Elevated Engine temperature on Hot days or rush hour traffic

lmfao u have the pride of ford a 3.8 hope your heads are warped what kind of tard buys a 6 cyl mustang honestly

hurc ast

Sounds like the radiator may be clogged. You really can't boil them out any more, you just have to replace them. There is a possibility of a blown head gasket or cracked head. Have the coolant tested for products of combustion. As for the water pump, I probably wouldn't replace it based on a whining noise. That noise could be coming from the water pump, P/S pump, air pump, etc. Do you have an electric fan only (not stock)? If so, it may not be up to the job any more.

If it's still got the original fan clutch my first move, since you already done the other obvious stuff, would be to buy a new, heavy duty fan clutch and install it. Doing that made a big difference in around town driving on the 93 5.0LX I used to have. If I was going to start replacing things after that I'd start with the radiator before I'd mess with the water pump. Flushing is not likely to have cleaned out much of the really hard stuff that could be clogging it.

-- Jim '88 LX 5.0 (now in car heaven) '89 LX 5.0 vert '99 GT 35th Anniversery Edition - Silver Mods to date - Relocated trunk release to drivers side, shortened throttle cable, PIAA Driving lights.

psssssssssst the timing cover too

hurc ast

psssssssst electric fan you retard

hurc ast

Instead of "throwing" parts at it why not just take it to a competent radiator shop and have them tell you what the problem is? Troubleshooting a car by making guesses and replacing parts is not smart.

Al

"Big Al" wrote | | Instead of "throwing" parts at it why not just take it to a competent | radiator shop and have them tell you what the problem is? Troubleshooting a | car by making guesses and replacing parts is not smart. | | Al |

Without a doubt, the best advice offered so far.

Kate

Make sure you've gotten all the air out of the block by bleeding using bolt on top of engine (which is there just for that purpose) .. You'd be surprised at how much difference a little air trapped inside engine can cause.

What do you mean when you say "it runs poorly"

I had a 1998 v6 stang, and when I had a terrible rough idle problem I replaced the IAC and it went away. It's around $11 at autozone.

Not necessarily, some people have more time them money. And at the prices charged at most shops you are often money ahead by throwing parts at it till something sticks then to pay a shop $400 to replace $66 in parts.

-- Jim '88 LX 5.0 (now in car heaven) '89 LX 5.0 vert '99 GT 35th Anniversery Edition - Silver Mods to date - Relocated trunk release to drivers side, shortened throttle cable, PIAA Driving lights.

"tarzan" wrote in a message:

If it runs normal without the A/C on, then the reason it runs warmer with the A/C on is just that. Remember, the condenser is in front of the radiator, and its job is to cool the freon, and turn it from a liquid to a gas. The heat has to go somewhere, and since the air that moves through the condenser, also passes through the radiator, some of that heat is picked up by the radiator. As for the water pump, slowly remove the radiator cap as it starts to warm up, and watch the coolant flow. If it is barely moving after the thermostat opens up, then I'd say replace the pump. But if it is moving real good, I wouldn't bother. One thing you can try is adding some water pump lube/conditioner to the coolant, if you suspect the noise is coming from the pump itself.

Gary

Bleed the air out of the block? Wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks for the info.

When I say it runs poorly, I mean that the it feels like the engine is being taxed by the extra load from the A/C and elevated operating temperature. So far, it hasn't passed the "A" (Normal) position on the temp guage but the change in performance is noticeable.

Let me know what your thoughts.

Thanks,

IAC? What and where is it located on the engine?

The idle speed is ok. The engine just tends to warm up when I run the A/C on hot days. At night it runs cool. I think I'm dealing with a bad thermostat, radiator or fan switch.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks,

Thanks for the info. The condenser sounds very logical considering your explanation. However, it may be a combination of the condenser and water pump because the engine has warmed up on extremely hot days without the a/c running. I also noticed that the coolant is not flowing as quickly as it should. On a seperate note, I was also told that a non-OEM thermostat would cause variations in engine temp causing it to warm up. What are your thoughts?

I really appreciate the advice. Let me know what you think.

Not sure about testing the radiator. I had the coolant changed out a few months ago and the last time I took it in for an oil change, I had them test the coolant. They said it was fine. About the blown gasket or cracked head, how would I know if that were the case? The engine stays cool on the highway even with the A/C running. No water or oil leaks either. The fan seems to be working fine. It appears to run all the time when operating during the day.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks

I was told 1998 models don't have a fan clutch. That was my original thinking because I had an older model Oldsmobile that would do the same thing. I'll look into it further.

As for the radiator, I'm leaning more towards the condenser considering the engine only tends to warm up when I run the A/C on extremely hot days. Then again, the radiator seems more logical because the engine has warmed up when I run the car for prolonged periods during the day even without the A/C running. Come to think of it, the last time I had my radiator serviced, the tech told me there was a significant amount of sediment in the resevoir. He had to remove it and flush it out completely. Good sugestions. Let me know if you have any further comments. Thanks,

On Sat, 28 May 2005 15:48:28 +0000, GEB rearranged some electrons to form:

Actually the condenser turns the refrigerant from a gas to a liquid.

It's the idle air control. It may not be your problem at all, but when mine went out it ran like CRAP when I was sitting at a light. It would shake and stutter like crazy until I turned the A/C on.:-)

Probably. I learned the hard way to never use aftermarket parts unless you are looking for performance parts.

Take her to Ford