Anyone think they can figure out why my car runs so hot?

DaveB

Founding Member
Jul 13, 2002
637
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Middlesex and Pomona, NJ
What's up fellah's, I've posted about this problem before several times in the past, with no clear cut answer. The problem with my car is that if you drive it in certain situations, mainly uphill, on the highway, and when really beating on it :rolleyes: it runs really, really hot . For example, tonight it was awesome out, so I put the top down and went for a ride up in the twisty mountain roads about 5 min from my house. The road that I took was going uphill. Its maybe a little over a mile long. With lots of dips and tight turns, its an awesome road.

Anyway, by the time I was up to the part where all the houses are and slowed down, by temp gauge was on the l part of L. But by the time I drove down it, the gauge was on the R, so the radiator is working alright. This isnt the only situation where this happens. On my drives home from college I go over the Driscoll Bridge which isnt very steep, but is about 2 or so miles long starting where you start to go uphill. By the time Im at the top the temp gauge is on the A. Also, if I drive on the highway for 90 minutes or so, the temp gauge will be on the A by the time I get back to college.

Now if the car just idles, the temp is fine, just staying on the O or so. The fans also work, as I've seen them come on. With normal driving, it sometimes gets way up there, but usually will stop at the M on the gauge. Im also sure the gauge is accurate, as I had my mechanic use an infared temp gun and it was 23x* when the guage was on the A when this problem first developed. Also, the car slows down tremendously when the guage gets past the R.

It first started 2 years ago when I put on LT headers, a Dr. Gas offroad X-pipe, new plugs/wires, cap/rotor, and an ASP smog pump eliminator. As soon as I started driving it around, the problem started. Althiough I have no proof of it, I think it has something to do with the EGR, as thats the only thing we really needed to mess with (grind down, and what a pain to reinstall) to get the car up and ready to go.

During winter the problem really isnt a big deal, with the really cold air and the fact that Im at college, and its only 5 miles from where I live off campus. Last summer I lived by school and worked 1.5 miles away, so the problem never really came up (unless I went for long highway drives).

So here I am again, living at home for the summer, and the problem is showing itself again. Now my car is at 105k miles, but the problem first started out of nowhere with around 80k, so I dont think its directly the radiatior's fault.

Also, I should add that my car sat for about a week during that round of mods since my dumbass broke the dipstick tube and it took my local dealer a several days to get my another one.

So, short of buying a Fluidyne, does anyone have any ideas as to what it could be? I think I may try out an EGR eliminator and see if that works.
 
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I actually put in water wetter when I did that round of mods, forgot to add that in there. I replaced the thermostat, but it was a stocker, I though maybe the original broke somehow. I may give that a shot, but isnt that just kind of a band aid to the original problem? Right before those mods it was running fine. I love this car but hate it at the same time :bang: .
 
DaveB said:
From what I've seen the radiator cap is fine, but Ill check into it. Ack, dont say HG :fuss: . Do you think it would still not let go after almost 2 years though?

First go to AutoZone if you have one and let them do a compression check on your radiator cap but for that matter you might want to do a complete compression check on your radiator system to make sure there are no leaks.

I'm sorry I said head gasket but it has been my experience that to fix a problem it will either be a very expensive part but easy to remove or it will be one of the least expensive parts but will take two days to fix due to the location on the car.

Your head gasket could be just bad enough that an easy drive won't effect anything but when you strain the motor it could just make just enough pressure to push out a part of the gasket.

Good luck man I know how aggravating it is my car runs very warm with the air on but I have a 347 with a Fluidyene and it still runs warm in the summer.
 
I had the same exact problem with mine. The more mods I did the worse job the stock radiator did keeping my ride cool. I ended up going with an all aluminum radiator to correct the problem. Now I can beat on it all day long and it doesn't over heat.
 
