Thermo or water pump?

95.0Stang

Member
Feb 20, 2003
538
1
18
Kansas
My car has started running very warm in town, but stays about normal on the highway.

In town it reads up to the "A" at which point I shut the car down because I dont want it to overheat.

On the highway it reads right between "O R" which is slightly warmer then it ran two weeks ago.

I saw coolant on the ground, there is coolant below the thermostat and just above the water pump, I am thinking the housing on the thermo may be cracked.

Thanks,
Jared
 
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Get the radiator pressurize tester and you will see for sure what leaks, I've had coolant in the same spot as you described and it was the thermostat.
 
I would personally hold off on the Watter Wetter. What Watter Wetter does is allow the block to transfer heat to the water more efficiently, so the metal in the engine will (in theory) run cooler BUT the coolant temperature will be higher. Here's a more lengthy explanation:

When the coolant runs by the cylinders (or any hot part of the block), the coolant BOILS in a thin layer due to the heat differential. Note not all the coolant boils, just the part right up against the metal. Heat is transferred to the coolant through the bubbles in the boiling coolant, cooling the block. This is how any liquid-cooled engine works.

If you could reduce the size of the bubbles in the boiling coolant, you can get the non-boiling coolant closer to the metal and transfer more heat into the coolant. This is what Water Wetter does. In a cooling system that is working well AND has more cooling capacity than the engine needs, Water Wetter *can* lower the operating temperature by transferring more heat out of the block and keep the metal cooler. The coolant won't heat up as much, so your temp gauge won't go as high.

Remember, any engine will overheat in minutes without any coolant. The coolant system keeps the engine running cool enough to keep operating. Now, if your coolant system isn't able to disperse enough heat and is running too warm, the system isn't working right. All Watter Wetter will do in this case is cause your temp gauge to rise faster, although your block should theoretically be a bit cooler than before.

In my opinion, if Water Wetter "fixes" a cooling problem, then it's only masking the problem rather than fixing it. I'd rather dig farther into the problem and find out the real cause of the overheating.

I could see a use for Water Wetter on a modified engine, if you want it running as cool as possible. But on a stock engine? I'd rather spend the money on something else.
 
I'd also hold off on wetting agents for now. They're nice for folks running pure water (in which case there should be ample heat rejection anyhow since E/G isnt holding heat in). Otherwise, I'd not add that variable or crutch, as Chythar suggested.

The advice to pressure test the cooling system was good and is where I'd start.

Good luck.
 
check the bypass hose at the thermostat housing,could be old and corroded,allowing coolant to leak past.also check the top-passanger side corner of the radiator,where the radiator mount attaches to the radiator.could have a small leak.
 
I had a similar situation hapening, Put the car on the rack to check out another issue, and found antifreeze on the swaybar. I showed watermarks on the same areas. Turned out to be one of the bolts on the intake, #1 cylinder side front bolt, you could barely touch it cause the hard lines for the heater go by right above it, but when i could get a finger on it it moved. So I pulled the intake and fixed that, 3 weeks later, front cover leaks water. Got that fixed, so now I can sit and wait until it springs a leak from somewhere else.