94 V6 Mustang. Desperately seeking help...

sounds like a head gasket has gone bad. Check the oil if it is milky then your head gasket need to be replaced on your car.

lcurle said:

sounds like a head gasket has gone bad. Check the oil if it is milky then your head gasket need to be replaced on your car.

Click to expand...

yeah, and your heater core.

Oil is clear. Now what?

tessamarie said:

Oil is clear. Now what?

Click to expand...

It's probably your heater core.

you can bypass it if you live in a warm climate.

Replacing it ia a PITA, if you have a shop do it, it'll be expensive (especially for such a small relatively cheap part -it's all labor!)

Before taking the job on, you should get it checked out, in any case. no use spending money on parts you don't need.

Yeah but the car overheats even if the engine is cold, after travelling a couple of miles. Would the heater core do this?

Are you sure you installed the thermostat correctly? Is the cooling fan kicking on? If your car is overheating and the heater is blowing cold air, then your thermostat is not opening up to circulate the cooling fluid once the engine is hot. Your problem is not with the heater core. Did you do a complete flush and fill?

Good luck.

Hello: Thanks for the info. I took the car to a garage to get the thermostate installed. I guess I will have to take it back. Thanks for your help...

tessamarie said:

Yeah but the car overheats even if the engine is cold, after travelling a couple of miles. Would the heater core do this?

Click to expand...

If it's blocked, TOTALLY.

No fluid would be getting back to the radiator.

I think the engine would be dead by now if it was the head gaskets. - is there a lot of condensation flowing out the exhaust? (I.E White Smoke) if not - prolly not gaskets but check to see if they were replaced anyhow.

Sometimes the tranny could be a factor to heat not coming out of vent.

-if shop installed Thermo then I wouldn't worry that being the issue. Although there are slip ups. however check the rubber pipes leading from the Radiator to the Thermo, it should have pressure. oh wait... wow it's been awhile. I think it should be squeezeable? ******** I forget now I feel like running to my car and checking quick but it's 4am lol - someone help me here.

Who replaced the radiator?

Heating core? don't know a lot on it.

If you take it back, they should give you free labor, AT LEAST. you've already spent a ton of money and not had results.

If they don't give you the labor back, consider going to small claims court to get your money back, and take the car to a Ford Dealer.

Is all of the air out of the cooling system ? Maybe it just needs the air blead out . If their is a air pocket in the system it will cause the car to over heat as well . Just loosen the bleader nut and run the car . When no more air bubbles comes out it should be fine . good luck .

Punxsy Stang said:

Is all of the air out of the cooling system ? Maybe it just needs the air blead out . If their is a air pocket in the system it will cause the car to over heat as well . Just loosen the bleader nut and run the car . When no more air bubbles comes out it should be fine . good luck .

Click to expand...

yeah, hadn't thought of that. That gave Dewd fits for months.

i could be wrong but im pretty sure that even if the theromstat is closed the coolant should be getting to the heater core other wise major pressure would be building up in a system that doesnt allow any flow yet the water pump us pumping especially when you first start driving and it hasnt open up and you are going say 35mph. also another way to just check to see if the themostat is working right you should notice flow in the radiator once the car gets up to normal running temp.

hawks05 said:

i could be wrong but im pretty sure that even if the theromstat is closed the coolant should be getting to the heater core other wise major pressure would be building up in a system that doesnt allow any flow yet the water pump us pumping especially when you first start driving and it hasnt open up and you are going say 35mph. also another way to just check to see if the themostat is working right you should notice flow in the radiator once the car gets up to normal running temp.

Click to expand...

If it was installed wrongly, it can impede flow, without cutting it off, the effect is still the same.
the air bubble can get picked back up by the system at random intervals.

Eventually though, something will have to give.

true but im just saying that i believe the delivery to the heater core is a by-pass so that when the thermostat isnt open the coolant still moves just not through the radiator. now if your not getting heat when you turn on the heat then your heater core is mostlikely blocked. i mean there could even be a slight chance that your water pump is messed up too.

hawks05 said:

true but im just saying that i believe the delivery to the heater core is a by-pass so that when the thermostat isnt open the coolant still moves just not through the radiator. now if your not getting heat when you turn on the heat then your heater core is mostlikely blocked. i mean there could even be a slight chance that your water pump is messed up too.

Click to expand...

yeah, but at 90,000 miles?

if whoever had it 1st never changed the fluid, I'm betting heater core's blocked.

you never know sometimes theres weak spots in the metal. im not saying your wrong first things first got to see if anything is flowing and the easiest way to do that is watch the radiator with the cap off. if not check the thermostat if not that then it would be the water pump. if not that then the radiator itself could also be blocked if the car is over heating. i had that problem at about 100,000 miles and put in a new radiator and bam it was back to normal.

Yup same for me. I have a 99 v6 auto. I had to replace the water pump around 86k, was having the heater problem too at that time. Fix refill and off to work i went in a warm car. Then i also had to replace my radiator about a month ago. It took a couple topping off's before the air was all gone, but at time the air cause my heater not to work too... id check for that like they said.