New Member.....Question

Hey Guys,

i have been stalking your forum for about a year and finally decided to join because i can not find an answer to my overheating problem. your search function has given me a lot of answers and ideas. I have an 87 mustang gt with ttops. this is my first mustang and i am not very mechanical but i got the car so i can learn.

My question is, i got the car a year ago and it has been running hot since i got it. twice last summer it boiled over the over flow tank twice but that was after pretty long drives. i replaced the radiator and cap, water pump, thermostat twice(right now i am running a mr. gasket 180) and i am running an electric water temp guage. I also, have a taurus fan, took out the a/c condenser and put another air dam on.

i have tried burbing the system mutltiple time but that has not fixed anything. when i burb it my car will stay right at 180 but when i drive it it will slowly creep up. i will only let it get to 220-230 before i bring it in.

i did have aleak on top of my timing chain cover so i got that replaced along witht he timing chain but i still have a coolant leak that drips next to the oil pan on the driver side. I have tried to find it but i have been unsuccessful. i see that it drip down where the oil pan connects to the block. i can not figure out where it is coming from and i don' tknow if that is effecting my running hot issue.

in the winter i was fine and the car was not running hot but now that it is warming up my temp creeps up and doesn't seem to stop. it takes a while to get to 220-230 but it seems to end up at that temp.

my engine is basically stock except for underdrive pulleys and o/r h pipe and flowmaster 40 series mufflers.

any imput and advice would be sweet.

Thanks for all the help,

Chris
 
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take it to a shop and have them run a pressure test on the cooling system. If it cant hold 16lbs then you have a cracked block or perhaps even a head gasket that was installed backwards and is blocking the coolant passages.
 
take it to a shop and have them run a pressure test on the cooling system. If it cant hold 16lbs then you have a cracked block or perhaps even a head gasket that was installed backwards and is blocking the coolant passages.

thanks for the reply, would my car being running really bad if this were the case? because my car runs really good, performance is not being effected. plus when i am , at a stop light or cruising in neutral the car cools off.

also, when my mechanic replaced my timing chain gasket he presurre tested it and said nothing was dripp, which is odd since it was still leaking next to the oil pan when i got hope. what do you think?
 
thanks for the reply, would my car being running really bad if this were the case? because my car runs really good, performance is not being effected. plus when i am , at a stop light or cruising in neutral the car cools off.

also, when my mechanic replaced my timing chain gasket he presurre tested it and said nothing was dripp, which is odd since it was still leaking next to the oil pan when i got hope. what do you think?

oop, typo, my mechanic said it was not dripping when he pressure tested it
 
Just throwing some ideas to check. Put your hand in front of the fan blades and make sure it is blowing wind towards the block. It will run in either direction according to how you hook it up. Any chance you put the wrong water pump on? Like stykthyn said, have the heads been off that you know of? You sound like you are getting the hang of working on it. Maybe a head gasket change and upper gasket set will be a solution. At least then you would find the mystery leak.
 
With the car off, spin the fan. Does it spin freely? If it stiff and hard to move? Or is it somewhere in the middle?

Do you have the small deflector mounted under the car? It looks like a flat plastic panel hanging down where the radiator is?
 
Just throwing some ideas to check. Put your hand in front of the fan blades and make sure it is blowing wind towards the block. It will run in either direction according to how you hook it up. Any chance you put the wrong water pump on? Like stykthyn said, have the heads been off that you know of? You sound like you are getting the hang of working on it. Maybe a head gasket change and upper gasket set will be a solution. At least then you would find the mystery leak.

Thanks for the reply, the fan is blowing toward the motor so it is pulling air through the radiator. also, i think the fan is working very weill because they car cools down at idle.
i don't know about the water pump, i will need to check. i remember it is a bosch water pump i got from pep boys or something.

I guess i am considering the head gasket, but i am not loosing power and there is no water in oil and visa versa.

i have never done a coolant flush. do you think this will make a big difference?

also, what about switching back tot he stock water pump pulley?

Thanks again
 
With the car off, spin the fan. Does it spin freely? If it stiff and hard to move? Or is it somewhere in the middle?

Do you have the small deflector mounted under the car? It looks like a flat plastic panel hanging down where the radiator is?

Thanks for the reply. i do have the deflector. I thought my fan was working good since it cools off at idle. would fan spinning like this still make a difference?
 
thanks for the reply, would my car being running really bad if this were the case? because my car runs really good, performance is not being effected. plus when i am , at a stop light or cruising in neutral the car cools off.

also, when my mechanic replaced my timing chain gasket he presurre tested it and said nothing was dripp, which is odd since it was still leaking next to the oil pan when i got hope. what do you think?

when the car sets at idle it cools off, what temp does it cool down too? 210* is normal operating temp so if it cool down onto that range and idle or the car basically moving at low speeds then the fan is doing it's job. At slow speeds the fan controls most of the cooling and at higher speeds the radiator takes over due to airflow. What brand is this new radiator and how many rows? I have seen bad radiators right of the box and have piss poor flow qaulities or blocked tubes from crappy manufacturing.Take a hard look at that radiator even have it tested. Like also stated make sure the air deflector is mounted on the core support to direct air to radiator. another pressure test wouldn't hurt with dye. just throwing this out there but you got the correct rotation water pump on there? I know someone who got the wrong water pump and played around with overheat issues until he figured it out. He had a standard rotation vs a reverse, just tossing it out here.
 
