns on at 200 degrees and off at 190 degrees. Autozone is supposed to have a pretty decent "heavy duty" radioator for a v8 fox. A fan shourd is a must. Grab your fan and spin it the more freely it spins the more worn out it is. If you dont want to do an electric fan swap right now(3g upgrade is a must) you can switch the stock fan to a flex fan. I ran one of those for a couple years without any problems if yours is worn out. How old is the water pump? The impeller could be spinning on the shaft.

Dino Dino Bambino · Jun 16, 2011

lxman said:
It overheats on highway. Original 4 banger radiator

That says it all and there's an easy fix.
Even if the radiator looks good on the outside, it's 22 years old so it's probably clogged up on the inside with limescale and rust. Replace it with a good new 2-core radiator and I guarantee your problem will be cured.

lxman · Jun 17, 2011

Thanks guys. I replaced the water pump like 3 weeks so it brand new. When I spin my fan it turns like a quarter turn. So is the cltuch for my fan bad to?

f8tlfiveo · Jun 17, 2011

Fan sounds ok, but I would definitely get a shroud for it.

Dino Dino Bambino · Jun 17, 2011

The fan function isn't necessary when driving at highway speeds 'cause there's enough ram airflow through the radiator to keep the engine cool. If the engine overheats only under these conditions with normal temps. in city driving, there can only be two reasons. Either the airflow through the radiator is being obstructed (big foglights, custom grille), or limescale/rust inside the radiator is preventing sufficient coolant from circulating. Your problem is the latter, not the fan.

89stang1 · Jun 17, 2011

radiator sounds old and too small, i would upgrade to a decent rad make sure u have a shroud and put a 180 therm in dont use that mr gasket high flow crap i had a 2 month old one overheat my new 331 stroker cause it would not open at any temp. Get a 180 stant and drill a couple 1/8 inch holes in the flange for a little extra protection just incase it wont open u still have a little coolant flow into the engine, a 160 therm only means it opens and flows coolant into engine at 160 instead of 180 that wont change the final temp car running at. My car runs around 200 in traffic in the summer and i have a 180 therm. no overheating running great

2000xp8 · Jun 17, 2011

89stang1 said:
radiator sounds old and too small, i would upgrade to a decent rad make sure u have a shroud and put a 180 therm in dont use that mr gasket high flow crap i had a 2 month old one overheat my new 331 stroker cause it would not open at any temp. Get a 180 stant and drill a couple 1/8 inch holes in the flange for a little extra protection just incase it wont open u still have a little coolant flow into the engine, a 160 therm only means it opens and flows coolant into engine at 160 instead of 180 that wont change the final temp car running at. My car runs around 200 in traffic in the summer and i have a 180 therm. no overheating running great

All thermostat brands fail or even show up DOA.
This is why you always test it before you put it in.
The mr gasket is much less of a restriction when it's open.

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