Overheating Issue. Need Help

[DonaldShetter]

so i took my stang off ramps today to drive around. I had been driving for about a half hour (city). We stopped for about 5 minutes when we heard a pop and saw white smoke. I looked at the temp guage and it wasnt anywhere near the hot mark. After it cooled I checked and all the hoses were fine and all the coolant pointed tothe cap. This has happened twice so far both times I did loose fluid. I am baffled by the situation. The temp guage reads ok but the cap gives way. Need help ASAP

 

[wmburns]

Let's tackle a few items. As for the ECT gauge, if there is air inside the motor, the ECT will be in contact with air instead of coolant. This will make the ECT read low. So this sets up a possibility of how the ECT can read normal while the motor is actually overheating.

How to trouble shoot. 1st confirm that the cooling fan runs on BOTH speeds (GT/Cobra uses 2 speed V6=single speed).

Does the motor overheat if driven at a constant speed?

 

[DonaldShetter]

I doubt its air cause this has happened twice in about 1 1/2 months. The car temp is fine at constant speeds. Both times it happened I was sitting still. She runs like a champ any other time.

 

[wmburns]

The car temp is fine at constant speeds. Both times it happened I was sitting still. She runs like a champ any other time.

^^^^This points to a cooling fan problem.

Note, the cooling fan does not run at all when the car's speed is above 45 MPH. Therefore if OK above 45 MPH but overheats in stop/go traffic, the 1st thing to consider is the cooling fan.

Also note that some model year Mustangs have an auto-reset circuit breaker on the cooling fan. This set up the possibility of the fan motor overloading the CB thus tripping. When the CB cools it will reset. Fan runs. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Bad fan bearings is one cause of excessive current draw.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

the fan assembly is easy to replace and not too expensive like the master says its likely that

 

[DonaldShetter]

i think is it. I did the MAX AC to try and get the fan to kick on and it didnt. So my next move wash to hook 12V directly to the fan harness and attemot both speeds. If I remember low spd didnt spin and high spd pulsed and slowed to a crawl might be the other way but either way one spd wasnt working. Do we all agree that my fan is toasted?

 

[maxvelocity]

Check your cooling fan plug. I had one melt a little and cause it to not turn on and exhibited the symptoms you were experiencing. I cleaned the female contacts in the plug and the problem disappeared.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

mine was just broke I had to replace the whole assembly and the fuse

 

[DonaldShetter]

here is an update. The plug was melted but the fan was toasted. I purchased a new fan and the car runs great. The only negative is I was sitting in a parking lot and it didn't over heat but the cap popped again. I didn't loose much fluid cause I shut the car off before I made to much of a mess. Dad says its the water pump but I think my cap is toasted. If it was the water pump I would have over heating issues ALL the time.