Car running hot

I have a 96 Ford Mustang GT 110,000 miles. I am the original owner.

I was in Atlanta yesterday and my car started running hot. The
traffic was stop and go. I noticed a puff of smoke coming from the
grill of the car. I turned the heater on and took the first exit. My
temperature gauge was almost red lined. Turning on the heater and
getting out of stopped traffic caused the temperature to come back
down to around mid way of the gauge. I drove it to the restaurant and
parked it and went in and ate. When I came out, I checked the
radiator and it was full. I had checked the oil before I left the
house and it was maybe a quarter quart low.
-----------------------------------
Back in the summer the car had overheated and I took it in to the
mechanic to have it checked out. He said that he didn't find anything
wrong with it but he changed the radiator cap. I drove it for a week
and it didn't overhead again, but I was never in stop and go traffic.
I flushed out the radiator and filled it with half and half coolant.

A few weeks after having flushed the radiator the check engine light
came on. I was very near the place where I buy tires for the car. I
stopped in and they put it on the computer and it said the error code
was "cylinder 3". They reset the computer and told me I probably
needed a tune up. I later took it back to the mechanic. He said that
could mean that I had a blown head gasket. He did a pressure check
and said there was no leak. He also added some stop leak and I have
driven it for several months and no overhead or no engine light.

On 2014-02-26, Metspitzer > wrote:
> I have a 96 Ford Mustang GT 110,000 miles. I am the original owner.
>
> I was in Atlanta yesterday and my car started running hot. The
> traffic was stop and go. I noticed a puff of smoke coming from the
> grill of the car. I turned the heater on and took the first exit. My
> temperature gauge was almost red lined. Turning on the heater and
> getting out of stopped traffic caused the temperature to come back
> down to around mid way of the gauge. I drove it to the restaurant and
> parked it and went in and ate. When I came out, I checked the
> radiator and it was full. I had checked the oil before I left the
> house and it was maybe a quarter quart low.
> -----------------------------------
> Back in the summer the car had overheated and I took it in to the
> mechanic to have it checked out. He said that he didn't find anything
> wrong with it but he changed the radiator cap. I drove it for a week
> and it didn't overhead again, but I was never in stop and go traffic.
> I flushed out the radiator and filled it with half and half coolant.
>
> A few weeks after having flushed the radiator the check engine light
> came on. I was very near the place where I buy tires for the car. I
> stopped in and they put it on the computer and it said the error code
> was "cylinder 3". They reset the computer and told me I probably
> needed a tune up. I later took it back to the mechanic. He said that
> could mean that I had a blown head gasket. He did a pressure check
> and said there was no leak. He also added some stop leak and I have
> driven it for several months and no overhead or no engine light.

Unbolt the top radiator mounts. This will give enough play to see down
the front of the radiator the AC condenser blocks seeing it otherwise.
Peer down in there and see how dirty it is. If it is, clean it.

I had a hot running problem that came and went with my '97
depending on ambient temp and driving conditions. Diagnosised that the
radiator wasn't cooling properly. I purchased a new radiator and when I
went to install it I found the original was very dirty where I couldn't
see or get at prior to disassembly. I replaced it anyway. (got a real
ford part on closeout, no returns) On a '99 owned by someone else I
removed the top mounts for access, found the rad dirty, gave it a good
cleaning with a garden hose nozzel without removing it, bolted it back
into place and the problem went away.

Metspitzer wrote:
> I have a 96 Ford Mustang GT 110,000 miles. I am the original owner.
>
> I was in Atlanta yesterday and my car started running hot. The
> traffic was stop and go. I noticed a puff of smoke coming from the
> grill of the car. I turned the heater on and took the first exit. My
> temperature gauge was almost red lined. Turning on the heater and
> getting out of stopped traffic caused the temperature to come back
> down to around mid way of the gauge. I drove it to the restaurant and
> parked it and went in and ate. When I came out, I checked the
> radiator and it was full. I had checked the oil before I left the
> house and it was maybe a quarter quart low.
> -----------------------------------
> Back in the summer the car had overheated and I took it in to the
> mechanic to have it checked out. He said that he didn't find anything
> wrong with it but he changed the radiator cap. I drove it for a week
> and it didn't overhead again, but I was never in stop and go traffic.
> I flushed out the radiator and filled it with half and half coolant.
>
> A few weeks after having flushed the radiator the check engine light
> came on. I was very near the place where I buy tires for the car. I
> stopped in and they put it on the computer and it said the error code
> was "cylinder 3". They reset the computer and told me I probably
> needed a tune up. I later took it back to the mechanic. He said that
> could mean that I had a blown head gasket. He did a pressure check
> and said there was no leak. He also added some stop leak and I have
> driven it for several months and no overhead or no engine light.


First, check to see if there is dirt, bugs, crud blocking the core. They
suck up all kinds of dirt and crap off the road. Next check the fan and
it's relay. Could be it has fried.

