[Kelxin]

Ok, I'm new here, and I hate to say Hi with a problem, but in this case, that is what has brought me here. I bought a 96 Cobra SVT from washington state and drove it down to Colorado. On the way down I noticed it was slightly over heating (seatle the ambient temp was about 70 degrees and under), but once I got down to Utah some serious heat was pouring out of it to the point that the thermal kill was kicking in dropping my horsepower off to almost nothing. I've replaced the thermostat, checked the lines, the fluid was perfectly clear (no rust debris or any sign of internal damage) and I've checked the oil with no signs of head gasket problems. I've had several mustangs and quite a bit of time troubleshooting them, but this one is beyond my comprehension. Air filter I have replaced with a K&N, and the entire system sounds clean and hauls ass. Beyond that, with an ambient temp around 70 degree's the car runs fine as long as I don't race it or turn on the AC. Checked the fan, and all of its sensors are doing everything they're supposed to, running at the appropriate times and temps. Any advice that could possibly lead me in the right direction will be appreciated.

- Mike

[tictac]

I have a 95 cobra svt and the same thing happened to it.... had everything tested and replaced the thermostat with nothing. I found out it was the water pump.

[VP_96COBRA]

its the water pump cause the same **** happened to me except my pump just gave up completely and leaked so i replaced it. no problems so far

[Kelxin]

Ok, so I've replaced the water pump, flushed the entire system, added Water wetter, burped the hell out of it, and still over heating. The next logical step to me would be to replace the radiator. The best that I've seen is the Fluidyne 2 core, which the cheapest I've found it for was $369.00 with free shipping here -> http://www.absoluteradiator.com/Prod...asp?idProd=114

I found a review of it here - > http://www.allfordmustangs.com/revie...uct/224/cat/23
Where the last post 5literChevyEatr said "Buy the ford racing 3 row instead, it cools the same way, and save ur self 100 dollars", but to all of my searching I can't find a ford 3 row to save my life.

Do you guys think this is the correct direction for me to head, and if so, does anyone know where to get the three row from, or any reasons why I should or should not get the fluidyne? Thanks a bunch guys.

- Mike

Oh yea, btw... My old water pump was perfectly fine, but now atleast I know I have one with a life time warranty.

[VP_96COBRA]

interesting about the radiater. if you find that one your looking for let me know cause i will buy one as well

[VP_96COBRA]

interesting about the radiater. if you find that one your looking for let me know cause i will buy one as well

[SMOKE]

Perhaps I missed it but had the TSB but completed on the car?
FORD had a TSB on the 96 DOHC motor.

Fix.

Otherwise, the aftermarket radiator purchase is the only thing I can think of that you have not already completed.

[VP_96COBRA]

SO THERE WAS A RECALL?! i need to look into that!

[Kelxin]

Originally Posted by VP_96COBRA

SO THERE WAS A RECALL?! i need to look into that!

TSB = Technical Service Bulletin ..... Not a recall. I talked to my local ford shop, and they said that there were no recalls on my vehicle, and if I wanted the change over done, I'd be looking at between 1300 - 1600 bucks, and is why I'm looking towards a new radiator with more cores, or better heat transfer.

- Mike

[VP_96COBRA]

rog if you find any new info or a decent one radiator just let me know cause ill buy one in a heart beat

[Kelxin]

Well, with it coming into fall and soon winter here in colorado, my car's been running perfect, so it looks like I might hold off a couple months on doing anything with it unless I find something I just can't pass up.

[VP_96COBRA]

lol thats a great idea

[Kelxin]

OMFG ... This to me is so unbelievable that I HAD to update this post...

When I first got my 96 cobra, I'd definitely say it was worth the money, and was happy with the car. One thing that did bug me a little was how stiff the clutch was, but I thought it was just a racing clutch. About a week ago my clutch completely seized, locked down onto part of the transmission, and the pulley locked against the flywheel. Through the process, I ended up having Aamco replace the clutch and rebuild the transmission, which cost me about $1300. As it turns out somehow that was causing my overheating, a drop in about 30% of my horsepower, and the stiff clutch. Now that I know what it is really like to drive a cobra, I would definitely say I'm not just happy with the purchase, but also have cobra pride! Before I felt like I was driving a fast tank, which at that point I could at least keep nose to nose with almost any car on the road (even gave a dodge viper a good run for his money), but now I truely feel like I have a racer. IMO if you have a cobra with over 100k miles on it and a factory clutch, I'd have someone take a look at it to see if theres any unusual wear, you'd be suprised at the difference!

[VP_96COBRA]

yeah i replaced all that already and love it

[billy_effinger]

I think that this may be exactly what is happening to my 98 cobra now. My car is currently at PEP Boys, and they have replaced my radiator and thermistat and she is still overheating very quick.
My clutch has always been stiff, since i got her in 99... but no problems over heating till now... at about 100k miles.
is there any way that i can verify that this is the problem before i spend that money on the transmission?
thanks!
- billy