Still Running Hot

elarm1 said:

Having slime and residue on the cap can just be old corrosion in the block. I don't care how good you think you can "flush" the block out, that corrosion still will be there. Fact is, there is a pocket in the system and until he gets it out he will have an overheating problem. There are tests he can do to determine if there is a blown hg but he still has to get the air pocket out! First things first guys

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Bingo!

The point is if you have a blown head gasket or even just a small hole in the radiator letting air in you WILL NOT be able to get your infamous air pocket out.

I am not disagreeing that you need to remove it, I would just perform the steps to ensure you have a good set of gaskets and your radiator doesn't have a hole in it somewhere.

88stang88 said:

The point is if you have a blown head gasket or even just a small hole in the radiator letting air in you WILL NOT be able to get your infamous air pocket out.

I am not disagreeing that you need to remove it, I would just perform the steps to ensure you have a good set of gaskets and your radiator doesn't have a hole in it somewhere.

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I agree 100% with you. That's why, in the beginning of this thread, I suggested those exact things several times over.

ry94stang50 said:

Thisbis just my first engine that I want to diginto but its all new to me. And honestly the first engine or car I want to completly rebuild over time.. it needs a ton of work lol

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It doesn't sound like you don't know what you are doing to me. It sounds to me like you are a guy who could use some help with a specific problem. That's why a lot of us are here. I have another thread where guys are helping me think through some questions.

Anyhow, your Mustang and your Jeep are two different animals, and the burping/bleeding process on these Mustangs are known to be pains. Feel free to let me know if you need help with the process.

So does this "hole" come pre-drilled in? I just literally a couple weeks ago put a Stant - SuperStat Thermostat 180 Degree one in mine and dont recall any hole being their should I have drilled it out and positioned it so its at the top side of the water neck? I am pretty sure I have all the air out but I did notice in traffic the other day I was hitting around 210 degree's but once driving it came back down to a 190

k00ksta said:

So does this "hole" come pre-drilled in? I just literally a couple weeks ago put a Stant - SuperStat Thermostat 180 Degree one in mine and dont recall any hole being their should I have drilled it out and positioned it so its at the top side of the water neck? I am pretty sure I have all the air out but I did notice in traffic the other day I was hitting around 210 degree's but once driving it came back down to a 190

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k00ksta,

In the Motorcraft stats there is a predrilled hole just like the one in the picture I posted. I'm not sure about the Stant. Some after market stats have a tiny lip/half hole, but it is inadequate. As stated earlier, even if you get a Motorcraft stat, which comes with a predrilled hole, I would drill a 2nd hole of the same circumfrence right next to it in order to speed up the process.

And, yes, you need to have at least one hole in the stat and have it positioned at the 12 o'clock position. Remember, air bubbles float up. Thus, you want the opening/escape for the air to be positioned where the air is going to be. I hope this helps. Hit me back if you need anything else.

joetrainer31 said:

k00ksta,

In the Motorcraft stats there is a predrilled hole just like the one in the picture I posted. I'm not sure about the Stant. Some after market stats have a tiny lip/half hole, but it is inadequate. As stated earlier, even if you get a Motorcraft stat, which comes with a predrilled hole, I would drill a 2nd hole of the same circumfrence right next to it in order to speed up the process.

And, yes, you need to have at least one hole in the stat and have it positioned at the 12 o'clock position. Remember, air bubbles float up. Thus, you want the opening/escape for the air to be positioned where the air is going to be. I hope this helps. Hit me back if you need anything else.

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What size bit you think? I got some time to pull it and try it out hah I usually dont have any issues getting the air out but I am all for trying it to see if the temps stay lower in traffic.

k00ksta said:

What size bit you think? I got some time to pull it and try it out hah I usually dont have any issues getting the air out but I am all for trying it to see if the temps stay lower in traffic.

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I do not remember the size, but on page 4 of this post (near the bottom), there is a picture of my holding the Motorcraft stat. The pic shows the predrilled hole and you can guess the approx bit size using my hand, or the stat, or the writing on the stat. Just get the hole as close as possible in size. The position will be at the 12 o'clock position. If you drill a secondary hole just offset it a little from the original hole.