Do you know what code they actually got? Easy check for a bad head
gasket, stick the probe from an exhaust gas analyzer in the coolant
overflow ans start the engine. ANY reading means a bag head gasket as
there is no other way for exhaust gases to get into the coolant. If
nobody has one you can buy a kit to check for combustion gases in the
coolant. I've seen gaskets that held under pressure when cold but seeped
when hot.




--
Steve W.

"Steve W." > wrote in :

>
> First, check to see if there is dirt, bugs, crud blocking the core. They
> suck up all kinds of dirt and crap off the road.


Certain models in the salt-ridden north-east can have an additional
problem: rad fins that get corroded and fall off, dramatically reducing the
rad's heat-exchanging capacity. This phenomenon is easily seen and felt,
and is normally located at the bottom of the rad.

--
Tegger

On Wed, 26 Feb 2014 17:16:01 -0500, Metspitzer >
wrote:

>I have a 96 Ford Mustang GT 110,000 miles. I am the original owner.
>
>I was in Atlanta yesterday and my car started running hot. The
>traffic was stop and go. I noticed a puff of smoke coming from the
>grill of the car. I turned the heater on and took the first exit. My
>temperature gauge was almost red lined. Turning on the heater and
>getting out of stopped traffic caused the temperature to come back
>down to around mid way of the gauge. I drove it to the restaurant and
>parked it and went in and ate. When I came out, I checked the
>radiator and it was full. I had checked the oil before I left the
>house and it was maybe a quarter quart low.
>-----------------------------------
>Back in the summer the car had overheated and I took it in to the
>mechanic to have it checked out. He said that he didn't find anything
>wrong with it but he changed the radiator cap. I drove it for a week
>and it didn't overhead again, but I was never in stop and go traffic.
>I flushed out the radiator and filled it with half and half coolant.
>
>A few weeks after having flushed the radiator the check engine light
>came on. I was very near the place where I buy tires for the car. I
>stopped in and they put it on the computer and it said the error code
>was "cylinder 3". They reset the computer and told me I probably
>needed a tune up. I later took it back to the mechanic. He said that
>could mean that I had a blown head gasket. He did a pressure check
>and said there was no leak. He also added some stop leak and I have
>driven it for several months and no overhead or no engine light.

Always a possibility the fan motor or relay if it has one is acting
up. Next time it overheats get out before you shut off the engine and
take a quick look to see if the fan is running.

On 2/26/2014 4:16 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
> I have a 96 Ford Mustang GT 110,000 miles. I am the original owner.
>
> I was in Atlanta yesterday....

Right there is your problem.

--
T0m $herm@n

On Wed, 26 Feb 2014 17:16:01 -0500, Metspitzer >
wrote:

>I have a 96 Ford Mustang GT 110,000 miles. I am the original owner.
>
>I was in Atlanta yesterday and my car started running hot. The
>traffic was stop and go. I noticed a puff of smoke coming from the
>grill of the car. I turned the heater on and took the first exit. My
>temperature gauge was almost red lined. Turning on the heater and
>getting out of stopped traffic caused the temperature to come back
>down to around mid way of the gauge. I drove it to the restaurant and
>parked it and went in and ate. When I came out, I checked the
>radiator and it was full. I had checked the oil before I left the
>house and it was maybe a quarter quart low.
>-----------------------------------
>Back in the summer the car had overheated and I took it in to the
>mechanic to have it checked out. He said that he didn't find anything
>wrong with it but he changed the radiator cap. I drove it for a week
>and it didn't overhead again, but I was never in stop and go traffic.
>I flushed out the radiator and filled it with half and half coolant.
>
>A few weeks after having flushed the radiator the check engine light
>came on. I was very near the place where I buy tires for the car. I
>stopped in and they put it on the computer and it said the error code
>was "cylinder 3". They reset the computer and told me I probably
>needed a tune up. I later took it back to the mechanic. He said that
>could mean that I had a blown head gasket. He did a pressure check
>and said there was no leak. He also added some stop leak and I have
>driven it for several months and no overhead or no engine light.

Make sure the high speed coolant fan(s) is/are working. If only the
low speed fans are working, it's going to get hot when the car is not
moving, or moving very slowly. Check that along with what everyone
else suggested...

Tegger wrote:
> "Steve W." > wrote in :
>
>> First, check to see if there is dirt, bugs, crud blocking the core. They
>> suck up all kinds of dirt and crap off the road.
>
>
> Certain models in the salt-ridden north-east can have an additional
> problem: rad fins that get corroded and fall off, dramatically reducing the
> rad's heat-exchanging capacity. This phenomenon is easily seen and felt,
> and is normally located at the bottom of the rad.
>

Sure does. Salt and brine LOVE copper and aluminum... The crap gets
into everything it can and rots the various parts. Up here you can try
to stop the rot nut unless you never take the vehicle out of the garage
it's going to rot.


--
Steve W.