overheating in the south

[Anonymous]

ok, i am confused as hell now about my over heating problem......ok i put an aftermarket a/c kit in the car, it works excellent.....BUT i had a small overheating problem, when the car was parked at an idle just sitting there it would get at 1/2 on the temp...so i bought a 3 row radiator thinking this would fix the problem but it seems it was worse for some reason.....with the a/c on going down the interstate at 70 it gets up to 3/4 or when i'm in traffic it does the same....so then i put 2 electric fans on the front as well as a flex fan.......(no difference)....can someone help me with this.....i have to bring the car down to new orleans on friday to get it shipped to hawaii so i'll have it over there, so i'm hoping to fix the problem before then.......thanks guys

 

[Anonymous]

OK, here is my two cents worth.....which might only be worth one cent or so.

First, I wonder if it is not necessarily related to the radiator or A/C. I wonder if the added stress on the system may have caused or accentuated a problem.

So, start with the easy stuff.....
Radiator Cap
Thermostat
Water Pump
Top and Bottom Radiator Hoses

If not any of those......
Ignition Timing Needs To Be Checked

I have seen here on the forums that there is a special water pump for 200's with A/C. Someone posted a picture of the two water pumps side by side.

Then, there can be other issues, all of which I have been through with my car.....Like a blown head gasket, cracked head, or cracked block....but god willing you won't have to deal with any of those. Others will have more ideas for you. Good luck....
Ryan

 

[Anonymous]

I agree with RyanG. Try the simple stuff first. Also check the gauge. It could be that your gauge has gone bad, or maybe the wiring to the gauge, or sensor. After the simple stuff that would be my next course of action.

Good Luck

Bill

 

[Kstang]

Hello i also live in pensacola, I have noticed that at a stop my tempature will start to rise but then fall back down when i start to drive, Do you have your heater core blocked off??


Also Check your timing if it is to retarded it will cause it to heat.

 

[Anonymous]

I'll place my bet that it is because of the thermostat.
I'd say you probably have a 190 degree thermostat in there (way to hot, doesn't kick on 'till to late, thus, your 3 row wouldn't make any difference, and could appear worse). What you need to do is pull out that thermostat and put in a 160 degree thermostat. I would bet that that will fix you right up

 

[Anonymous]

With my 1979 mustang I have the original radiator, with my 3500 mile rebuilt engine. Going down the freeway the guage will be below half but after about ten minutes of setting in traffic it will rise up to almost too hot. I have bypassed the heatercore... would that cause a problem.

Thanks in advance

 

[Kstang]

well i just though that you might get a little extra cooling from it running through all those lines and the core i really dont know it was just me pondering today as driving around in 90F+ weather w/o air condition!!

 

[Mustangaroo]

It's 100* most days here in Bakersfield, california. I went from the 190* Thermostat to a 160* for sumner use and I use the 180* Thermostat in the winter. You'll get a little better MPG with the hotter Thermostat but the cooler will give you a little more HP and peace of mind while watching the gage!

 

[CobraSix]

Just to reiterate:

1) Thermostat
2) Radiator hoses
3) Water pump

That's what I would attack first. ALso, consider buying a mechanical temp gauge while you are trouble shooting. Check the actuall temperature, not where it is on your dash gauge. My current Temp sending unit indicates 180* when the gauge is 1/2 between C and H. My last one indicated 180* just above C. So check that as well.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

well, i replaced my waterpump when i put a new short block in my car that was about a year and a half ago.....i was thinking about it yesterday, before any of the a/c installation or anything (reg 2 row radiator) i remember going down the interstate and at about 70 or 80 mph the temp rising to about 3/4.....oh, and i'm guessing the gauge is right because i try to take off the radiator cap and it just wants to gush out....so i kinda stoped trying to do that
but i believe we did put a 160 degree thermostat in the car....i was thinking about just taking out the thermostat all together and trying that before replacing the water pump.....but i'll go ahead and replace it today anyway...

 

[CobraSix]

Get a mechanical gauge from Autozone or the like (they are about $15). THey are well worth the money.

Slade

 

[Anonymous]

I too added a/c and a 3 core with the same result. overheating. My waterpump is new, 2cd thermostat is installed, correctly, and I have a new rad cap. Since I have no room to install a fan behind my rad, my plan is to move it forward by finding an aluminum one that is shorter and wider, short enough it will fit between he supports, then install a high cfm fan behind.

As to your problem, the electric fans on front are not as efficient as on back and actually block airflow when moving. My experience with the 3 core is that it cools less effectively due to decreased airflow. You might install a shroud to help and you should make sure the flex is not on backwards. The flex flattens out at speed, thus your higher temps on the interstate, a clutch fan, original, or high cfm, 2600 up electric might solve. High temps will kill your C4. a tranny cooler is very cheap and a easy install if you have to go to it

I have seen many posts regarding overheating, this leads me to believe the cooling was marginal from the factory. I want and will have a car that can idle for hours in 100 degree heat, a/c full blast, or cruise 85 on the interstate all day.

Luck,
don

 

[Anonymous]

I had similar problems with the stock radiator, no AC. Went with the Griffin AL radiator, and it has not run hot since. They cost a lot of money, but they work. By the way I live in Birmingham, and even on the interstate running 80 in my old bronco, temp never goes above 140.

 

[Anonymous]

If you are having problems on the highway make sure you put a spring in the lower hose to keep it from flattening out at speed...

as for sitting still I think you should investigate that pump since it seems like the weak link in the chain....

Try putting the thermostat in boiling water with a candy therm and making sure it opens at 160... also make sure it is in the right direction I had one in backwards once caused those symptoms too.

I run a 160 stat and 3 row with a 17" flexfan in Atlanta GA in high temp and 100% humidity and it stays around 180 degrees all the time. In the winter I use the 180 and it runs arouns 195 most of the time... but throw my timing off and things warm up...

Try running the car from cold with the cap off... watch the way the fluid behaves... and watch the mechanical gauge you are goin to buy first. The temps should rise up and the flow should start to cool things down... watch the flow and make sure it is openning and closing... put the candy therm in the open rad and watch the temps of the fluid coming off the engine.. let us know what you find.

Also... one thing to note... for my engine there is a 15 degree difference between the temps at the therm on the front of the head and the sending unit in the back by the number six plug... my car always shows 180 when the temps of the fluid up front are closer to 165-170.... I realized there was more heat in the rear of the passages than up front by the fan and pump.

You should also flush out the system if you have not done that as part of the radiator install and have the 3-row rated for flow sometimes they are bad from the start you may have a lemon... these are the harder things if some of the smaller things don't work.


Good luck... it took me a few months to get my old log head 200 to run decent summer temps... now I have a new engine to tweak.

One last thing... are you running a Sanden compressor? Could this be realted to the AC directly since you installed it and then this started to be a problem...?