car running hotter than it should

jbowman55

Registered User
Greetings, all. This is my first post on the forum, and I'd sure appreciate some feedback.

I just purchased a 93 SC with manual transmission that's had engine and transmission replaced by Ford about 6,000 miles ago. On the couple of days that we've had 85+ degree temps outside, I notice the faster I drive the car on the highway, the hotter it runs...a couple of times to within 10% or so of red. When I slow down a little, to 50 or 55 mph or even slower, it cools down pretty well, but still sometimes leans a little farther right than I'm comfortable with. (I should say, though, that the engine runs smooth and has good acceleration, and I have not seen steam coming from underneath the hood at all.)

I spent a while reading posts here in the Tech forum, and it looks like the consensus is that the first (and easiest) thing to check is the radiator cap, so I did, and found a 13 psi piece of crap on the radiator that I can hardly believe hasn't blown through the hood by now. It won't even tighten down properly. It obviously needs to be replaced, but my question is this:

The radiator appears to be the small stock radiator. It certainly doesn't look like a custom aluminum job. So do all the SC stock radiators use 16 psi caps? I'm seeing 16 psi everywhere I look - here in the forum, on Napa and Auto Zone. Surely a worn out 13 psi cap could make the car run hotter than it should? I just want to be sure that I get the right cap for it when I go for a replacement. I've already figured out that it's a smaller-than-normal cap; I was going to try the 16 psi cap off my 94 Lincoln 3.8 but it was too large for the neck of the radiator on the SC.

Also, if you have any pointers about routine maintenance for SCs that differ from "regular" auto maintenance, I'd appreciate hearing them, too.

Thanks a bunch. It's been a while since I had a car with such personality. I'd like to take good care of it.

Jane
 
Yes, you need the small 16 psi radiator cap. Is the radiator new? It seems a pity to use an old and probably clogged one with a new engine.
 
can't really tell...

if the radiator is new, and I don't yet have documentation of the work that was done to the car. You're right. That does seem a shame, and from what I see in other threads, replacing the radiator with another stock radiator wouldn't be the smartest thing to do.

Thanks so much for your reply.
 
search

i was having temperature issues becasue my radiator and my water pump werent working right so i replaced them because they were the stock ones but that didnt seem to help so i went and cut the wire 14 in the ircm (do a search about this, you can also ground wire 17 and the high speed fan will stay on whenever the key is in the on position but if you cut wire 14 the low speed fan will stay on) and that fixed my issues now the car barely touches the n on normal.
try to keep the temp as low as possibe and think about putting a 180 deg termostat if you dont already have it(do a search about this too. if you need to buy parts contact spinning-wheels on ebay or look for victor and diane they will be more than happy to help you with very reasonables prices)
also check the temperature with a more acurate termometer. our gauge is known to be inaccurate.
just my .02 cents
 
temp issues also 90 SC

Any idea why my fan comes on when i disconnect the temp senson? the sensor screws into the intake manifold front of engine pass side. any ideas any solutions? i must also say when the sensor is pluged into the electrical connector a relay on the pass side firewall clicks twice and something on the drivers side clicks at the same time near the firewall or on the driver side tube. What the heck is going on here?





kurtslash said:
i was having temperature issues becasue my radiator and my water pump werent working right so i replaced them because they were the stock ones but that didnt seem to help so i went and cut the wire 14 in the ircm (do a search about this, you can also ground wire 17 and the high speed fan will stay on whenever the key is in the on position but if you cut wire 14 the low speed fan will stay on) and that fixed my issues now the car barely touches the n on normal.
try to keep the temp as low as possibe and think about putting a 180 deg termostat if you dont already have it(do a search about this too. if you need to buy parts contact spinning-wheels on ebay or look for victor and diane they will be more than happy to help you with very reasonables prices)
also check the temperature with a more acurate termometer. our gauge is known to be inaccurate.
just my .02 cents
 
thanks for your suggestions

The wire 14 deal is probably what I'll end up doing. Have the radiator flushed, clip that wire, and put paddle connectors on it so I can hook it back up in the fall.

I replaced the 13 psi rad cap with a new 16 psi yesterday, and had to run most of the way home with the heat on to keep the car from boiling over. It didn't, but a few times I thought it was going to. Will try the 16 psi cap again after we clip wire 14.

Any other suggestions? The wire 14 thing doesn't sound too complicated; am I underestimating it? My husband understands these things much better than I, but doesn't have a whole lot of patience for car repair.

Thanks again,

Jane
 
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