That time of year! Cooling ???'s Kinda Long

[Guyfoxbody]

OK. Already searched, need some feedback. I do not have an aftermarket guage so please consider helping anyway!

I live in GA. Get's pretty hot here. Anyway, I was between the second mark and the half mark in the normal range and the car never seemed to go over the half mark until just recently. The new radiator was already installed when I purchased the cAr. It has 42K original miles on her. The fan clutch seems to be fine. I did over rev it into the redline twice when I missed a a few shifts but does not blow smoke and the oil is fine so I really don't think it's a head gasket.

It has been getting warmer and now idles at the halfway mark and goes up to the middle between the half mark and the next mark all within the normal operating range. It doesn't overheat whatsoever. It will come back down to the half when cruising.

My question is what do you think the increase in temp is from? Would I be better served to get a 180* thermostat and maybe a heavy duty fan clutch here in GA?

Please let me know. Going to an eletric fan or getting an aluminum rad is not an option right now. Next year when I have the heads done and some other go fast mods I will consider the cooling upgrade.

Also, I recently had gears installed. 3:73's if that makes a difference since I am operating in a higher RPM range.

Thanks. Appreciate the advice and suggestions.

 

[gopher_6_9]

First thing you need to do is get an aftermarket gauge or an infrared thermometer and see what the temp is, it could be anything from a bad gauge, to a bad sender, to an actual problem. Worst case you should be able to get a cheap gauge from the zone ($20).

 

[HISSIN50]

Yeah, using a real gauge helps for diagnostics (even if you hook it up temporarily only).

Things to check: if running hot only while stationary, the fan/fan clutch is something to look at. I run an Imperial HD clutch which works very well (it was 107* today). The stock mechanical fan is hard to beat flow wise. If your fan blade is cracked, I had very good luck with a metal replacement blade.

Making sure the rad cap and system are holding pressure helps a lot.

Doing a stat is always good, IMHO. I am a fan of Mr Gasket stats.

If running hot on the highway, I would wonder about the radiator's ability to reject heat. If this is the case, ensure the air dam is present under the car.

Good luck.

 

[89MustangGX]

What you have sounds like normal stock cooling to me. I find that most cars run towards the middle of the gauge unless they have a lower temp thermostat.

 

[Guyfoxbody]

Thanks.

Last night I felt the top rad hose after a drive and it was hot. the lower hose was cool. I think it might be the stat. I am going to get a guage this weekend and also go to the 180*. We'll see.

 

[wht93gtEd]

I was running in the same area as you were describing...around the middle line, and if it was hot out, between the middle & the line above that.

About 3 weeks ago I dropped in a 3-core radiator, and now I'm just around the line BELOW the middle...I'm not sure how many degree's that is, but it's a significant drop in temp.

 

[Black Sun 5.0]

Air dam solved all my cooling problems. Definitely make sure it's still there.