FocusGhia

I'm hoping you guys can help.

I have an 88 305 TPI Auto IROC.

It's pretty much stock, the only mods being air filters and tb airfoils etc and a Performance Resource PROM.
The stat is believed top be stock.

Hot weather (30deg C or so) combined with very slow traffic (eg in long queues at traffic lights where you have to wait for a few passes of the green light before you get to go) results in the car over heating and boiling it's coolant. This has only happened once as I know the warning sign that it's gonna do it.

On the move the car runs on the lower 1/4 way mark on the temp gauge and the air dam is intact.
All is well.

Stationary in traffic the temps climb very slowly.
Both fans are on almost all the time (due to the PROM) but they can't seem to keep the car from over heating as described above.

I have changed the coolant (50:50 mix) and the rad cap.


There is no oil in the coolant, and no coolant in the oil. The car doesn't seem to use any coolant as long as the engine is running cool.


I'm wondering if the stat could be fauly so I am fitting a 160degree one (it was either that or stock as that is all they had).

I'm also wondering if it could be the prom putting too much ignition advance in and causing the car to run hot? Although it's been fine in cool weather and the car pulls like a freight train with no signs of detonation (it gets the expensive high octane pump fuel).
When the engine gets hot (heading towards the 220 halfway mark) the car almost stalls if you try and pull away super gentle at say 1,200rpm (and in fact WILL stall if the temp is above 220) but you can catch it by giving it a lot more throttle which stops it stalling but does result in some sort of smoke coming out the exhaust when it nearly stalls and you nail it to catch it.


Switching the heater on stops the temp from rising and even cools the engine down in fact.

When I take the rad cap off I can see water pouring into the rad from the little hose just below the rad cap so I assume the water pump is ok?


Anyone experienced this???

91Z-TheReaper

I sort of had the same kind of problem. I'm a 350 though.
I just did this work on Friday and so far seems to be very successful.
I wired my fans directly to the fusebox so they run constant. At the same time, I removed the thermostat so it will continually run in open loop.
Whether this will work for you or not, I don't know. That was my solution. My new temp runs constant about half way between the 'zero' and the 40* mark, so about a 20*. Even at idle, I have barely seen a temperature increase.

Chris

bobsroc

Sounds like you have restriction of flow some where. Does the coolant flow good after the car warms up, cap off radiator and looking inside? Several things can cause your problem, radiator cores clogged, water pump going, thermostat not opening or stuck part way. If you have not flushed the coolant, I would right after you check into the flow issue.

FocusGhia

Fitted the 160 deg stat.

Car seems fine now (although not had any hot weather, I have been stuck in traffic in cool weather).


I'm wondering if the engine wasn't cool enough for the prom timing and that was causing it to det and thus heat up more?
And now it's ok with a min temp of 160?


I'm sure I read something on here about 160 being too cold for the car and the car won't go into closed loop?
Surely it enters closed loop at a temp a lot colder than 160 deg?

Poncho Villa

I have a 160* stat, and my motor runs better than ever, stays at about 160* now, and seems much happier. Just hooked up my manual fanswitch too, for when I'm stuck in traffic, works great!

And yeah, with two fans you should be fine--clogged radiator can cause overheating--a friend of mine just had to pay a grand for a head gasket, after neglecting to change her coolant for at least three years.

I too have heard that a 160* stat gets you close to where some systems may not work, although I believe it's 150* where you start losing some ECM and smog functions.

Someone please explain.