Cooling problem

You may have an air pocket trapped in the cooling system.

MadDAWG

How would I get that out? Drain & refill all coolant?

No thats what lets them in. :)

You might try asking on the corral fourms. I have not messed around with 4.6 so I'm not sure of any tricks to get the air out.

MadDAWG

I'm taking it by the shop that replaced the intake manifold tomorrow. Hopefully he can fix it... or at least let me know what's up so I can fix it.

-Mike

I called the shop & he says it must be something clogged in the radiator.

Just keep the overflow tank topped up. As your car heats up the air will be forced out of the cooling system as it cools it draws coolant from the tank to replace the displaced air.

Continue checking it daily. There is an air-bleed hole in the thermostat that allows trapped air pockets to dissipate automatically. Normally, 5-10 mins. is all that needed to purge air pockets.

If it continues to overheat, have a qualified mechanic look at it.

-JD

_________________________________ JD's Locally-Famous Mustang Page: http://207.13.104.8/users/jdadams

Probably one of three things. Most likely an air pocket in the system. Check and make sure the system is completly full. A few heat and cool cycles will usually allow it to fix itself using the overflow tank. Just make sure the overflow tank is at least half full when cold until it stabilizes. Or, the radiator could be blocked by a piece of flotsum relaesd from the manifold. When it's hot, feel the radiator. It should be warm on one side and cooler on the other. Not singing hot and very cold. Just hot and less hot. If you feel definate cold spots, it's probably clogged. If you're not sure, feel the radiator of another car. They all work the essentially same, and at essentially the same temp for the model year. Lastly, a damaged water temp sensor cuircuit may make you think it's hot when it isn't.

boB I appreciate that input =). I should have noticed that the reason I replaced the intake manifold was right at the thermostat housing it had cracked & leaked.. I couldn't find the leak before so I used "Radiator Stop Leak" from wal-mart & I just now found out that it's known to cause problems. Could this be a factor? It does take a long time to overheat... or make me think it's overheating. Also I have another question.. again a 98 Mustang GT.. what's the radiator cap PSI? Well, what SHOULD it be? Mine says

-Mike

Sorry a/b radiator cap psi.. answering my own question:

-Mike

Have you checked to make sure the fan is working properly and there are no restrictions in the cooling fins of the radiator? Make sure all the airflow in the front of the car goes through the radiator and not around it due to missing or broken radiator shields.

Could you please supply a bit more information as to "how" to check these things? How exactly do I make sure a radiator fan is working properly? I just turn on the A/C & wait for the fan to come on... it'll come on.. then shut off... then come on.. then shut off... then come on.. .then shut off... in like 1 minute increments usually. With the heater on the fan generally stays on.. but sometimes shuts off & turns on.. just not nearly as often. Same with defroster (with heat). I appreciate the help. =)

-Mike

Yes, the stop leak could be a problem. If radiator cooling passages were marginal to begine with, that could make them worse. With everything warmed up, you could use a probe or laser thermometer to locate cold spots in the radiator.

The radiator has been flushed since then though... still could be a problem?

-Mike