Start With The Cheapest Part(therrostat)test It In Water In A Pan And A Thermometer. Before You Install It.(right Side Up) Parts Stores Sell Faulty Parts!!!trust Me.get A 160 Dont F** Around. If That Dont Work. You Dont Have Much Choice But To Replace The Cooling System One Piece At A Time.yep You Guessed It Alum Radiator, Fans
Water Pump. I Would Do It All Before I Tear The Heads Off To Check The Gaskets.and If Head Gaskets Are The Cause In The Long Run.
At Least You Have All New Stuff.
My Cusin Had Alum 3 Row, High Flow Pump, 160 Therm,elct Fans.
Still Baried The Needle. Distiled And Water Wetter Solved It .
(as Suggested Above I Belive)
 
my money is on the egr. without the egr, the engine can definately run hotter. this is because the egr introduces exhaust gases into the intake which dilutes the amount of oxygen. less oxygen=less combustion; less combustion=less heat generated.

the role of the egr is to lower the temps inside the cylinders to keep formation of NOX down.
 
Alright guys, thanks a lot for all of the replies.


Nucking Futs - that problem would cause me to lose coolany correct? For better or worse, I havent. The level is fine.


final5-0 - still there

greenlantern - how much did that radiator cost you? The cheapest I can find a Fluidyne is $337 shipped. And since thats being changed I figured I might as well get a bew waterpump (changed mine 35k ago) and get new hoses and thermostat

89MustangGX - I sure it went in the right way. And I changed it after the problem developed

GREYFOX4INCH - I think Im going to start with the 160* thermostat, as you said, since its the cheapest

BlackVert - do you think that the EGR could be stuck open or something? I think its suppossed to close at WOT? Not positive though. Only reason I think it could be that is thats the only thing that we had a problem with and had to fiddle with to fit. Nothing else I installed even dealt with the engine getting any hotter.

Thanks a lot guys.
 
username182 said:
my car is always on the "A". No matter how i drive it, it stays there. I just figured that was normal.... :shrug: maybe no?


Always as in every moment the car is running? If so, it might be the gauge or the sensor. If thats where it warms up to, you might want to have it checked out, as the whole "NORMAL" thing for the guages is pretty stupid. Ford should have never done that in the first place. But ya, if it warms up into the "A" thats around 230*, which is pretty hot.

Also, can I buy a 160* thermostat at a parts store or do I have to buy it through a company like Summit?
 
DaveB, before you go crazy buying parts, have you tested your coolant lately?

I had cooling problems during the summer, especially when I ran the A/C, stop-and-go driving, etc. and I tried just about everything. Then I tested my coolant, and it read something like 90-95% coolant, 5-10% water. Which, it goes without saying, really sucks for cooling.

What happened, I think, is that the coolant overflow hose wasn't fitting right where it connected to the radiator. Water would slowly evaporate, concentrating the remaining coolant more over time. The lost coolant volume I just chalked up to normal use. The last time I had flushed my cooling system was close to 3 years ago - now, after replacing the hose and flushing the system again the temperature gauge hasn't gone past the "M", even with temperatures starting to approach 90 degrees outside here in Oklahoma.
 
DaveB said:
Alright guys, thanks a lot for all of the replies.


Nucking Futs - that problem would cause me to lose coolany correct? For better or worse, I havent. The level is fine.


final5-0 - still there

greenlantern - how much did that radiator cost you? The cheapest I can find a Fluidyne is $337 shipped. And since thats being changed I figured I might as well get a bew waterpump (changed mine 35k ago) and get new hoses and thermostat

89MustangGX - I sure it went in the right way. And I changed it after the problem developed

GREYFOX4INCH - I think Im going to start with the 160* thermostat, as you said, since its the cheapest

BlackVert - do you think that the EGR could be stuck open or something? I think its suppossed to close at WOT? Not positive though. Only reason I think it could be that is thats the only thing that we had a problem with and had to fiddle with to fit. Nothing else I installed even dealt with the engine getting any hotter.

Thanks a lot guys.
i'm thinking it is stuck closed