temp climbs to 230

[ramair]

As I am sitting in traffic or at a drive through my temp has been climbing up to 230 degrees. As soon as I get back onto the road it goes back down to 195-200 degree's. The engine is a 97 5.8 out of a f250. The fan has seven blades and the shroud is off a air conditioned 73 Cougar that had a 351C engine. Tthe radiator is a two core setup that is original in my 73 Mustang. My car was an original 302 powered car but I changed it over to a 351W. The radiator has been recently boiled out and a new heater core was put in before I installed the 351W. The engine doesn't run bad or have any funny noises, the only bad thing is it heats up sitting in traffic or a drive through. The radiator in my parts car 73 Cougar is the same radiator as my 73 Mustang radiator. I am not low on fluid and setting the intial timing to 10 degrees did not help any. Will a lower temp thermostat help? Do I need a bigger radiator or fan?

 

[marks73]

Add an electric fan in front of the radiator

 

[Don65Stang]

What rpm do you have at ldle and in gear?

 

[MotoArts]

How close is the fan/shroud clearance? Generally needs to be fairly tight to be efficient.

Does it have a fan clutch or is the fan bolted directly to the spacer?

Is the rad cap damaged or worn (gasket/brass ring seal, etc.)? Can possibly be leaking pressure, raising the boiling point.

 

[JimNiki]

some engine/manifold/head water passages blocked perhaps?

 

[SPAIN72MUSTANG]

look at the radiator it could need a cleaning,there might be debree in there,or your thermostat might be bad.

 

[midlife]

Can I ask a basic question? How do you know what exact temperatures you're running at? Do you take a thermal (infrared) reading while stopped at a light or in your driveway? Or, are you estimating it from your gauge? If from your gauge, how accurate is it?

When I first bought my car, it ran hot in traffic, and the gauge nearly pegged out. I spent a good 6 months working on reducing the gauge reading, when it turned out that it was an aftermarket sending unit that wasn't as good as Ford's. Bottom line: the engine was not overheating.

 

[Wolverine]

For $35 you can get a radiator cap with a thermometer on it. That would serve as a good double check.

Maybe you need a black radiator, or an unpainted radiator, or a....never mind.


Obviously, if you are getting flow through the radiator, your cooling system works.

I would imagine lack of a shroud at low RPM may hinder air from being pulled through the radiator.

I suggest using the high school cheerleader chest method(HSCCM)...and yes, it is chest and not test.

Take some cheerleader chest enhancement tissue(CCET) out to your car. When the engine is on and running at idle hold the CCET to your grill. If the CCET does not hold fast to the grill, then you may want to try a shroud. You can also hold it tight to the radiator to see if the CCET holds there.

Perhaps someone with a shroud can perform the HSCCM and see if in fact the CCET holds to the grill and the radiator.

And, please make sure there is not a cheerleader between your hand and the CCET....unless of course you are married to a cheerleader, as I proudly am...not so sure about the Bank of Midlife girl, but she appears to have a pair of qualifications.

 

[goodnigh]

Now is a good time to add a new tool to your collection.

http://www.amazon.com/MicroTemp-MT-PRO-Digital-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B000EIXQ5Y

mike

 

[caspianwendell]

You can get a 2 core HO radiator...seems to be the only thing that works around NW Arkansas. When you go to shows around here you see them a lot. I tried electric pusher in front of a 4 core and did not help. I was at a show next to a 68 stang and i ask him about the over heating and he told me about the 2 core, after I installed it in mine I never had a overheat problem again. They have huge cores that flow water great.

 

[marks73]

There ya go! ::goodjob::

 

[ramair]

I have not confirmed the acuracy of the gauges, they are aftermarket Sunpros that I installed a few months ago. I have not checked the radiator cap either, but it is only a couple years old. Before I put the engine in I flushed the water jacket outs in the block. I also replaced the core plugs with new brass ones. The shroud fits tight and is a factory setup, it is off a 73 Cougar but I don't know if that would make any difference. It also has been pretty hot here, anywhere from 100-104 degrees, but I don't think that would really matter.

 

[c9zx]

I have not confirmed the acuracy of the gauges, they are aftermarket Sunpros that I installed a few months ago. I have not checked the radiator cap either, but it is only a couple years old. Before I put the engine in I flushed the water jacket outs in the block. I also replaced the core plugs with new brass ones. The shroud fits tight and is a factory setup, it is off a 73 Cougar but I don't know if that would make any difference. It also has been pretty hot here, anywhere from 100-104 degrees, but I don't think that would really matter.

Are the fan blades about 1/2 inside the shroud and about 1/2 outside the shroud? Is the fan diameter close to the size of the fan shroud opening? Chuck

 

[Wolverine]

The shroud fits tight and is a factory setup, it is off a 73 Cougar but I don't know if that would make any difference. It also has been pretty hot here, anywhere from 100-104 degrees, but I don't think that would really matter.

Sorry...I was under the impression you didn't have a shroud.

 

[Wolverine]

Do you have the water bypass plugged?

If not, are you using the proper thermostat?

http://www.banzairunnerpantera.com/updates_thermostat.htm

 

[ramair]

I bought one of those digital infared thermometers and I took some readings while the temp gauge was around 235 degrees. At the thermostat housing 198, the heads 205, in the middle of the the upper radiator hose 165. The reading at the inlet of the radiator was 145, the lower radiator hose 115. The intake manifold at the thermostat housing 205, the water pump was 210 and the hose going to the heater core was 205. The hottest part was the water pump at 210 degrees F. The gauge is suppose to be a + or - 2.8 degrees in F of accuracy. The reading I took was with my car sitting in idle after warming it up on a 3-5 mile drive. I shut the car down right after this, temp was reading 235 and fired it up a few seconds later. It didn't drag on the starter of act funny at all. I am thinking maybe the gauge is not working correctly, even though it is new.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

those temperatures sound fine to me. Gauge calibration is dependent upon sender location to some degree. If not boiling over or running on or acting up, odds are your engine is fine and your gauge is the problem.

 

[ramair]

I had no boiling over, gurgling in the engine, run on or anything else, it started up and ran fine after shutting it down and restarting it with the temp gauge pegging 235.

 

[Wolverine]

Simple way to test BOTH your new IR meter as well as automotive gauge:

Boil some water.

Obviously you can point the meter to the water.

But, to test your sender, you can:

0. Boil a pot of water...say 1 quart. Make sure to pick out your wife's nicest pot, or maybe even Tea Kettle...I went for the tea kettle last time because she would never suspect I would use that.

1. Remove the water temp sender from your car.

2. GROUND the water temp sender to your cars chassis.

3. Make sure the sender's electrical wire is attached.

4. Stick the sender in the pot of boiling water with the electrical wire attached.

5. Turn your ignition key to ON, and see where your gage goes.

The water will tend to cool pretty fast, so you might want to grab your wife's oven or meat thermometer to confirm the water temperature.

You will lose water removing the water sender, so either drain your radiator or go buy a plug. You can look at a sender at the auto parts store to get an idea of the thread you need, unless someone here knows off hand.

This is also a good way to check a new sender/new gage.