Thanks for the reply, the fan is blowing toward the motor so it is pulling air through the radiator. also, i think the fan is working very weill because they car cools down at idle.
i don't know about the water pump, i will need to check. i remember it is a bosch water pump i got from pep boys or something.

I guess i am considering the head gasket, but i am not loosing power and there is no water in oil and visa versa.

i have never done a coolant flush. do you think this will make a big difference?

also, what about switching back tot he stock water pump pulley?

Thanks again

Wouldn't hurt to go back to the stock pulley but it seems like if that were the issue it would run hot at idle since it is turning much slower then so I don't think that is it. I don't think flushing will help since you have a new radiator and if the water jackets in the block and heads are that clogged it will take more than that.

If you can find the receipt on the pump you got or call them up and ask them to look it up under your name and make sure you got the right pump. Certainly look to be sure you got a reverse rotation but they also have different designs, I bought 3 in a row before I got the one right for my timing chain cover but I have an old style cover so you may not even have this issue to worry about.
 
Wouldn't hurt to go back to the stock pulley but it seems like if that were the issue it would run hot at idle since it is turning much slower then so I don't think that is it. I don't think flushing will help since you have a new radiator and if the water jackets in the block and heads are that clogged it will take more than that.

If you can find the receipt on the pump you got or call them up and ask them to look it up under your name and make sure you got the right pump. Certainly look to be sure you got a reverse rotation but they also have different designs, I bought 3 in a row before I got the one right for my timing chain cover but I have an old style cover so you may not even have this issue to worry about.

i found te reciept and called pep boys. they can not confirm if it is reversse flow. i googled it and it did come up for a 86 5.0 mustang. did the water pumps change from 86 to 87? again it is a bosch water pump and the part number is 98074. can anybody tell me if this is reverse flow?

Also, should i just buy one of the flush kits from walmart and give that a try with a garden hose?
Thanks
 
Looks like you have the right one, here is what I found:

Buyer's Guide: BOSCH 98074 Water Pump

FORD MUSTANG COBRA 1993
FORD MUSTANG GT (1986 - 1993)
FORD MUSTANG LX (1986 - 1993)
FORD THUNDERBIRD (1986 - 1988)
FORD THUNDERBIRD LX (1987 - 1988)
FORD THUNDERBIRD SPORT (1987 - 1988)
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL (1986 - 1987)
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL GIVENCHY 1987
LINCOLN MARK VII (1986 - 1987)
LINCOLN MARK VII BILL BLASS (1987 - 1992)
LINCOLN MARK VII LSC (1987 - 1992)
MERCURY CAPRI 1986
MERCURY COUGAR 1986
MERCURY COUGAR LS (1987 - 1988)
MERCURY COUGAR XR-7 (1987 - 1988)
Please refer to catalog for application details.
 
when the car sets at idle it cools off, what temp does it cool down too? 210* is normal operating temp so if it cool down onto that range and idle or the car basically moving at low speeds then the fan is doing it's job. At slow speeds the fan controls most of the cooling and at higher speeds the radiator takes over due to airflow. What brand is this new radiator and how many rows? I have seen bad radiators right of the box and have piss poor flow qaulities or blocked tubes from crappy manufacturing.Take a hard look at that radiator even have it tested. Like also stated make sure the air deflector is mounted on the core support to direct air to radiator. another pressure test wouldn't hurt with dye. just throwing this out there but you got the correct rotation water pump on there? I know someone who got the wrong water pump and played around with overheat issues until he figured it out. He had a standard rotation vs a reverse, just tossing it out here.

thanks, i did some research and i have a sprectra radiator, the part number is 4332556 and it looks like it is only one row. here are the spec.

Core Material Aluminum
Tank Material Plastic
Row No 1
Core Height 24 1/2"
Core Width 18"
Core Depth 1 1/4"
Inlet Header 2 1/2" x 19"
Outlet Header 2" x 19"
Inlet 1 1/4"
OUTLET 1 1/2"
Engine Oil Cooler None
Transmission Oil Cooler 8" (Concentric

do you think that is the issue?

when i am not moving the car will cool down to 190-200. if i never move it it will stay at 180.

also, i do have the air dam underneath the car.

please let me know what you think.

Thanks
 
Looks like you have the right one, here is what I found:

Buyer's Guide: BOSCH 98074 Water Pump

FORD MUSTANG COBRA 1993
FORD MUSTANG GT (1986 - 1993)
FORD MUSTANG LX (1986 - 1993)
FORD THUNDERBIRD (1986 - 1988)
FORD THUNDERBIRD LX (1987 - 1988)
FORD THUNDERBIRD SPORT (1987 - 1988)
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL (1986 - 1987)
LINCOLN CONTINENTAL GIVENCHY 1987
LINCOLN MARK VII (1986 - 1987)
LINCOLN MARK VII BILL BLASS (1987 - 1992)
LINCOLN MARK VII LSC (1987 - 1992)
MERCURY CAPRI 1986
MERCURY COUGAR 1986
MERCURY COUGAR LS (1987 - 1988)
MERCURY COUGAR XR-7 (1987 - 1988)
Please refer to catalog for application details.
wow, thanks for doing that research. now i don't have to take that off again
 
thanks, i did some research and i have a sprectra radiator, the part number is 4332556 and it looks like it is only one row. here are the spec.

