Cooling Issues

[turbizzy]

Like I've mentioned before, my SVO seems to always run warm. With the T-stat taken out it runs purfect but never gets warm in the morning. With the T-stat in, it warms up quick but at highway speeds the temp just keeps climbing to A in normal. Ive flushed coolant several times and even have a 70/30 mix and a 3 row max cool radiator and most of my weather is mid 50s??? I plan on changing hoses, maybe they are collapsing under high speed and maybe my water pump is bad too. It is a bit squeaky but i never though much of it.

Im debating on a water pump. I read somewhere someone had an edelbrock aluminum, i cant find it. I also like the idea of not using a T-stat at all and having an electric water pump running off of a manual switch AND on its own with an electric fan controller set to a certain temp. Who makes electtric water pumps for our cars? Someone has to?

izzy

[NY eric]

A in normal

MIne sits there as well. I have replaced everything including 3 sensors. It seems that some cars just sit there. The aluminum one can be gotten through Motion Dynamics. It is pricey. They also have a high flow version. Look in the links.

[kiwi]

Izzy.......

How is the rad when you touch it? Engine hot you'll hear a crackling on cooll down or even it burbling .....The gauge could be off and there is no telling unless you have a temp scale.....You could use a probe right in the top of the rad while its idling to give an idea of the 'range' of your cars current dash mount. The 'A' could be 195 or so~Have to check it...

[Tpayneful]

First of all I don't think that you would want to run any engine without a themostat. Without a thermostat the engine will run cool most of the time and cause premature wear of the rings. That is why it will not warm up in the morning.

Do you know that the fan is actually turning on? Are the fan, connectors and controller good? All SVOs have a fan turn on switch.....it is the Air conditioning swich. When you turn on the AC the fan turns on. When the vehicle overheats can you turn on the AC and get the temperature to come down?

I had the same problem with my SVO overheating and got tired of trying to get the stock fan / controller / connectors to work. I just replaced the stock fan with a flex-a-lite universal fan model 150 and my problems have been solved. The fan has a built in temperture controller and sensor and you can adjust the controller to turn the fan on at any temperature.

[bob tweedy]

heating issues

i have repeated this many times. how are you checking th see how "HOT" hot is?
the gauges are just that. they are not precise in any way, shape nor form!
for me this is the easiest way to find out and bge relatively sure of what i am talking about.
1. go to wal-mart,k-mart or your local supermarket and buy a candy thermometer(one that is incased in glass).
2. wait until your motor is cold.
3. remove the radiator cap.
4 put the thermometer into the coolant. (make sure that it doesnt fall all the way into the radiator tank).
5. start the car and let it idle until the thermometer has reached the max temp that the motor is going to make.
6 when the thermometer has reached its max run around to the gauge in the dash and mark where the gauge is.

because the gauge and motor wont get warm with the thermostat out but runs hot with it in would indicate to me that the gauge is not working right.
also if you have a sensor controlled fan it might be not working either.
several things need to be checked prior to replacing the water pump or blaming it.
bob

bring back muscle cars-ban low performance drivers

guns dont kill people-drivers with cell phones do

[Ken Potter]

One other thing...

You mentioned that at highway speeds it will still come up to the "A" ( however hot that actually is ). How are your belts tension? At highway speeds / higher RPMs your belts will actually "expand" and move away from the pulleys. You may be slipping the water pump enough to reduce coolant flow... I think the proper deflection is about a 1/2" (?). Also check your belts for glazing. If they are "glazed" they will tend to slip even more. You might not be able to hear them squeal but still could be slipping enough... Just some ramblings... My $0.02 cents.

[Otto Man]

Since the day it was born my 85.5 temp gauge reads up to the "A" about 50% of the time . Sometimes even on the L. Back when it was new I took it in to the dealer many many times because the fan just would not come on. They eventually found a short (just wiggled wires while it was running). Now the fan caomes on at the A, and sometimes sooner.
Put a picture of you girlfriend in front of the gauge and ignore it
Wouldn't it be neat if someone made an accurate gauge we could back-fit in to our dashes? Or just an accurate red light thingy that flashes "Danger...Danger" when the coolant temp nears 225.
Chris

[AT6svo]

My $02

Not sure ho much of this is applicable as my cooling situation is no longer close to stock.

I am running a taurus electric fan controlled manually and I'm running a different radiator to clear an FMIC.

Config 1. new pump/lines/hoses/180 Tstat/SC rad
Config 2. new pump/lines/hoses/restrictor plate/SC rad
Config 3. new pump/lines/hoses/restrictor/Afco Rad
Config 4. new pump/lines/hoses/180 Tstat/Afco rad (TBD)

My problems were the inverse of the described problem, at speed would overheat, at idle would be fine. Going to Config 2 helped a bit. At that point it could only be the SC rad (from a jy) or I had a cracked head. Going to Config 3 with the Afco rad the car no longer overheats at speed, and it never even gets warm period. I need to go to Config 4 and re-install the 180 tstat and all s/b normal again.

Stock, these cars came with a 195 deg Tstat. The stock controller that enables the fan turns on way too late imho and the stock fan is an inadequate POS imho also. Keep in mind I like to go drive around out in the desert when its 110. The fan also does not do sqat when you're traveling over 55 mph.

As Kiwi mentioned, 195 maybe = A in NORMAL. As far as the temp keeps climbing at speed that is 1 of 2 things, inadeqate flow or radiator unable to dissipate heat. Assuming the rad is OK, then go the pump route. They're cheap & easy to replace. At the same time you might install a 180 tstat as well. A black magic (5.0 unit) temp controlled fan is always a plus as well.

hth,

[turbizzy]

More info

Sorry guys, i guess i forgot to mention a few things.

