Hello all,

I have a 1997 mustang 3.8L and recently it's been giving me some problems.

1. I noticed about 2-3 months ago that my car was low on coolant in the reservoir. It actually always dropped over time, and I thought it was a little fast and odd, but the manual even says that the coolant needs to be topped up rather frequently (esp in hot weather).

2. Recently, I was driving on the highway and my engine temp. gauge went really high, so I cranked the heat vents and expected to pull over, but the needle went back to normal.

3. This will happen occasionally when I drive, usually about once or twice per drive, and never right away (even when engine is hot). Also, when I crank the heat, the meter usually dips to lower than mid, and slowly works its way back to mid.

4. I've never seen smoke coming out of my engine/hood.

5. Sometimes, my engine will say its overheating, and i'll turn on the vents, and the air is still rather cool.

Could this be my thermostat + leak in coolant reservoir? I also notice some orange spungey looking substance dried up around my engine block. Not sure what it is but perhaps dried up coolant that got leaked? Not sure, but my concern right now is with the over-heating issue.

Any thoughts? Thanks.

 

Sounds like you need a new thermostat! very easy to change your self and inexpensive parts, you might want to flush your radiator and replace the coolant at the same time.

 

Thank you for your input.

 

where is the residue on the block?

 

The 3.8L's are notorious for head gasket problems. I'd start there.