StalkerGT

ok so before i parked my car for the winter it was running a little hot on warm days...i took out the 195 thermostat that was in it and put in a new 180...and it would still run way over 200 if it was hot out. I have the stock radiator and an electric fan, the fan is definitely working but it is not on the engine bay side, its on the opposite of where the factory fan would be...i didnt put it there, it was in the car when i got it from the previous owner. Would that make it run a little hot or could the radiator be going bad? I just have minor bolt on's...pulley's, headers, exhaust, trick flow upper and lower intake, Any help would be appreciated?|!!

mustangGT86_05

Are you sure it isn't the condensor fan that's running instead of the radiator fan? It wouldn't make any sense to put on an aftermarket fan and leave the stock one in and go through the trouble of installing it in the opposite side.

Tony71502

He doesn't have the stock fan. I've never heard of anyone running a push through fan efficiently on a mustang. Most are pull through.

If the radiator was going bad it would probably have signs of coolant leaks. Do you know what temp your elec fan is supposed to kick on? It should not be on at all times.

Project 5.GO!

A while back, I replaced my radiator because I was overheating, and when I opened the drain on the bottom, it didn't gush the way it was supposed to, so I removed the draincock to see why, and I noticed that there was some scale blocking the hole. I poked it with a small screwdriver and I discovered the bottom 3 inches of the radiator was completely clogged with sediment. No wonder it was overheating. LOL

Check it out, and put your fan on the right side of the radiator...

mustangGT86_05

I get that...but if you read it right he also says he has 2 fans, which is common on an ac equpped car. A condenser fan isn't meant to keep a car cooled properly, which makes me think his actual cooling fan stopped working, whether it be aftermarket or not

TrimDrip

sounds like a radiator that is getting clogged. It can happen just like it can to a heater core.

Tony71502

Clogged heater core? That's a new one. Not saying it can't happen but I've never seen/heard of it.

StalkerGT

i dont have a condesor fan...not even a condesor. All of the air conditioning parts were ripped out of the car. The fan is on at all times...it is hooked up to a 12v power source that turns it on when the key is on. I did forget to mention that when im on the highway it runs exactly at 180 like it should. It will only run hot when im sitting in traffic or going light to light when its above 70 degress outside...it does almost seem like the fan is not doing its job like it should...i can put my hand on the radiator and it doesnt even feel hot..thats the weird thing. But my upper radiator hose gets really hot! I just dont get it!

If i put the fan on the side that it should be would it have to spin the opposite way of what it is now so it pulls and not pushes it through like it is doing now??

Project 5.GO!

Do that too, but I'm betting the radiator is clogged. Drain your coolant like you're dioing a flush, and after it's empty, remove the draincock, stick a small screwdriver in the hole and probe towards the bottom of the radiator. I'll bet it's full of congealed rust scale and gunk. Other passages are probably plugged, and the coolant is forced to take whatever paths are left open, which might not be where you fan is pushiung air through.

Another possibility, your radiator could be half full. That happened to me one time when I developed a leak at the timing chain cover and didn't realize it. The coolant didn't reach the area in the radiator where the temperature sensor for the fan was, so the fan wouldn't turn on.

StalkerGT

the radiator is full...took the car out today since it was 50 here in new hampshire! it ran perfectly at 180 degrees...its seems to only do it when its really hot out