Topic: Over heating mustang.

[muncher]

Hi all.
Well my mustang finally arrived. Now my work begins to get it legal for NZ roads.
One immediate issue i would like your advice on is the over heating problem. I will describe as best i can what happens.
Took it for a quick run up our road noticed the temp gauge fitted registered the temp as 240 deg so i turned back. When i switched it off there was no steam but there was a lot of bubbling in the expansion chamber.
So i let it cool down then tried again but left the radiator cap off. As it got hotter the water rose and over flowed.
My thoughts are that the thermstat wasn't opening. If not that then could the cyl head be cracked?
What do you think. All advice greatly recieved........Cheers

[Soaring]

Change the thermostat to a 180 degree one,  flush the system then make sure the radiator is full of a 50/50 mixture of anti-freeze/distilled water.  Add a bottle of "water wetter" to the radiator.  If that doesn't do the trick, then you will need a larger radiator, an overflow tank and a shroud.   That's what I did to mine, and it made all the difference in the world. 

[66GTKFB]

1 - With the engine cold, remove the radiator cap, start the engine, let it idle until you see the "surge" in water flow indicating the thermostat has opened and look for bubbles and/or tan or brown "suds" in the water. Neither is good. Bubbles usually indicates a hole in a cylinder to the water jacket or a head gasket problem. "Suds" usually indicates oil in the water, head gasket, etc.
2 - An air pocket in the upper area like the intake manifold will also give you overheating. When the engine is cold, remove the heater hose from the intake manifold and let it vent air, when water comes out, put the hose back on.
3 - Check for "drips" at the nose of the water pump. "Drips" = replace.
4 - Check for water in the oil via the dip stick.
5 - Check the timing, 6 deg advance and 26 to 31 deg dwell. Make sure the distributor vacuum advance is working.
Jim
 

[muncher]

Thanks for the replies.
I removed the rad and thermostat. The rad is a 2 row. Waiting for a 3 row to arrive in a day or two. Also tested the thermostat......and.........doesn't open even in a pan of boiling water. So i guess i may have found the problem. Fingers crossed!!! Buying a new one tomorrow and will put all back together before the weekend. Will let you  know the outcome.
Cheers

[Soaring]

Yeah, if the thermostat doesn't open, then you have found your culprit.   Be sure you buy a 180. 

[muncher]

Hi
I bought a 180 thermostat today. I have heard that some drill 2 or 3 holes in the therm. Is this good to do or should i leave it as it is. Also where i live is generally warm all year round, would it be better to fit a 160 therm?
cheers

[66GTKFB]

Use a 180 deg thermostat. It gets hot in California too and a 180 works just fine. I've heard about the holes "theory" too. It is supposed to slow down the thermostat's opening time, or speed it up - don't bother.
Jim

[Soaring]

Don't go drilling holes in a perfectly good thermostat.  That old theory only allows a little water in the jacket.  If a new thermostat was supposed to have holes in it, it would have been drilled at the factory. 

[racingjz]

wouldnt a high flow one work better?

[Soaring]

A 180 is a 180.  It opens fully after 180 degrees.  In fact it starts to open sooner than 180.  What high flow are you talking about? 

[racingjz]

when i bought a new my the box said improved high flow on it

[Soaring]

It's either open or it isn't. 

[66GTKFB]

I was doing some research on water pumps today and ran across the Ford spec for thermostats in the 1966 Comet, Falcon, Fairlane and Mustang Shop Manual, Part 11-5: Low temp opens at 155-162 deg F, fully open at 182 F; High temp opens at 188-195 deg F, fully open at 210-212 F. The definition for "Low" and "High" was not specified.
Jim

[Soaring]

Good research Jim.  Then, when does a 190 start to open?   

[66GTKFB]

Meanwhile, back in the Ford Car Parts book, for 1964 thru 1967 Mustang V8 applications, only one thermostat is listed as a replacement item, a 190 deg F type, eg, no low temp. In other words, Ford recomends a 190 deg F thermostat (Ford p/n A8AZ-8575-C, Motorcraft RT-9). Based on that, the answer to your question is 188 to 195 deg F.
Jim

[66GTKFB]

A friend sent me this link and some info he extracted from the article about cooling systems -
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/cooling_system_tech/index.html
Quote
- Mid-’60s vintage radiators made of brass and copper typically fall in the 10- to 14-fin/inch category (low fin density)
- engine-driven fans with deep pitch-angle blades work best with low-fin-density radiators, while electric fans with shallow pitch-angle blades tend to work best with high-fin-density-count radiators.
- brass and copper radiators offer thermal conductivity advantages over aluminum radiators, they are limited to a maximum coolant tube diameter of 5/8 to ¾ inch.
- Aluminum radiators can be built with tubes up to 1-½ inches in diameter. The larger tubes allow the radiator manufacturer to place more fins-per-inch, which improves the radiator’s thermal efficiency. That reduces the thickness (and weight) of the radiator and also improves airflow through the radiator.
- For example, an aluminum radiator with two rows of 1-½-inch coolant tubes is probably more efficient than a four-row brass/copper radiator. Not only would the brass/copper radiator be heavier, but its added thickness would present a more restrictive path for the air to travel, especially at low vehicle and engine speeds.
- electric fans should always be mounted behind the radiator for optimal cooling. These fans do a better job of creating a low-pressure area behind the radiator than they do of pushing air through a radiator.
- Generally, engine-driven fans are more efficient than electric fans.
Jim

[Soaring]

So, engine driven fans are more efficient that electric fans, huh?  That's interesting.  I always thought the opposite. 

[racingjz]

is a 195f ok?

[Soaring]

Do you already have a 195?  If so, try it, but if you don't, then buy a 180. 

[racingjz]

thats whats in there it runs under 200 with no probs