Losing Coolant...radiator Cap?

[KENS89LX]

After up to normal temp should coolant be draining into the overflow? i pulled the little hose at the rad and it was a constant flow, and when i increased the rpm's the more came out and after a short drive the overflow bottle was full. shouldnt the cap only release coolant after 14-18lb of pressure, from what i saw it was constant flow i checked rad with no seepage seen.

 

[toyman]

The cap should hold until 16 psi before releasing coolant to the bottle. The bottle level should remain between the hot and cold marks.

 

[KENS89LX]

ok.. I was thinking it wasnt right it did'nt change flow into reservoir, and it will fill upto the top when i put the cap on. i will get a new one tomorrow, hopefully fixing it .another issue is the guage in the dash when i turned on the lights this evening the temp needle jumped up, are they known to go bad?

 

[rbohm]

ok.. I was thinking it wasnt right it did'nt change flow into reservoir, and it will fill upto the top when i put the cap on. i will get a new one tomorrow, hopefully fixing it .another issue is the guage in the dash when i turned on the lights this evening the temp needle jumped up, are they known to go bad?

you have a ground issue somewhere. the lights are trying to ground through the gauge. now oyu need to determine which lights have the ground issue. it might also be that you dont have a ground strap from the engine to the body. so start there. that was the problem my old F250 had. i ran grounds from the batteries to the chassis, and from the engine to the body.

 

[89stang1]

if it turns out cap didnt fix start thinking about changing therm or could even be a air bubble in in cooling system

 

[KENS89LX]

update..i got a new cap and the flowing seized and after looking at the seals of the old compared to the new, theres no wonder it leaked..going to church this evening will see if coolant stays in the rad. As for the ground issue i know that i do have a ground from engine to body, but the ground battery cable did come lose where it bolts to the terminal, maybe that is the issue.

 

[toyman]

FWIW there is a dash cluster ground as well. It is usually on the tunnel hump close to the firewall behind the amplifier or somewhere close. If you pull back the carpeting you should be able to find it. Not a usual problem. More likely the one you mentioned. When checking grounds (and power leads) ensure that not only are the terminals are clean and tight but also look for corrosion in the cable itself by pulling back the sheathing about 1".

 

[KENS89LX]

checked fluid in rad and it is normal, so that cap was the issue...thanks!!

 

[KENS89LX]

ok now it is still running 3/4 hot, although not steaming //changed clutch fan, removed thermostat, same issue although not losing fluid, now is the rad the same in a 4cyl car, the one i have in it now is a 2 row copper rad. will a 89-92 thunderbird or Ltd rad work?

 

[stykthyn]

You probably still have air in the system. Jack up the front of the car and remove the cap. Let the engine run until the tstat opens and all the air I is allowed to escape

 

[KENS89LX]

ok got the fluid thing fixed but still running 3/4 on guage so i removed thermo, no difference, replaced clutch fan , no difference. Is there any other Ford that the rad would fit .....thunderbird, LTD....on a budget so if i can get one that has more than my stock one.