Core Material Aluminum
Tank Material Plastic
Row No 1
Core Height 24 1/2"
Core Width 18"
Core Depth 1 1/4"
Inlet Header 2 1/2" x 19"
Outlet Header 2" x 19"
Inlet 1 1/4"
OUTLET 1 1/2"
Engine Oil Cooler None
Transmission Oil Cooler 8" (Concentric

do you think that is the issue?

when i am not moving the car will cool down to 190-200. if i never move it it will stay at 180.

also, i do have the air dam underneath the car.

please let me know what you think.

Thanks

The 5.0. came stock with a 2core radiator. The fact that the car is overheating while driving points right to the radiator and it being a single core is probally the cause. it doesn't have enough surface area to provide the needed cooling. The fan does most of the cooling like I stated at low speeds/stops and this is what is helping to cool the car down ( right at specs) but the radiator can't flow enough and higher speeds when by design it takes over cooling duties. come to think of it I haven't seen a single core radiator in a mustang moslty 2 or 3 core, unless tha single core is really thick tube wise but 1 1/4 isn't to me. I don't have dimensions of the core thickness of a 2core but I'm pretty sure that your radiator isn't up to snuff and everything that I can think of is pointing right there, I highly doubt you have a head gasket or internal leak issue. also keep in mind though I'm on the internet and not looking at the car so this is the best I can do.
 
The 5.0. came stock with a 2core radiator. The fact that the car is overheating while driving points right to the radiator and it being a single core is probally the cause. it doesn't have enough surface area to provide the needed cooling. The fan does most of the cooling like I stated at low speeds/stops and this is what is helping to cool the car down ( right at specs) but the radiator can't flow enough and higher speeds when by design it takes over cooling duties. come to think of it I haven't seen a single core radiator in a mustang moslty 2 or 3 core, unless tha single core is really thick tube wise but 1 1/4 isn't to me. I don't have dimensions of the core thickness of a 2core but I'm pretty sure that your radiator isn't up to snuff and everything that I can think of is pointing right there, I highly doubt you have a head gasket or internal leak issue. also keep in mind though I'm on the internet and not looking at the car so this is the best I can do.

Thanks, i am a little confused with rows and cores. can someone please school me on the difference between the 2 and if i buy a new radiator how many rows and cores should i be looking for. i see the one i bought only has one row but i can not tell how many cores it has. Also, why would pepboys sell me a radiator with one row?

some advice on a good inexpensive radiator to buy would be much apreciated as well.

Thanks again.
 
I dunno man I've been running the stock radiator and my car won't even get to 180* unless it's really hot outside.

This is just me, and there are much smarter guys here (and in this thread)...

1) I would run a compression check just to make sure that the head gasket is good. The compression tester is like $20 at Autozone. It's easy to do and cheap. There are how to threads here.

2) If that's okay, I'd buy a new radiator or have the stock one routed. I paid $130 I think or less for my stock radiator, in stock at Advance Auto.

Do you have that fan on the low speed or the high speed? You haven't been running the red antifreeze (dexcool) have you?
 
I dunno man I've been running the stock radiator and my car won't even get to 180* unless it's really hot outside.

This is just me, and there are much smarter guys here (and in this thread)...

1) I would run a compression check just to make sure that the head gasket is good. The compression tester is like $20 at Autozone. It's easy to do and cheap. There are how to threads here.

2) If that's okay, I'd buy a new radiator or have the stock one routed. I paid $130 I think or less for my stock radiator, in stock at Advance Auto.

Do you have that fan on the low speed or the high speed? You haven't been running the red antifreeze (dexcool) have you?


The stock radiator is a 2 core he is running a single core. I'm running a stock 2 core w/o issues either so this is why I was pointing to a the radiator. I agree on further testing to set his mind at ease and double check but to me a car with a bad head gasket that gets hot isn't going to cool at low speeds and idle more so to specs unless maybe it slight :shrug: once they get hot they are hot.


Don't know why pep boys would sell u a single core..because it was a low price. The rows are the tubes that run across the front of radiator and carry the coolant, the fins support the cores & dissapate the heat from coolant. A stock and mild motor will do fine a with a good solid 2 core radiator. teh second core allows for more fluid to flow through another set of cores shrugging of more heat for better cooling. If the coolant cannot loose enough of the heat when it flows across the radiator that hot coolant will flow back through the motor and get evn hotter when it tries to take on the heat of the motor. A really high HP car would need a 3 core if the 2 core couldn't handle the chore.

The core is the center section of the radiator that is the fins and tubes the tanks are on the ends that hold the coolant. That's my basic explanation.