Car still overheats!

Super_Stang · 07-30-2001, 10:42 PM

When i bought my 89 gt it leaked water from some mysteriouse place and it over heats. So i have been playing with it and iput in a thermostat.. ( it didn't have one i found out ) I put in a 180 thermo and 50/50 water and antifreeze and ran her around town but to my surprise here comes 180 then 200 then 210 "oh s!it" and i run her home and put the fan on her. What could be the problem? could it be a stopped up radiator? I undid the drain (pitcock my dad calls it) and it was stopped up to barely even a drip!.. so i am going to pull it out tomarrow and take it to the shop to be flushed... could that make it overheat (overheat to me is passed 200)

RMARIANI · 07-31-2001, 06:25 AM

When I bought my '89 GT a few years ago it had about 85,000 miles. It ran hot and was loosing coolant but it wasn't too bad. As a precaution I installed the Ford Motorsport aluminum radiator and while I had the radiator out, I replaced my water pump that had started to leak out of the bottom weep hole. It made a huge difference and I've had about 35,000 trouble free miles. The older a motor is, the more heat can become a problem. I think with performance mods as the number one priority, we tend to forget the simple things like keeping things cool. Good luck and I hope my two cents help.

Fox Body · 07-31-2001, 08:01 AM

You may want to go ahead and have it pressure tested for leaks while you're at it (depending on how much that costs- don't know).

If you are sure that it is your radiator leaking, then you've probably found the problem. Usually when a radiator leak, it has more problems than just a hole--usu rusted, etc.

Can you actually tell your coolant level decreasing for sure. Could be coming from the hoses, you got good hoses. A good time to check for radiator/hose leaks is as car is sitting in park after driving around for a while. Even better, after you've driven around for a while, pull your hood, go back and turn off the car and then quickly go back to front and check for high pressure leaks (there is usu a surge of pressure in cooling system directly after you turn off car).

And just a thought, make sure your temperature sending unit is in goood shape. Lots of times it's the sending unit that's the problem and not actually anything wrong with the rest of cooling system.

-----------------------------------------
351W-powered 1979 Ford Mustang notchback
Stock 5.8L under 4" cowl, C4 w/ shift kit
Holley 750 cfm, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake
1 5/8" MAC shorty headers, Al driveshaft
2.5" Off road H-pipe, 2-chamber Flowmasters
Front: 225/60/15, Rear: 255/60/15 Eagle GT II
Weld wheels (15x6;15x8), 8.8" Rear w/ 3.55s
14 x 4” K&N air filter (getting the Xtreme setup someday)

"Red, thou art my companion. Hasten now your quickened metamorphosis to Green that I may conquer all who dare abide there beside me. May they be left thither behind burnt black." ---Fox Body

Super_Stang · 08-01-2001, 04:44 PM

well here is a little update on my 89 gt. THE WORLD IS A BETTER PlACE WITH A NEW RADIATOR! lol i bought a new one and she is cooler anywhere from 180-190 and it goes 200 when it is off.. that is good enough for me.. but is that normal?

2FastLX · 08-02-2001, 06:19 AM

Since you have a 180 degree thermostat then yes, that is normal. It should stay right around the thermostat temp. Did you find out where the leak was coming from? My guess is stopped radiator = coolant overflow flowing over

------------------
Gunning for 12's!

Buy your parts here
ICQ# 42269241

07-30-2001, 10:42 PM	#1
Super_Stang Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Refugio Posts: 67	Car still overheats! When i bought my 89 gt it leaked water from some mysteriouse place and it over heats. So i have been playing with it and iput in a thermostat.. ( it didn't have one i found out ) I put in a 180 thermo and 50/50 water and antifreeze and ran her around town but to my surprise here comes 180 then 200 then 210 "oh s!it" and i run her home and put the fan on her. What could be the problem? could it be a stopped up radiator? I undid the drain (pitcock my dad calls it) and it was stopped up to barely even a drip!.. so i am going to pull it out tomarrow and take it to the shop to be flushed... could that make it overheat (overheat to me is passed 200)

07-31-2001, 06:25 AM	#2
RMARIANI Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2000 Location: New Jersey Posts: 167	When I bought my '89 GT a few years ago it had about 85,000 miles. It ran hot and was loosing coolant but it wasn't too bad. As a precaution I installed the Ford Motorsport aluminum radiator and while I had the radiator out, I replaced my water pump that had started to leak out of the bottom weep hole. It made a huge difference and I've had about 35,000 trouble free miles. The older a motor is, the more heat can become a problem. I think with performance mods as the number one priority, we tend to forget the simple things like keeping things cool. Good luck and I hope my two cents help.

07-31-2001, 08:01 AM	#3
Fox Body Mustang Maniac Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: GA, U.S.A Posts: 2,266	You may want to go ahead and have it pressure tested for leaks while you're at it (depending on how much that costs- don't know). If you are sure that it is your radiator leaking, then you've probably found the problem. Usually when a radiator leak, it has more problems than just a hole--usu rusted, etc. Can you actually tell your coolant level decreasing for sure. Could be coming from the hoses, you got good hoses. A good time to check for radiator/hose leaks is as car is sitting in park after driving around for a while. Even better, after you've driven around for a while, pull your hood, go back and turn off the car and then quickly go back to front and check for high pressure leaks (there is usu a surge of pressure in cooling system directly after you turn off car). And just a thought, make sure your temperature sending unit is in goood shape. Lots of times it's the sending unit that's the problem and not actually anything wrong with the rest of cooling system. ----------------------------------------- 351W-powered 1979 Ford Mustang notchback Stock 5.8L under 4" cowl, C4 w/ shift kit Holley 750 cfm, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake 1 5/8" MAC shorty headers, Al driveshaft 2.5" Off road H-pipe, 2-chamber Flowmasters Front: 225/60/15, Rear: 255/60/15 Eagle GT II Weld wheels (15x6;15x8), 8.8" Rear w/ 3.55s 14 x 4” K&N air filter (getting the Xtreme setup someday) "Red, thou art my companion. Hasten now your quickened metamorphosis to Green that I may conquer all who dare abide there beside me. May they be left thither behind burnt black." ---Fox Body

08-01-2001, 04:44 PM	#4
Super_Stang Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Refugio Posts: 67	well here is a little update on my 89 gt. THE WORLD IS A BETTER PlACE WITH A NEW RADIATOR! lol i bought a new one and she is cooler anywhere from 180-190 and it goes 200 when it is off.. that is good enough for me.. but is that normal?

08-02-2001, 06:19 AM	#5
2FastLX The Photoshop Guru Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Mecca, Indiana Posts: 1,419	Since you have a 180 degree thermostat then yes, that is normal. It should stay right around the thermostat temp. Did you find out where the leak was coming from? My guess is stopped radiator = coolant overflow flowing over ------------------ Gunning for 12's! Buy your parts here ICQ# 42269241