Also, make sure you observe where Ford has drilled their hole in relation to the overall structure of the stat. Does that make sense?

joetrainer31 said:

I do not remember the size, but on page 4 of this post (near the bottom), there is a picture of my holding the Motorcraft stat. The pic shows the predrilled hole and you can guess the approx bit size using my hand, or the stat, or the writing on the stat. Just get the hole as close as possible in size. The position will be at the 12 o'clock position. If you drill a secondary hole just offset it a little from the original hole.

Also, make sure you observe where Ford has drilled their hole in relation to the overall structure of the stat. Does that make sense?

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Yup cool thanks.

I've used the parked on an incline method while squeezing the top left radiator hose lots of times to encourage the movement of the air pocket.
A little trick I use, is I drain a little bit out of the radiator into a container so i can reuse the coolant (or if you already have low coolant)
It basically lowers the top level of the burp to the inside part (upper part of the radiator hole) instead of it spewing everywhere. As soon as it comes up and then starts going down it's being purged.
Turn the heat on full blast and have ALL your containers ready to fill it up as the fluid starts going down.
It's the easiest way, ...real easy

133 replies, got er going man?

ry94stang50 said:

Yeah I guess soo lol...well here is an update ...I parked the car because I got a low coolant light that came on but everything is full.....my bypass hose from the water pump was shot...got a replacement throwing it on tomorow ....the car is still running hot and I can not get the pocket out....evertime I try it shoots out the uncapped rad. So I am taking it to my buddys shop this week and he's hopefully gonna figure it out....there's no oil in the water or water in the oil so my hg os still good hopefully...he's going to run the pressure test and see what's up....but he wants to charhe me 50 $ and I saw I can buy my own tester for cheaper then that lol is that a rip off? I'm prob gonna let him do the test anyway because I assume he has a real pressure tester other then the chePo I can buy...I rwally hope he figures this out so I know if I have to rebuild or not...if uts the hg I'm not paying 2200 $ to just replace that wen I can get my entire engine revuilt for less then that...

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Two things: 1) you can rent a pressure tester from pep boys or autozone for free if you bring it back in working conditions.
2) what was the outcome? It sounds like a stat issue to me if the fan comes on at the "R," yet it gushes out. Sounds like the stat is failing to open.

Maybe this will revive the thread. A mystery always does. Especially when its solution was so simple. Here goes...

I had recently rebuilt the top half of my engine and replaced the cooling system with quality parts, and properly refilled the coolant system as I described in this thread. The car ran like a champ evenin this hot SoCal sun for about a month. Then, it happened. The car began failing to maintain a proper operating temperature while driving with the air on. If I switched the air off the temp would return to normal: R or M.

I thought that maybe the condenser fins were filled with debris. I inspected it,but saw nothing. I went ahead and sprayed the condenser with water just incase. However, the problem persisted. I checked for leaks, but could detect none. Also, the water pump displayed no signs of failure, plus it must be working if the car ran fine w/o the air on. I even checked the coolant level once the car had been sitting for several hours. The rad and overflow were full. I was stumped.

At this point I called my friend who is master Ford engine builder for advise. He said, from 3000 miles away, its your hose clamps causing the problem. I thought he was nuts, but I've known him for 15 years and trust his unseen diagnosis.

Today, I went and checked all my hose clamps (most are brand new), and saw that every single one was loose! They were not loose enough to allow fluid loss, but apparently they were loose enough to allow air to enter the system. Once I tightened the hoses I allowed my car's cooling system to cycle as I described in this post and it worked flawlessly. Upon the first cycle, after the fan kicked on and just before the stat achieved full open, I saw 2 big air bubbles come up through the rad filler neck. After that the system held rock steady on "R" with the A/C off and slightly cooler than the middle of "R" with the A/C on.

The moral of the story, and I hope this is helpful to someone, check ALL your hose clamps. If they are loose your system will draw air in from the outside and you will be chasing overheating issues if you fail to check the clamps! I hope this saves yall some headaches, blown gaskets, and $$$.