Isn't that frustrating? You think you have it all figured out according to the book and this crap crops up.

 

hmm don't want to hijack the thread or anything haha. ok. I live in arizona and it's about 110 115 outside in the shade now. Well my car got hot and by that I mean a little over half way which was odd and looked under the hood and noticed low reserves of coolant. so I filled it up. Now it's getting hot. (hit 230 almost 240) today and was wondering if you guys think this could be my problem also. It gets so hot here that I just wasnt sure what my problem might be out of many.

 

Restomod87, what condition is your radiator in? A common problem with these old cars is debris breaking loose from the water jackets and lodging itself in the inlet side of the radiator. If your temperasture readings are indeed accurate I would definitely consider that as a prime suspect, especially since it blew the top hose open. Years ago when I put some Bar's Leaks in mine in a futile attempt to stop an internal coolant leak I did the same thing-wound it up to 6000 rpm and kablooey-no more top hose.

 

Could i get a little more detailed explination of this form on how to burp it? I'm planning on going by O'Reilly's Auto tomorrow and picking up a new thermostat but I have no idea how to burp the system as well as replace the stat...thanks

I believe the radiator has been replaced in the last 5-6 years, so i don't believe my problem is there, From what i saw, i think there is a problem with the thermostat, causing my coolent system to not trigger on correctly due to the really FAST heat up.

 

Maybe i'll get lucky and get the same one!

EDIT* Would my water pump be a good place to take a look as well? Maybe a malfuctioned water pump could cause this.

 

Ask for a 180 degree thermostat. look at it when he brings it to the counter. Mine had a small, pencil lead size hole with a little loose plug about 1/4" from the outer lip. That is there to let the air escape during filling. Make sure you mount the thermostat with it the hole pointing up. If it doesn't have one, drill a small hole in it when you get home.

I doubt it's your waterpump. WPs usually don't just "stop working". They have a small hole in the top front just behind the belt pully. Look at that hole and look for any leaking.

When you drain your coolant to remove the upper hose and thermostat housing, examine the coolant. If it's brown and murky...looking like it's kind of muddy, then you've got a lot of rust in your system. Don't freak out..it's quite common for 40 year old motors that haven't been maintained well. But that will give you a clue to examine your radiator more closely. That murk is rust and rust can clog up the core of your radiator. Since you have the coolant drained and the hoses off, go ahead and remove your radiator and backflush it. stand it upside down and run a full pressure water hose into the bottom and rinse it out through the top. If you get lots of gunk out..you may want to take it to a radiator shop and have it professionally cleaned.

 

Patrick, here is how you burp the system.
http://www.ehow.com/how_7369_burp-cars-cooling.html

 

IMO, It is always a cheap and easy fix to change a thermostat, I recommend doing this just about anytime someone has a "new" overheat issue, simply to eliminate the possibility, and to save looking around needlessly for the problem somewhere else in the cooling system.

I will be the first to admit that usually the problem is not the thermostat, but for 10 bucks and a few min, this issue can be eliminated as the source of overheating, if this does not cure the issue, then you can move on to the harder fixes.

230 or 240 is pretty hot, are you boiling over at this point? As you and I both know Phoenix is one hot place, if the barely adequate cooling system of a classic Mustang is not tip top, you are going to have overheat issues there, especially when moving a slow speeds.

I think that you should start at the thermostat and if this does not cure your issue move on to the radiator itself. I think you need at least a 3 row stock type radiator or a 2 row aluminum unit to properly dissipate the heat in the Arizona summer heat.

 

Okay, here's a new question for overheating masters...

My mustang has an a/c condensor right in front of the radiator. I'm not sure exactly how big they are supposed to be, but mine is as big as the radiator, and it covers it up completly. My mustang is always maxed out on the temp guage, is this a/c condensor way too big? Is my radiator not getting the air flow it needs to cool the engine?

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

ya i had the same problem about 2 months ago. I was taking my car out to test the new suspension, when i noticed my temp gauge hugging the red and so i stopped to check. Turns out rust and a bunch of crud got stuck in my thermostat housing. I swapped it out and it was good as new. be sure to check/clear the hose too though. Also if you replace the thermostat there seems to be some type of pressure relief valve make sure it is tight because it tends to leak and cause more corrosion if you aren't careful.