'03 Cobra Radiator Swap out Mishimoto

[danrat]

Installing a Mishimoto Aluminum Radiator and fan.

Recently the So Cal temps were making my Cobra overheat slightly.
I was hell bent on the Fluidyne but a bunch of people told me that the Mishimoto's were the way to go. I had to move the ABS back a couple of inches to make clearance and it fits well. However, I am skeptical about the wiring for the fan. The fan basically stays on all the time unless you mount a circuit into the car. The guys over at AmericanMuscle said it should be fine as well as the Mishimoto folks. Here are the two products:

Mishimoto Performance Aluminum Mustang Radiator - Manual - (97-04 GT/Cobra/MACH1/Bullitt) at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

Mishimoto High Flow 14in Fan w/ Lightweight Aluminum Shroud Kit (97-04) at AmericanMuscle.com - Free Shipping!

Anyone have any advise for me? Besides "Why the hell are you putting Asian parts on a FORD"

Any help much appreciated.


Thanks,

Dan

 

[COBRA90GT]

Sounds like a not-so-perfect fit. Keep your fingers crossed RE the radiator - keep reading about them having multiple failures on several different mustang message boards, as you're probably aware.


BTW - How hot is it getting in late Nov / early Dec in Southern Cal where the temps are making your '03 run "hot?" Is it actually overheating - do you have an aftermarket water temp gauge to confirm or any datalogger for coolant / water temperature data ?


Barring any installation and/or wiring mishaps on your behalf, something has got to be amiss with the Mishimoto fan & wiring shroud kit.

Remove the Mishimoto fan/kit and hook up your factory fan (don't bolt everything up - just for test purposes). Be careful of the blades inside of the fan housing while you hold the fan bracket up in the air while testing - again, just to confirm that the factory fan (wiring) works properly.

Then re-connect the aftermarket piece you purchased and see if the same problem (fan runs all the time) re-appears. If it does, you might have a junk fan shroud kit (the wiring) - contact the vendor you purchased it from and request a replacement.


G'luck.

FWIW - Asian parts on a Ford ?

 

[wmburns]

See the following thread for information on how to integrate an aftermarket fan to the STOCK CCRM. This will retain the stock fan operation and avoid "hacking" the wiring harness.

http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-forums/823790-mishimoto-cooling-fans.html

The above thread uses a dual fan unit. To adapt to a single fan unit would require some sort of ballast resister in the LS circuit to allow for two speed operation.

If you don't care about two speed operation, simply tie the LS and HS wires together and call it a day. The only issue I can see if perhaps the LS circuit breaker may not be large enough to run what amounts to a HS fan on a LS circuit.

OBTW, are you absolutely certain that all air has been removed from the cooling system? Any air trapped inside the engine will delay the t-stat opening as well as make the temperature sensor read low. This is because the devices are in contact with air instead of direct contact with coolant.

The DOHC and V6 motors WILL OVERHEAT if the coolant refill procedures are not followed exactly. The SOHC motor will self purge after several heat/cool cycles. The V6 and DOHC motors will never self purge.