The gauge could be off

Well to be honest with you guys, when i installed my white face sticker/gauges i think i may have tweaked the needle resistors because my gas gauge goes way past the F when its full so i think i screwed up.

Do you know that the fan is actually turning on?

Yes, i have even installed a manual switch and convereted to the T/C dual fans and both come on together pulling madd CFM.

how are you checking th see how "HOT" hot is

Ok, heres why: When i was in Phoenix and it was 100*+, my temp gauge would read at almost the L and whenever i boosted past 10psi i would start to ping. Therefore i put the dual fans and manual switch. This seemed to help alot but still i would ping and the gauge would still be up there. I realize im in the desert and its not gonna get any better until it cools down but i was sick of not being able to even merge onto the freeway w/o pinging. So i took out my T-stat, BIG difference, no more pinging. When i returned to the bay area it ran cold all the time with no pinging at all. But... whenever i would idle for a while and the needle got to that A or L, i would still ping a bit saying to me that im too hot. I run the best possible octane available here (91). I pulled codes and verified a KS code, i think my KS is not functioning well so i disconnected it. I guess i should just replace the KS. I got sick of waiting for my heater to warm up and the fact about the wear to a cold motor that i reinstalled the Tstat and now im back to my pinging and high gauge reading as if i were in AZ.

At highway speeds / higher RPMs your belts will actually "expand" and move away from the pulleys. You may be slipping the water pump enough to reduce coolant flow

I went to check my belts (something i should have done a while ago) and while they look fine, they are glazed and even cracked underneath. Ill replace them soon and report back to you guys.

Wouldn't it be neat if someone made an accurate gauge we could back-fit in to our dashes?

Actually a 2 1/16" gauge fit perfect w/ minor mod to the panel. I plan to replace all of mine with Autometers. Electric or Mechanical, hmm?

At the same time you might install a 180 tstat as well.

I'd love to but cannot find one, only 190s+, where can i get one?

[turbizzy]

About the KS

Why don't i just reconnect the KS? Well I've been running w/ the KS disconnected for quite a while now and i decided to reconnect it and w/ it whenever any boost is present its as though my timing goes phsyco and my engine starts stumbling. So i leave it unplugged. I know what you guys are going to say, replace it then!!! along with my belts right?

Also, i should mention that my EGR is not hooked up. When the little green vacuum line broke i just blocked it off. I wonder if the EGR not working is causing me to get hot during highway speeds since there is no inert gasses to cool the cumbustion chambers. Add that to my new parts list, fix EGR.

[Ken Potter]

$.02 + $.02 = $.04

Just another bit of info... My 2R also ran hot / fan wouldn't come on when new. I took it back to the dealer and they said they replaced a relay. Ever since then it has always run really cold. I've never seen much past half of the "O" even when its around 100 here in Georgia ( in rush hour traffic fan comes on between "R" and "M" ). In the winter I would put cardboard in front of the radiator and in the intercooler just so I would have enough heat to keep from freezing my *** off.

[Otto Man]

Ken
This is probably a moot question but: Any idea what relay they replaced? (As if there is a chance Ford still makes it)
Chris

[GAboySVO]

Turbizzy,

Since you indicated that your fuel guage is acting weird as well, my guess is that your IVR is giving you the false readings. It is a pretty cheap part available at any parts store.

You need to do what Bob Tweedy suggested and find out just how hot the coolant is realy getting.

The lack of egr flow could also be affecting your highway temps. The cylinder temps are relying solely on the coolant to keep it cool.

You coould try some wetter water additive as well.

[turbizzy]

Parts I Replaced

Ok guys, today i replaced my 2 (any idea why they use 2?) alt/water/psteering belts and the others were toast. There was some parts of the belts that had missing ribs, just flat belt like a serp. I also installed a 180* Tstat and refilled with 60/40 mix. I did what bob said and got my digital thermometer and started her up and watched the temp rise. It got to about 202* when my needle on my gauge was pegged hot but no fan come on. Put the radiator cap back on and the needle started falling down to just before the R. One thing i did notice though, while the needle was climbing at idle at around the O i turned on the heater and the needle started climbing instantly at a rate of a letter every 10 secs till it got to the A where it sits all the time. Turned off the heater and nothing happened until i reved the motor a bit for a few secs, then the needle started falling again till it got to the O. It does this even while driving, turn on the heater and needle starts to rise, turn off and back to normal??? WTF? Probably an electrical issue or is something wrong here? I should mention that sometimes my fuel gauge will stick to the E near empty tank but just before i turned it off last it was a 1/4 tank. Whenever this happens i turn on my headlights and the needle goes back to normal and so will my temp gauge if its off into the A range it will return to the O-R range. Electrical issues? Whats and IVR and where is it?

So basically im not relying on my temp gauge anymore, although it seems to work fine with the lights on sometimes. As far as fuel, every 240 miles gas up. I need to replace my KS to stop pinging.

I will report back to you guys tomorrow about my results with new belts and a 180* Tstat.

[kiwi]

What?

.....the heater 'siphons' off the motor & should actually help cool a little if on/ like a little radiator (if in traffic/emergencys)....that fan should cycle on & off while you're watching it: and the gauge should 'float' around in the normal range....something amiss still sounds like incl that IVR possible-I hae another fact temp gauge if you need it Iz......