Well, I hate to say that I own a Ford (even though I do tech support for them), but I (well my fianc does) and I'm having major issues with cooling. It's a '96 Mustang GT with 91,000 miles on it, and it all of a sudden started having a problem with overheating. It's been in the 90s all week, so I know that has something to do with it, but it shouldn't be as bad as it is. The problem happens both at speed and sitting in stop and go traffic. It will very slowly creep up to the red zone on the gauge and then I have to stop. By "very slowly" I mean not like other cars that I've had where I can watch the needle go up, this one would take approximately 20-25 minutes from cold to boiling. (The first 3/4 of the gauge covered in about 5 minutes). I flushed the cooling system using a Prestone flushing kit, the type where you connect it to the garden hose. When I opened the drain cock, it looked like wet cement (in color) running out. I swear, it was the nastiest stuff I've ever seen come out of a radiator. There was lots of scale that came up and out of the neck too, when I turned on the hose. I let it flush for about 45 minutes and it was clear when I stopped it. In addition, I've made sure that the fans work, changed the thermostat from a 195 degree to a 180 degree version, and changed the temperature sending unit. The coolant is a 70/30 mixture that has been checked and is supposedly good to -45 degrees. (Don't know about how hot it's good 'til, my checker doesn't say). I don't know how to tell if the water pump is good or not, other than watching the water flowing through the overflow tank and back into the motor, and it seems to be flowing very good. Is there a way to tell, without going to a radiator shop, if the radiator is clogged? If I had to take to to a shop and it is clogged, does anyone know about how reliable a profession back flushing is, as opposed to what I did in my driveway? I priced a new radiator, and it runs about $130 and takes 5 days for a delivery. I'm just trying to rule out the cheap stuff before going that route, and even with that, I'm worried that the motor could be clogged somewhere. I will, and you can quote me on this, never, EVER buy a POS Ford product again!!! (Actually, I didn't buy it, she had it before I met her, but we're both paying for it now). I looked under the front end, and it is amazing that any Mustangs with that body style could ever be driven without overheating, you can only see the radiator through the little bitty area around the chrome pony emblem and a small area under the front bumper. Sheesh, what a crappy design!! :af:
overheating couple things scott. if a cooling system is working properly, 90 degree weather wont cause it to overheat. youve already covered the thermostat. what i would do next is pull the radiator out. after 9 years and 91,000 miles check to see if there are any leaves or cottonwood covering the fins of the radiator. if you have access to an air compressor gently blow through the radiator with an air nozzle. i bet youll see lots of crud coming out. also, if you have air conditioning on your mustang, check the a.c. condenser for debris also. the condenser will be easy to see after you remove the radiator. good luck
Thanks, I'm gonna pull the radiator tonight. I talked to a mechanic last night and he thinks the radiator is clogged about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. We used an infrared thermometer and the upper radiator hose was running at 203 degrees and the bottom of the radiator was at 113 degrees, but the lower radiator hose was at 180 degrees. He surmised that meant that the coolant was coming into the radiator like it is supposed to, but running along the top and down the side of the radiator that leads to the lower hose, and not even seeing most of the radiator. It seems almost like it made it's own path through the radiator and doesn't even get cooled, before it runs back into the motor. I am gonna see if any debris comes out when I remove the radiator hoses and if need be, replace it. At least I might be able to get some more crud out and put the radiator back in, so I can drive it until the new one arrives.
Scott, The radiator is definitely clogged, given the fact that so much garbage came out when you flushed it. Once they are clogged, you need to recore, or replace. I'd just replace it. Also, the more anti freeze you run, the hotter the engine will run, simple as that. Anti freeze doesn't enhance cooling it actually hinders it. Anti freeze provides freeze protection, and corrosion protection. It doesn't transfer heat as well as water. In the summer you can run 100% water, along with a product like Red Line water wetter. The Water wetter will provide the corrosion protection, and enhance the waters ability to transfer heat. Then before the first frost, you add your anti freeze. This can make a big difference.
