over heating problum!?

[DemonGT]

im needing some suggestions on cooling....im using a griffen rad and a stock fan/clutch set up(HD clutch) and when its cooler outside its fine...but the other day it was like alittle over 80 outside and when i was driving the car it was fine...temp was between 190-200...niddle will climb close to 200 then the therm. opens and it goes down to 190 or so...but i noticed when i got home and it was siting idleing it went up to 200 and didnt come down and seems to keep climbing slowly.....

first off...how hot is to hot? i thought the stock therm. in the foxes were 195's? so i would think that a stock 302 would run in the 195 range...but iv never been to sure how hot is to hot,also im using the stock rad. cap from my old motor...rad is the 31x19 one...talked to someone one this board with a 408 with the same rad. and claimed to have no prob.

also...i thought mabe i put in to much anti freeze so i checked that and it actually came out to not be enough..said it was only good for like +5 or something...the engne had coolent in it still and my rad. was empty so i added a gallon of anti freeze and rest water...how much anti freeze do you guys use on average? mabe i should drain the rad and fill it with just distilled water only?

 

[ECU5.0]

with a 195* tstat...its gonna run at about 200 degrees. thats not hot...and its actually a pretty good running temp. i see that your sig says you have a 180...so whats with the 195 in your thread. if you dont have a 180 you can try that...it could also be some clogged passages in your engine. you might want to try a coolant flush product. i just go 50/50 with my coolant and water. seems to work fine. my car actually runs hotter when its cold out for some reason.

 

[blk92stangg]

Over heating when sitting usually points to fan problems. ie the fluid is circulating ok, but the fan can't move enough air

 

[DemonGT]

i have a 180 but i was just useing the 195 as a reference.....how hot is to hot?

 

[HISSIN50]

i have a 180 but i was just useing the 195 as a reference.....how hot is to hot?

though it can, i would not let it go over 220*. after that, the puter starts pulling timing.

you really might want to drain and refill your coolant. shoot for something like 50/50 DISTILLED water/coolant, plus or minus 10% (40/60 coolant to water - i would not run more than 50% coolant). it is best to premix the water and coolant, as they have a hard time mixing to your predetermined ratio while flowing (ie dont dump a gallon of coolant in the rad, then a gallon of distilled water). i use an old pitcher that retired from human consumption duty.

make sure you burp the system.

it looks like you have a fan issue. what kind of fan do you have? make sure it is sealed up around the radiator - that really helps pull as much air through the coil as possible. weatherstripping foam works well. you want your fan to kick on about 10 or at the most 15* over the tstat rating (i.e. you have a 180 stat, have the fan kick on at 195, off at 185).

your temps while driving sound ok, if you have a parts store thermostat. they tend to open slowly (requiring sometimes almost 15* over the rated temp to open FULLY). i really like the Mr. Gasket t-stats. balanced, opens fully very close to 180 (my stat temp), and has a bleed hole. really nice piece - 10 bucks at a local speed shop (should be).

please dont ever pour straight coolant into a near empty reservoir. if nothing else, by some premixed stuff and keep that around for top ups.

and you are using an aftermarket gauge, right?

good luck.

 

[DemonGT]

im using a stock fan..well its new but same as stock...yes..autometer mech. water temp gauge

 

[HISSIN50]

did you renew your fan clutch? in situations where you are idling and overheating, as Black92 said, it is likely something ancillary to the radiator. if your fan clutch is worn out, that may be enough to push you over the top (stangs dont cool great to start with). i would really check the clutch out. you can do the spin test and also look for silicone leaking out of the rear of the clutch, where the thermal-spring is. good luck.

 

[DemonGT]

clutch is brand new HD fan clutch, the one the police stangs had

 

[HISSIN50]

hhmmm. it sounds like you have swapped what parts i can think of, that could be at fault.
i would drain and fill with a known good mixture, and if you want, you could swap the T-stat while doin it, if you want. i recommend the MR. Gasket stats. your old one could be unable to open all the way.
but other than that, i am not flooded with ideas.

good luck.

 

[shorty1993]

maybe a stupid thought but it does look as if you have been into the engine, did you back with a higher flow pump, maybe there is just not enough circulation inside the engine. after all this is where the reading is coming from. i had a similar problem with a another vehicle i had, this cured it. as been said before, most standard thermostats arent that accurate, guess they wanted them to match the crap gauges. just a thought

 

[DemonGT]

water pump is a high flow stewert unit....into the motor? i built it....

think what i might do is drain the coolent and just by the premixed 50/50 stuff, that way i know for sure....mabe a cobra grill insert to

 

[shorty1993]

ok im out, change the fluid sounds good. looks as though almost all the bases are covered, like to know what you figure out

 

[blk92stangg]

You know, 200 at idle may not be that bad, upon rereading your post. Not great, but OK i guess. The other thing I was thinking is how well your stock fan shroud is positioned, as well as how far the fan is from the shroud opening. I forget the ideal positioning, I'm sure Hissin or someone will chime in, but if the fan is too close or far from both the rad and shroud, the fan won't pull enough air in.

 

[DemonGT]

yes..i have thought of that...but have no idea how id move the fan in and out...im thinken the fan is to far in the shroud

 

[89 Saleen#455]

Do you have the still have the stock air diverter chin strip (long black strip of flexible plastic that runs just behind the front spoiler.)? I've read several posts saying that removing the air diverter stip can cause a 10-15 degree increase in water temp. I still have mine, so I can't confirm this theory. Just a thought.

 

[DemonGT]

yup

 

[HISSIN50]

i cant remember what the ideal fan shroud to fan blade overlap is. i think one wants to have the shroud stop at the midpoint of the fan blade (so half the fan blade is under the shroud, and half is out). this is my vague recollection.
Blk92 had a nice point - i know i tend to get tunnel vision when troubleshooting stuff from a keyboard. 200* is not hot at all, really (in terms of allowable temps). a totally stock set up would be in that neighborhood. most folks do mods to bring the temps down, and we get used to that mindset (at least i do). i dont like to go over 190 with a/c in 100* ambient temps (allows some fudge factor).
but 200* is not bad at all, IMHO. the puter pulls timing at 226*, IIRC (a temp considered to be getting hot). i think a/c is shut off at 230-ish, as well. so that gives some numbers on what Ford considered to be "getting a little too hot" - in my opinion.

89 Saleen, i forgot to mention it, but the info on the a/c thread from you is really really good stuff. best i remember in some time. thanks!

 

[DemonGT]

yea..i see what your saying about 200 not being to hot..thats good..i really didnt know what was to hot...if what you say about the fan/shroud is true..then mine is in way to far...but i guess the temps arnt to bad considering the cubes i have..here is a pic and you can see how far in the fan is..but when the motor is running it seems to produce alot of air flow

 

[blk92stangg]

Ah, that is pretty close, at least closer than my stock set up. It's funny, but I did a search on Yahoo and all I got was PC processor coolers! Water cooled, fan, shroud, everything. If you are bored one day you go hunting for a fan to water pump spacer to see if bringing out the fan does anything for you. If would be interesting to see.