Please help me with my overheating problem

[Evil Joe]

I recently moved to central Texas...and so far my mustang has been pretty pissed off with the hot weather. The engine has been overheating on a regular basis. During the day (with the A/C running - absolutely necessary) my car will run at around 220-235 in traffic (between the "O" up to the "R" of NORMAL on the temp guage). Sometimes, it will even creep up to past the "O". At night or on the highway, it runs at about 200.

What should I do????

So far, I've replaced:

New 1.5" 3 core radiator
High Flow water pump
High Flow 180 Thermostat
New Temperature Sensor
15% coolant / 85% water w/"Water Wetter"
New Ford Racing Oil Cooler
Heavy Duty Fan Clutch

I've also used a block tester kit to check for head/head gasket leaks and I've checked the compression. Both seem fine.

Which option do you recommend:

1.) Buy a new Fluidyne aluminum radiator ($400)
2.) Electric fan + 3G Alternator ($200)
3.) Both 1 and 2 ($650)
4.) Don't worry about it...220-235 is not that hot.

I would really appreciate any input.

Evil Joe


1989 5.0 AOD
145000 miles
mods: 3.55 rear end & no cats.


Funny overheating story: I still use the old freon in A/C system. I haven't changed the accumulator in awhile and I know there is some water in there. One day, my engine heated up to about 260 degrees in heavy traffic. Just as I past a cop directin traffic, one of my A/C lines blew up (probably due to the water pressure) causing a loud bang (like a gunshot). The cop hit the deck, got on the radio, and started looking around. As steam/freon rose from my engine bay, I booked out of there and sped home.

 

[ECU5.0]

id go for a new radiator....and possibly an electric fan. a big aluminum radiator is always a good thing

 

[N8Miller]

i say the rad. too. the one that you have is probably good if you live in like NC or somewhere moderate, but if you live in the heart of heat, you better make sure that you get something real heavy duty. the electric fan and 3g is a very good idea. a nice taurus fan will work great.

 

[Legendary]

I would get the 2 core radiator from summitracing.com. You can check my link and see how it looks. It's a nice peice and the damn thing is huge. Upgrading to an electric fan won't help your cooling unless you have a defective fan clutch. But I would go electric just for the looks alone. Plus less stress on the water pump.

edit: I think the summit radiator is around 200 bucks. Worth more than that in my opinion.

 

[Jo_885o]

Fan and radiator, cause i might be doing the same, moving to ARIZONA.

 

[bln92cpe]

I had major overheating problems and I went with the Fluidyne radiator, a flex fan which blows alot of cold air and I have a new 94 cobra alternator. My car stays cold now and I love it.

 

[Michael Yount]

Ford designed the stock system to deal with anything a Texas summer would throw at it. You've got a brand new radiator - it ought to have enough capacity.

How do you know what your temps are? You mention actual degrees, but you also talk about the factory gauge. What's your cooling gauge set up?

 

[04sleeper]

How do you know what the "O" is or "R" on the stock gauge? It has been known that these gauges can be way off. Also did you check the temp with a quality gauge like Autometer?

 

[50ceptor]

i had the same problem with my 88 vert and i just removed the thermostat. now it sits about half way on the gauge. its an easy fix til i can get a new radiator.

 

[04sleeper]

i had the same problem with my 88 vert and i just removed the thermostat. now it sits about half way on the gauge. its an easy fix til i can get a new radiator.

That is not a good way to fix your setup. It will not cycle the fluid properly and will overheat if sitting.

 

[Michael Yount]

"i just removed the thermostat. now it sits about half way on the gauge. its an easy fix til i can get a new radiator."

With fall temps just weeks away, your new radiator days will be on you before you know it. It won't be much fun to drive with no t'stat and cold ambient temps. And your gas mileage will really drop.

 

[Legendary]

i had the same problem with my 88 vert and i just removed the thermostat. now it sits about half way on the gauge. its an easy fix til i can get a new radiator.

Not an easy fix. There's a reason for having a thermostat.

 

[89MustangGX]

Ford designed the stock system to deal with anything a Texas summer would throw at it. You've got a brand new radiator - it ought to have enough capacity.

How do you know what your temps are? You mention actual degrees, but you also talk about the factory gauge. What's your cooling gauge set up?

Figure out if you have a problem before you try to fix it.

You have plenty of cooling system for alot of modified cars by the sounds of it, so a stock car should be no problem. The first thing I would question is the fan if it turns out you are running hot. Not all are created equal, but they all look about the same, and that can be decieveing. Simply not moving enough air over ther radiator will certainly cause overheating no matter how big and bad the radiator and water pump are.