think my thermostat is screwed

[grendel]

my car starts to overheat when driving through town while idleing and light to light driving. on the highway it is fine, the temp gauge doesnt even move. could the reason for this be that my thermostat has gone bad? how is there a way to check it?

 

[road rage]

yup sounds like thermostat, but also listen to see if the fan is kicking on while in traffic.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

You can test the thermostat by taking it out and boiling it in water while you monitor the temperature of the water with a thermometer. But screw that, just replace it! www.fordracingparts.com has cool ones...

 

[COramprat]

They aren't expensive. Just swap it out...maybe with a cooler than stock if you prefer.

 

[grendel]

my car is to damn loud to hear the fan, haha

 

[Jakes]

Like someone else said, make sure your fan is cycling properly. Sounds to me more like the fan not coming on. Good air flow on the highway but none when you're driving in town (no fan). If the thermo were stuck closed or part way closed you'd run hot on the highway too.

 

[Darkhorse845]

They are cheap get a 180 degree Stant
Thermostat.

 

[white99gt]

If it doesnt overheat on the highway its NOT the thermostat.The coolant fan is NOT coming on ,this is what keeps it from overheating around town.

If the tstat was bad the issue would be at highway speeds and around town.

 

[xseler8]

If it doesnt overheat on the highway its NOT the thermostat.The coolant fan is NOT coming on ,this is what keeps it from overheating around town.

If the tstat was bad the issue would be at highway speeds and around town.

I agree with these replies.

 

[grendel]

but at highway speeds wouldnt there be enough air going through the radiator without the fan to keep it cool?

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Yes, that is what they are saying. Since it does not overheat at highway speeds it is not the thermostat. It is most likely the cooling fan. Do you have underdrive pulleys? Do you use water wetter?

Let it heat up and then check the fan to see if it is spinning.

 

[grendel]

ok, next time i drive my car around for a while i will check it. i dont have pulleys or use water wetter

 

[white99gt]

ok, next time i drive my car around for a while i will check it. i dont have pulleys or use water wetter

If its over heating ,I would not keep driving it till its fixed.

If its gonna over heat it will do it in your driveway if the coolant fan isnt working.

If a thermostat was bad,I dont care if you were going 150mph its not gonna cool off.

 

[Hungry4Horses]

You can see if you thermostat opens easily. Idle your car and wait for the gauge to start moving up. If the thermostat is working it will open and water moves through the radiator hose. If you feel the radiator hose it feels hot when water is flowing through it. The Radiator hose doesn't get scorching hot just hot enough to not be able hang on to the hose. You can probably feel the water flowing through, I can with mine. Good luck man.

 

[CanadaStang]

my car starts to overheat when driving through town while idleing and light to light driving. on the highway it is fine, the temp gauge doesnt even move. could the reason for this be that my thermostat has gone bad? how is there a way to check it?

When you say " the temp gauge dosen't even move" do you mean it doesn't come off of cold? Or do you mean it doesn't move past normal?

 

[SVTLink]

If it is the fan, how could you correct the problem? I have the same problem, my fan doesn't come on the low speed, but works on the high temp. I was thinking it was the temp coolant sensor or the actual fan? Can anyone shed any light on this?

Mr. noob