uhm, i never run the heat before in the past. not sure if it even works. lol this is my summer only, not a drop of water on the ground cruising car, but anyway everytime its overheated has been when its idling with the occasional rev to 2000 rpms. i have a 7 blade plastic fan.
ok let me ask a rookie question. if the fan clutch is broken or not working properly, how would that affect the cooling. from my knowledge i know the fan is spinning and pushing some air, but are you saying..... if the fan clutch isnt working, its NOT turning the shaft for the water pump?

 

the fan clutches on a fox are thermostatically operated...read this and you'll understand my post and the only way to tell if the system is bled properly is check for heat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_clutch

 

the fan clutch works based off the heat transferred through the water pump shaft that its bolted to. as the car gets hotter, the clutch tightens up and spins the fan faster.

if it was bad, it would spin the fan at its loosest speed, which is basically just free movement from inertia.

 

wow you guys are quick and on point to respond, thank you.

ok so i can check the fan clutch and maybe replace it.

mattdell. you said something about a plugged radiator.... is there anyway i can check that.... should i flush the radiator bc i did that about a year ago.

 

cover your hand over the lower opening and fill it up and remove your hand and see how quickly it drains, also inspect fins inside radiator for calcium build up

 

also, what would explain the top radiator hose from not filling up? i dont think a fan clutch would solve that?

 

air pocket can cause top hose not to be full/circulate

 

i have a feeling its an air pocket too. i havnt been able to work on the car since we last spoke. but the last time i did start the car and let it run with the radiator cap off and it just overflowed. i was waiting to see the airbubble release and the coolant level just drop but it didnt happen.

is there anyother way to do it? should i drain the coolant and start over?

 

you could try just replacing your thermostat, along with making sure you have enough coolant should make it run cooler. my motor ran hot too and the simple fix after my radiator install was making sure it had enough coolant after it circulated through the motor.

 

ok so i tried starting the car and letting the heater run. i watched the coolant level and still didnt see a bubble of air come out. so i then put a little more coolant in to top off the radiator. started the car and watched the temp rise to 190 degrees and then drop to 180... woohoo so thats a great sign. everything should be back to normal then.

just wanted to give everyone who helped an update. i still have yet to take it around the block and see if it stays cool. but thats for another day