overheating

[daviszx3]

cars been running pretty warm lately a little past 3/4 up the temp guage..well i've recently replaced the water pump and heater core cus they were both leaking and today i put it a 160 thermostat and still runs very warm..i'm guessing the rad is plugged up i was thinking on buying a summit aluminum rad just looking for suggestions here mayb someone else has had a similar problem thanks

 

[Turkey Sammich]

Why a 160 instead of 180? And when was the last time you flushed the rad?

 

[daviszx3]

just did flush it i got the 160 trying to get it to run cooler

 

[Turkey Sammich]

The 180 will keep engine a little cooler for more power. Cylinder wall wear increases as operating temperatures are lowered. The stock Mustang thermostat is set for 196° Fahrenheit. Dropping to 180° will increase wear somewhat, and dropping to 160° or 140° will increase wear dramatically. I was lead to believe to never to use a thermostat below 180° Fahrenheit on an EFI car.

 

[HISSIN50]

Turkey Sammich is right. But right now it doesnt matter - he's running hot. With these old cars, one has to use whatever components are needed to achieve a target temp (a 160 t-stat might have someone run at 200*F).

Are you sure you have all the air out of the system?
You really should have a real temp gauge to make any sort of diagnostic inferences from.

Good luck.

 

[savegoodautonfg]

If you need a new radiator, go to rockauto.com and get the proliance one.

i just finished installing it last week. best investment i ever made. i paid like $170 shipped.

 

[SPEEDYLIFSAVR]

its a good idea to know what kind of temp #'s your actually getting , cant always trust the stock guages . I'm not sure if your have an aftermarket guage . I dont so I went to autozone , bought a real cheap one and just hooked it up temporarily by screwing in to the top of the thermostat housing , it was a numerical guage so it gave me a better idea of the temp .

Also you just did work to the cooling system to double check there is no air trapped in there , purge it .

I got a Godan 3 core radiator last year from pep boys and it cools like nobody business .

Good luck!

 

[daviszx3]

im pretty sure i got all the air out , if there was air in it the guage would most likely fluxuate a bit and wants it gets hot that's it...i guess ill try a rad what you think? the aluminum or just get a stock replacement or mayb a 3 core?

 

[sivart]

i have/had the same problem....put in a 180, flushed it --- still running hot, then i changed the rad cap, then today i put in a mechanical temp guage and i think it runs just fine now. it stays right at 190. is yours running hot while driving or sitting there? fan clutch maybe....

 

[Darkwriter77]

Don't forget the simple stuff. I just found 1/4" of HAIR covering most of my radiator fins on my '94 T-Bird this morning (didn't cure my overheating problem entirely, but it did help a bit). Loosen the top radiator mounts, tilt it back enough to look, and if it's covered in road debris, give the front of the radiator a gentle but thorough cleaning (I used a toothbrush to loosen the stuff and then sucked it away with a Shop-Vac).

Other possibilities:

- Clogged coolant passages (possibly from someone using a stop-leak product that accumulated somewhere in a clump);
- Leaking intake manifold passages (coolant burns off/evaporates before you can see it);
- Fan clutch defective/dead, or wrong-rotation fan clutch installed;
- 160* T-stat is about the same as not having a T-stat installed, at all - can result in overheating conditions, as well;

Be careful if you wind up having to replace the radiator, itself, and you spring for a heavy-duty unit. The brass/copper radiator from Autozone and similar places listed as an HD 3-core unit is actually a TWO-core radiator, now - you're still paying the price for a 3-core, but getting screwed for a regular 2-core that Go-Dan believes is "sufficient."

 

[iwashmycar]

mine was runnin a little on the hot side recently and i got a new fan and clutch and now its a hundred times better. My fan was so cracked it was gonna fall off and the clutch was kind of dirty, so i replaced it

 

[daviszx3]

i think i'm just gonna get a brass/copper heavy duty 3 core rad. and put a 180 thermostat back in also do you think i should go with a electric fan?

 

[daviszx3]

also it seems like it runs hot when i'm going down the road, if i just let it sit and idle then runs about normal

 

[RYC CUKR]

Generally if a car runs hot while driving it is either an issue with coolant flow or on Mustangs the lower air dam has been ripped off. The air dam creates an area of low pressure which helps draw air though the radiator when the car is at speed. When they are gone the car can run hot while driving it. After I got my 88 it would get hot after driving for a while. Put a new 2 core aluminum from Northern Radiator in and it sits right at 180 during the hot FL summer and 185 with the A/C on.

If it gets hot while sitting or idling then usually it is a problem with either the fan or the fan clutch not pulling enough air across the radiator.

 

[Foxbody93]

I have been struggling with a similar issue if not the same for a few years now. On cold days the temp gauge sits at about the lower ¼ mark and on hot days it will run some what hotter (a little less than mid range). The temp gauge seems to rise after I accelerate or really get on the throttle. I have observed this on the highway as well as off. I have replaced the radiator with a 3 core, replaced the thermostat with a 160 degree and replaced the water pump. The thermostat seemed to make the most difference by lowering the temperature a few degrees but it did not cure the problem. Any ideas?

 

[Turkey Sammich]

i think i'm just gonna get a brass/copper heavy duty 3 core rad. and put a 180 thermostat back in also do you think i should go with a electric fan?

I would only go with an E-Fan if you have atleast a 130amp alt. I wouldn't dare try to put one in with a stock alt.

 

[daviszx3]

replaced the rad. today and that was it runs about 160 now thanks for the help

 

[getusummm]

Dont forget that most of the mustangs out there have a 20+ year old fan clutch. Replacing the fan clutch was the single biggest improvement made to my cooling system. My list includes a high volume water pump, 2 core aluminum radiator, making certain the shroud and air dam were in good shape, water wetter, and finally a new heavy duty fan clutch. This is on a 500rwhp 5.0 engine running in south louisiana by the way.

 

[sivart]

i replaced the fan clutch, my old one you could just spin with your hand, now the new clutch works made my temp go from like 230+ to 180 - 200(with a/c on)

 

[Foxbody93]

I replaced the fan and fan clutch assembly but did not notice a difference. Could I have a problem with the sending unit? Also I would think if it was a head gasket the temp would continue to climb until the engine overheated.