Dr.Le

from wiki

Possible problems

The heater core is made up of small piping that has numerous bends. Clogging of the piping may occur if the coolant system is not flushed or if the coolant is not changed regularly. If clogging occurs the heater core will not work properly. If coolant flow is restricted, heating capacity will be reduced or even lost altogether if the heater core becomes blocked. Control valves may also clog or get stuck.


Another possible problem is a leak in one of the connections to the heater core. This may first be noticeable by smell (ethylene glycol is widely used as coolant and has a sweet smell); it may also cause (somewhat greasy) fogging of the windshield above the windshield heater vent. Glycol may also leak directly into the car, causing wet upholstery or carpeting.

Electrolysis can cause excessive corrosion leading to the heater core rupturing. Coolant will spray directly into the passenger compartment followed with white colored smoke, a significant driving hazard.

Because the heater core is usually located under the dashboard inside of the vehicle and is enclosed in the ventilation system's ducting, servicing it often requires disassembling a large part of the dashboard, which can be time-consuming and therefore expensive.

One possible easy and inexpensive fix, depending on the severity of the leak, is to use a liquid Radiator Leak Sealant which can be obtained in any automotive parts supplier.

Dr.Le

So flush it and let us know.

if you do flush, please describe how you flush it b/c many ppl do it many different ways.

TheStang1999

I notice in the article he points out it's good to use the 180 thermo in higher temperature climates. I live in Massachusetts, where winter can be as low as -30.

There's been a new development. On my way to work, yes I tried to make it, the upper hose blew off the radiator. Stayed on the water outlet, though. It's building an awful lot of pressure in that hose. The original, Ford clamps(which you need vise grips to get off) hold great. It blew off where I had put an aftermarket hose clamp with the screw adjuster. Whatever you want to call that. Put the original, Ford clamp back on that end and the hose held. Added more coolant and tried again. It is still overheating. Even if I don't turn the heat on. Now, there's this odd sound, like puffing air or ticking, coming from...well, somewhere. It sounds exhaust like, but there are no exhaust leaks. It only happens in gear, during acceleration. I cannot replicate the sound in park, idling, and revving from the throttle wire.

I can't drive it at this point. It has only gotten really hot twice and that is enough for me. I refuse to blow a head gasket. When I see that needle go even a little past op temp, the car is stopped and cooled down immediately. It's sitting at my buddy's shop, but they want way too much money just to diagnose it. Monday morning it's off to a different garage where they'll figure it out for free. Thanks for all the input guys! It's all been very helpful.

Dr.Le

while u wait for monday maybe you can try this. put ur new thermostat in a cup/bowl or whatever thats microwaveable w/ plenty of water (immerse the thermostat in water and stick it in the microwave for small increments like 15sec,30sec,45sec and so on)

ur checking to see if the thermostat opens.

if you wanna get fancy, you can boil water and use a temperature gun (rent free of auto store) to check the correct temp (195 u said?) then dump the thermostat in the boiling water to see if it opens.

i recommend the second route. (i hate waiting to monday to do mechanic work)

Im thinking that if the pressure is up to the point where the hose popped off then [B]maybe[B] the thermostat didn't open and not letting coolant flow or not enough of it.

what kind of thermostat do you have?>
does it have a small notch that can wiggle about the size of a pencil point?
is it a balanced thermostat?

im in california and -30f is unbelievable and i can't imagine it. winter is like 30-40f

petrock

What ever you do... DO NOT PUT THE THERMOSTAT IN THE MICROWAVE!!!! It is metal and will spark up like a fireworks show and potentially damage the thermostat & microwave. Just heat the water on the stove and stick a thermometer in it to make sure it is over the temp rating for your thermostat. If the water is over that temp, and the thermostat does not open then the thermostat is bad.

TheStang1999

Thanks guys, I know all the tricks to test the thermostat. Both in or out of the car. Thermostat was not the issue. It was opening and closing as it should. The hose blew off because there was vapor lock in my radiator. Too much pressure built up and air just blocked it from being released properly. It's been all taken care of. She got a new thermostat, I took the old one out to drive it to the shop. Also another fun way to see if that's the culprit. New gasket, a good flush and the system was burped of all air. She's running great now!

Matt's 95 Stang

Glad you were able to fix it. My 95 had a hell of a time with over heating and being a pain in my *** to be frank. I would change out the thermostat, rad. hoses, coolent, blew two sets of headgaskets, replaced the rad. fan AND control module and the damn thing would still over heat.

Matthew

TheStang1999

I certainly hope it doesn't keep overheating. This past Saturday, it did it again on my way to work. After I got it back from the shop where they changed the thermo, new gasket, and bled the system, it was running great! Heat was pumping, it stayed at op temp, was awesome. One my way to work Saturday, I noticed that even though it was at op temp, there was no heat. Was immediately concerned. As soon as I entered the rotary to hit the highway, that needle moved. I turned on the heat and it dropped down again. I pulled over, turned her off and popped the hood. Coolant/antifreeze had, once again, filled the overflow tank as if the thermo got stuck closed AGAIN. I cooled her off, my insurance company sent a tow truck, and I got my baby home. The shop was closing too soon for me to get it there in time. So I took it down there today. It started to OH twice on the way there, so it took 2 hours to drive a half an hour away! All the stopping to cool down n such. I finally got it to the shop and as soon as I got there, it was running fine. I sat in idle for a while as my heat started pumping out and the needle never moved. Maybe there was a random air pocket stuck in there or something? The radiator got hot, the hoses were the temp they're supposed to be(by touch anyways) so I just don't get it! They did a pressure test the last time they had it and the head gasket is fine. I left it there to be checked out anyways cuz I have no idea wtf is going on with it! Might be time to sell the ol' girl and get something more reliable. I love my 'stang though, so I'd rather not have to do that!