Wow, now that's pretty HOT

[ChingonStang]

Trying to get a little help. I recently bought a 96 Mustang V6 and have always heard that "Mustangs" in general run hot. Well...that brings me to my current problem with my Mustang. I have noticed that in stop in go traffic, on a hot day, with the AC on that my Mustang temp meter will swing all the over to the L in NORMAL. I know this can't be a normal thing. Of course...if I cut the AC, the temp meter falls back down to around the halfway mark, but leaning towards the right. Driving on the highway with the AC on, on a hot day keeps the temp sensor stick a little past the halfway point.

Any ideas on this? Radiator is fine and plenty of fluid in there. Could I be having issues with my thermostat or water pump? Its just weird that I have problems in stop in go traffic as oppossed to highway driving.

Thanks...

 

[Berubeny]

Your engine works harder in stop and go. At highway speed your rad is recieving more air to help cool it. Mine is the same way, never had a problem with the temp at L on the gauge. I own a 96 v6 as well.

 

[jasonlee0704]

Don't let it run too long on 'L' - in city traffic, with the AC on, I wasn't paying attention to the temp gauge on a hot day in Oklahoma and the hot temperature eventually cracked my upper radiator hose on my 1995. Not a fun thing to have vaporized coolant spraying everywhere.

 

[teenv6]

You just might need/want to have that looked at, it might be your thermostat. The most they can say is it's normal, even though my 97 doesn't move when I'm in stop and go, with or without the ac.

 

[Jamez]

I thought '96+ have the dummy temp guage?

 

[Berubeny]

I thought '96+ have the dummy temp guage?

Dummy temp gauge?

 

[Ghostalker]

turn on your heaters!? cools downt he engine a bit, and you can close the ones that point to you so most if not all of it is directed away from you correct?
i dont tend to use the AC, rather just have my window rolled down, even if its hot... although my AC tend to run ICE cold (recently re-charged or w/e)

 

[ChingonStang]

Turn on my heater!?! In Texas?!? Heh, no way! Thanks for the tips. I have been just cutting off the AC when it seems to run a bit hot. I am going to probably replace the thermostat and I am thinking of getting the radiator cleaned. There is a shop down the street where I had this done on another vehicle. They take the radiator apart and boil it in acid to get all the gunk and buildup. I recently purchased this Mustang for 3k with 102k miles on it and have no idea if previous owners really kept up with it. Carfax listed 2 previous owners. The engine runs really strong, which was mainly important for me and one of the reasons I bought it. I will let you all know how it turns out.

 

[marvinmycat]

Flush and fill your radiator.
Put in a 160 degree thermostat.
Dump a bottle of CoolMax in there.

 

[dastang2]

sounds like you got air pockets in the heads, there is a vent bolt on top of the fitting that screws into the lower intake right behind the water neck. open it up and fill the radiator until water starts to pour out of that vent then tighten it and drive it. do this when it is cool so you do not get sprayed. i would also take the temp senser wire off of the sensor and ground it to the engine. if the gauge is fully pegged to the hot side then the gauge works. i would also replace the sensor.

 

[97WhiteStang]

I would say running the a/c is part of your problem, and thats why most cars overheat. Your not having a problem on the highway cause your car isnt working/running as hard plus the air flow helps. Flush the system (not hard at all im 17 and did it myself) and Replace your stat (also easy and did myself). It should help out alot with 102k miles on it because it prob. hasnt been done in awhile if at all.

 

[ChingonStang]

Kew, Kew. I am going to go ahead and flush the radiator and replace the fluid. Gonna start there first and then go from there. I am just hoping that my radiator isn't screwed up. I think that I should be able to run my stang with the AC with no problems since another friend of mine has a 96 also and runs his ac all the time with no signs of the engine getting hot.

I wish there was a way to put a oversized radiator on my Stang like I have on my Bronco. It can be like 110 degrees outside and running the AC in stop and go traffic and the temp gauge stays near C.

 

[Dan_Soprano]

Here's a thought, maybe your waterpump is going. Not unlikely with 102K on the ticker.....

 

[dastang2]

you can put anysize radiator you want to with a cutting torch and some know how. i did on my 89 and it looked stock and worked, but my fan hit it and it is gone now. i run my ac sometimes and the temp stays the same, a/c wouldn't be around if it made the cars overheat. check for the air pockets first, a fluxxing gauge is a sure sign of that.