Ford Mustang Forum banner

1997 Mustang V6-Engine Ruuning Hot

1315 Views 11 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  vortechmustang
1997 V6 3.8L Coupe
My temp gauge will run to almost H, hold for awhile, then decrease. It seems like I have to add antifreeze every other week, but I see no leaks. I have a new thermostat, alternator, a/c compressor, accumulator, and blower motor resistor. I'm not losing oil, it's not milky, and I don't blow white smoke. I don't believe the system has ever been flushed. I just had the car painted and noticed paint on the lower end of my radiator. Any ideas? Thanks.
Status
Not open for further replies.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
there are definitely no puddles on the ground anywhere? not even a drip?
Nope, nada. I don't see anything damp or wet on the engine either. I just got back from a 15 minute drive and it was fine. However, earlier today, after about 30 minutes, my gauge was moving to H, then 10 minutes later, started dropping back down. Fan? Water pump? How would I know?
if say you filled your coolant back up and you go for a drive after you know that the coolant is completely full does the gauge still go all the way up like that?
Yes. However, today I drove all over the place and the gauge never moved past the middle mark.
I just had the car painted and noticed paint on the lower end of my radiator. Any ideas? Thanks.

how much paint is on your radiator??

if it's completely covered in paint maybe it wont dissapate heat correctly...?
i dunno if thatd be it since its kinda intermittent.. what about some kind of faulty sensor i dunno what exactly would do that tho..
I would check the condition of your radiator. The overspray is usually no big deal, but the inside of your radiator could be starting to show signs of age. Is the fan is kicking on?

If you have to add some fluid every couple weeks, you are loosing it through evaporation, not a leak.......
my car always ran up to hot on the red line when i first got it, make sure your gauge isnt faulty.

the only sure way to check is get you and a buddy, start it up and let it idle then go thru the rpms idle to 2g, idle to 3g, ect. and if your motor starts to run hot check if the fan kicks on. if it kicks on and its hot, its probably the thermostat was inserted incorrectly, there is something clogging your antifreeze system so flush it, warped heads and intake manifold, bad gaskets

actually if your losing alot of antifreeze and dont see any drips your probably burning up yer antifreeze in your cylinders cuz of bad head gaskets. my car did that and i never saw any white smoke.


i recommend take it to an auto shop and have them lube and seal all your parts and gaskets, they will tell you if they find a problem, if its still saying its getting hot take it back and have them heat test your engine, idk what its called but its like a strobe light, kinda like a timing gun but it determines the temp of your motor every second to see if there is an actual increase in the temp.

hope this helps
See less See more
my car always ran up to hot on the red line when i first got it, make sure your gauge isnt faulty.

the only sure way to check is get you and a buddy, start it up and let it idle then go thru the rpms idle to 2g, idle to 3g, ect. and if your motor starts to run hot check if the fan kicks on. if it kicks on and its hot, its probably the thermostat was inserted incorrectly, there is something clogging your antifreeze system so flush it, warped heads and intake manifold, bad gaskets

actually if your losing alot of antifreeze and dont see any drips your probably burning up yer antifreeze in your cylinders cuz of bad head gaskets. my car did that and i never saw any white smoke.


i recommend take it to an auto shop and have them lube and seal all your parts and gaskets, they will tell you if they find a problem, if its still saying its getting hot take it back and have them heat test your engine, idk what its called but its like a strobe light, kinda like a timing gun but it determines the temp of your motor every second to see if there is an actual increase in the temp.

hope this helps
:headscratch::headscratch::headscratch:
:headscratch::headscratch::headscratch:
you're not the only one...:headscratch:
same problem i had. its bad head gaskets. i would have to add anti freeze all the time.
1 - 12 of 12 Posts
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top