5.0Droptop
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Special Agent Mukity-Muck Whats in Charge Round Here
What's a normal operating temp for a mild 306?
- Thread starter 91StangGT5.0
- Start date
Not sure it's been said or not. But OTHER than getting a real gauge you can actually read a number value <-- priority one. Check to make sure you actually have a STANDARD rotation water pump on and not the REVERSE rotation pump since you said you replaced it recently.
FYI I have that exact radiator with a slim fan (not as good as that one) and I can run 180 steady all day long with my turbo 393w. That setup could cool a BBF at idle/cruise no problems
FYI I have that exact radiator with a slim fan (not as good as that one) and I can run 180 steady all day long with my turbo 393w. That setup could cool a BBF at idle/cruise no problems
- Oct 21, 2009
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Yea the water pump turns the right way from looking at the direction of the pulley being spun, but as far as internally I do not know. I assume it's turning with the outside (COUNTERCLOCKWISE). I'm going to install a my autometer electric gauge that I've had but been too busy to put on.
- Oct 21, 2009
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TokyoJoe, what all do you have done with your engine? What is your cooling system like? Do you have an opening in your grill? i.e. Cobra Grille Insert or LX bumper.
EDIT: Also do you have A/C??? I have a A/C condenser in front of my radiator.
EDIT: Also do you have A/C??? I have a A/C condenser in front of my radiator.
Another good reason not to open the radiator cap is to prevent antifreeze from spewing all over your paint. And like was said before, no need to take the risk of burning yourself when there are other ways to test.
If it was fan problem then cruising 50+ mph on the highway should keep the car cool. Is the scrape guard still on the car? It actually redirects air towards the radiator.
However, if it runs hot at speed and is better at idle, then either the block is not transferring enough heat to the water (a water flow problem), or the radiator is not transferring heat to the air.
Things to check:
1. the coolant itself (clean or not, any gasket material?, is it low, are you losing coolant? Is the heater in the car still blowing hot air?) If you have found debris in the coolant, then it's possible you've blown a head gasket. If so, this crap can block coolant passages causing problems.
2. fan (is it electric? Does it come on lower than the t-stat opens? Is there a shroud that forces air through rather than around the radiator?) Signs of a poor fan are obvious when the car overheats at idle, but not at cruise.
3. Check to ensure that stock vents are still in place. Air scoops/brush guards usually help to push air through the radiator at speed. A GT without the hole that leads to the radiator is more susceptible to overheating without the front air dam/scrape guard.
4. Thermostat (is it allowing water to enter the radiator?). One obvious sign of a bad t-stat is that the upper radiator hose is still cold
5. radiator cap (since you have a pressure release, you should be able to tell if the system is pressurizing)
6. Temperature gauge (is it reliable? Test it with another sending unit or a hand-held thermal readers
7. Radiator (Has it been flushed? is it corroded? How old is it? Are too many of the fins bent?) If the radiator isn't flowing air or water well, then it loses efficiency. Generally a radiator that's too small or has become inefficient will be noticed while the engine is under load.
That's all I can think of for now. Good luck.
If it was fan problem then cruising 50+ mph on the highway should keep the car cool. Is the scrape guard still on the car? It actually redirects air towards the radiator.
However, if it runs hot at speed and is better at idle, then either the block is not transferring enough heat to the water (a water flow problem), or the radiator is not transferring heat to the air.
Things to check:
1. the coolant itself (clean or not, any gasket material?, is it low, are you losing coolant? Is the heater in the car still blowing hot air?) If you have found debris in the coolant, then it's possible you've blown a head gasket. If so, this crap can block coolant passages causing problems.
2. fan (is it electric? Does it come on lower than the t-stat opens? Is there a shroud that forces air through rather than around the radiator?) Signs of a poor fan are obvious when the car overheats at idle, but not at cruise.
3. Check to ensure that stock vents are still in place. Air scoops/brush guards usually help to push air through the radiator at speed. A GT without the hole that leads to the radiator is more susceptible to overheating without the front air dam/scrape guard.
4. Thermostat (is it allowing water to enter the radiator?). One obvious sign of a bad t-stat is that the upper radiator hose is still cold
5. radiator cap (since you have a pressure release, you should be able to tell if the system is pressurizing)
6. Temperature gauge (is it reliable? Test it with another sending unit or a hand-held thermal readers
7. Radiator (Has it been flushed? is it corroded? How old is it? Are too many of the fins bent?) If the radiator isn't flowing air or water well, then it loses efficiency. Generally a radiator that's too small or has become inefficient will be noticed while the engine is under load.
That's all I can think of for now. Good luck.
I don't know about Joe, but I have an A/C condenser and an intercooler in front of my radiator. I had cooling problems and decided to get a new radiator, condenser, and a badass set of electric cooling fans to fix my problem. I think my problem was the ability to draw air through at idle. I don't think that the one spal fan I had was enough. So, I got another one, and now my car is happy again!
- Oct 21, 2009
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Scrapeguard is the black plastic thing that goes straight down about 3" or so at the radiator cross member.
My cooling system is the same 3 row radiator that you have with a massive 4" intercooler with about a 4" gab between my radiator. I have an 18" slimline fan with a 5" downpipe about 1/2" in front of it with an electric water pump. Runs 180* with the fan on a 180* relay.
This is with the old one row before I upgraded to the 3 row.
My cooling system is the same 3 row radiator that you have with a massive 4" intercooler with about a 4" gab between my radiator. I have an 18" slimline fan with a 5" downpipe about 1/2" in front of it with an electric water pump. Runs 180* with the fan on a 180* relay.
This is with the old one row before I upgraded to the 3 row.
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- Oct 21, 2009
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Do you have a pic of the new 3 row in your Stang? You have boat loads of free space and room lol
- Oct 21, 2009
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Hmmm I just drove my car about 15 miles and most of it going 50+ mph. I got hard on the throttle even went WOT a bit and my stock gauge never went past the 180* mark (one has h before the middle)
Tanus
New Member
- Oct 21, 2009
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Yea if you can keep that cool with that slim fan, then I should be good. I've never actually "overheated" I've just gotten somewhat close I think. When I found out the thermostat housing gasket had a leak. Since then my gauge has gotten up to the 220* hash mark not very often, but mostly because I rarely drive more than 10 miles on the highway to work everyday so the highest it's ever gotten was half way. I drove 15 miles one way on a highway and the highest it got was the 180* hash ("A"). I drove back an hour or so later and stopped to get food, sat in a drive thru for 10 minutes or so, and it never moved from the "A". I got home and checked under the hood to be sure and nothing was terribly hot. The upper radiator hose wasn't too hot but was pressurized and the radiator was pretty cool. Then again it's in the high 40s right now so that may play a big part in it lol.
Here's a pic of where it was sitting at....
It actually went down a bit from the "A" when I idled in my driveway for 5-6 mins.
Here's a pic of where it was sitting at....
It actually went down a bit from the "A" when I idled in my driveway for 5-6 mins.
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another question.....how how is the radiator supposed to get when driving? Also how much affect can the transmission have on the cooling system? I knew I had a transmission cooler mounted in front of the a/c condenser, but what I didn't notice was the the cooler wasn't in front of the fan. Now, me having an AOD would this cause my temp to very very slowly creep my temp up? I notice more of a rise in temp when driving on the highway, but it rises even slower when warming up and cruising on a street.
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