Overheating.

[maruska]

'02 V6. 120,000 Miles.

Just replaced the thermostat today thinking that woulda been the problem. Worked for a good 20 minutes after it was all running and good. Took it to the carwash and it was over heating again. Any more ideas?

When I first bought the car in May it had some fan issues making it over heat but that all went away somehow. Now it seems that once it got below 20 degrees it wants to overheat.

Ideas?

 

[flyinlo94]

if the fan issues just "went away somehow" they probably didn't really go away. what kind of fan issues was/is it having?

 

[Skymarshal]

What kind of fan issues?

If the engine temp was increasing rapidly every so often, and then returning to normal, you may have a blown head gasket. Is your coolant milky looking, or is there water (bubbles) in your oil?

 

[voteaustin]

I have a blown head gasket...
I replaced the thermostat today (that took awhile, cuz the alternator housing was in the way)
but, i'm on over heat too.
I'm going to flush the radiator and hoses tomorrow, then try a quick fix...
Anybody heard good OR bad things about Bars Leaks Gasket seal???
what am i in for?

 

[MustangLX-5.0]

Absolutely....DO NOT use Bars Leaks in the cooling system.That crap may plug leaks if they aren't too bad,but it'll also restrict coolant flow through your radiator giving you too much pressure.Its good if you absolutely know squat about working on cars.

voteaustin,what's the condition of your coolant & oil? Any milkyness on dipstick or oily globs (or rainbow colors) in your coolant? Are you positive it's a head gasket leak?

 

[voteaustin]

.....well, i didn't use bars leaks, but the shop who told me it was a head gasket, obviously didn't care to look. (Intake Manifold Gasket)

So, I took her apart and when I got down to the heads, they were fine. Talk about an extra 3 hrs of work... The car runs perfect now. But it sucks that the stangs only make it to about 60k miles before they break like that.

All in all, new parts to my baby: MAF sensor
TPS sensor
Throttle body gaskets
Air filter
Intake Manifold gasket
L and R Head gaskets
Water pump
Lower Radiator Hose
Alternator
and Battery