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Topic: Engine issues (Read 1154 times) previous topic - next topic

Engine issues

Well, I am new to this board and Fords in general. I am having some issues with my engine in my thunderbird.  I washed my car yesterday and all of the sudden it started overheating. It would get warm before but never above the upper white line. well after putting in coolant and hoping it was just airlock it is still doing it i have tried about 5 times to make sure all the air is out but i cant figure out why it is doing this I bought the car from my brother in law and he just changed the water pump and thermostat a few months ago so i dont see how it could be that and the temp fluctuates while driving.  Now it is running rough like 1 or 2 cylinders are missing intermittently  and it even stalled on me while i was turning into a parking spot. It isnt burning coolant and there isnt oil or coolant contamination but, this is my first time dealing with a 5.0 and I dont know if there is something i am missing or what. Is there any difference in the heads off of an '83 302  and heads off an '88 302, I do have an 83 with a 5.0 that I can use the engine out of if i have to. Any suggestions of tests or things to check are very much appreciated, Thanks Andrew

Re: Engine issues

Reply #1 –
are you somehow trying to connect the "washing of your car" with the problem?  if so,, it makes a difference as to what needs checked.

Or..........

are you saying that it started to overheat here recently and has no connection with the washing.,,,

did you wash the engine bay?


as a side note,,, when i add coolant,, i pour it in till its full then put my hand over the radiator opening.  I then squeeze the upper hose a few times to work out air.  I end up dropping the level of coolant and im able to add more.


a few checks..........

fan clutch- with cold engine, you should not be able to spin the fan more than 1 or so complete turn give or take a few more inches of rotation.

is it actually overheating or is the guage broken

is the cap the correct psi?

is the t-stat stuck open

do the hoses have air in them,,(radiator hisses when you remove the cap on a warm engine>yes i know thats dangerous<

does it bubble over

does your radiator circulate well

how are the belts?

maybe you could bypass the heater core to see if presure is getting lost there and preventing your tstat from opening correctly.

does the windshield fog up when heat is selected

maybe your loosing coolant out the tailpipe and you need to do a compression test.

maybe the headgasket was the wrong part number and blocks off coolant ports

maybe your headgaskets are installed upside down and some coolant ports are blocked.

Re: Engine issues

Reply #2 –
Well I washed under the front of the car like just the engine cross member but not the whole engine bay. I dont really think it is because of the washing its just puzzling me

I am very experienced with cars in general but mostly my old toyotas
and when add coolant i fill it and then a few minutes and it usually goes down so i add more then when it doesnt go down anymore i start it and let it warm up and the recheck after it cools down.
It is overheating because it boils over and the gauge doesnt act strange or anything so i dont think it is the gauge. The cap is 16psi and i have had 2 different ones on it.
Thermostat cant be stuck open or it wouldnt be overheating
I am beginning to question the radiator but there isnt anything specific that make me question it other than there isnt anything left.
It doesnt seem to be the heater core(no steam on windows or leaks)
The belt is a serpentine belt and it is only about  a year old and looks fine
No coolant out the tailpipe it is perfectly dry and no smoke.
There is no way it is the headgasket they are original and the heads havent been taken off.
I guess my main concern is that there is damage to the Heads or Head gaskets, What are the probabilities that the heads or gaskets are damaged?
I dont have a compression tester to check the compression but as far as the rough running is concerned it doesnt really start until the engine warms up and when driving it doesnt hesitate when you are pushing on the gas pedal more than about 1/3 or less down, mainly just light throttle and idle, but still no smoke.
Thanks for your help

Re: Engine issues

Reply #3 –
ok ,, you cleared a lot up there.,, thank you.

Its a random opinion that a stuck open tstat can cause over heating. I believe like you but others would throw that in there depending on thier experiences.

so,, check your fan clutch and remove the tstat. see what happens from there. 

Id try to flush out the coolant system ,, just the radiator alone.  I removed my lower hose and plugged of the fitting,, filled up the radiator with a potent bleach water mix and let it sit.  I then flushed out the radiator and it opened up some corroded / clogged passages.
 i agree, its about the only thing left.

i have to say that if the tstat were stuck closed, you'd probably already blown a hose by now,, thats why i mentioned it being stuck open.  If the radiator is clogged some , it might wanna stay open cause there isnt a good flow of fluid.  Thus making the hot coolant stay around in one spot too long.  make sense?


Having it run bad when it gets warm probably indicates that your coolant temp sensor is working properly on the intake.  Its gonna vary in resistance to about as low as 1.5 to 2k ohms fully warm.  if its going lower, its probably triggering the eec because of the excess heat you have.
 

Re: Engine issues

Reply #4 –
Did your brother-in-law replace the water pump because it was over heating or because it was leaking?

Re: Engine issues

Reply #5 –
would'nt it suck if the new water pump was incorrect and it flowed in the wrong direction?

Re: Engine issues

Reply #6 –
My brother in law replaced the pump because the other pump went bad.
I really dont think it is anything like the pump flowing backwards because it has been driven atleast 10000 miles since and hasnt had any problems until now.
I think the rough running is actually a blown intake gasket now, because there is coolant in the oil and there isnt any steam or anything coming out of the exhaust but i could be wrong.
Thanks again for your help

Re: Engine issues

Reply #7 –
Quote from: jcassity
is the cap the correct psi?


I use 7lb caps on all of my engines.. Never had a over heating problem..

Re: Engine issues

Reply #8 –
Quote from: TurboCoupe50
I use 7lb caps on all of my engines.. Never had a over heating problem..

A 7 psi cap will protect up to 232 deg,  a 16 lb cap - 252 deg. This is assuming a worst case scenario of 100% water.