I am here again for some expert advice.. Have a 65 289 vert that ran perfect all last year. Last winter I pulled the engine, detailed the engine compartment and replaced all of the gaskets in the engine - including head gaskets. I also replaced the water pump with a re-man pump. car is back together and running smooth, butafter 5 miles or so of driving she gets hot and pukes at the overflow - I replaced the t-stat today but she is still getting hot. I read somewhere before that installing head gaskets backwards was a common mistake - I can't believe I did this cause I clearly remember them being marked FRONT. Also, the water pump that came off the car was an original 65 aluminum pump with the open impeller. I got a rebuilt 65 pump, aluminum with an open impeller as well. Now I have this overheating problem. I am going to first replace the water pump, but what are the signs of backwards head gaskets? My oil is fine, no coolant in there. Thanks in advance for your help!
Overheating question
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My first instinct is to tell you to pull the radiator, get it cleaned out (muratic acid is the bomb here), and then when you reinstall it, put a filter in the inlet hose, if only for a few thousand miles. I think what happened was that you pulled it, and during the rebuild crap came loose and/or got in the passages (scraping head gaskets?), and is now plugging your radiator. That is my guess.
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Hmmm...did you perchance match up the replacement head gaskets to the originals? Sometimes steam holes can be wrong or missing and that can account for a change in temps. Also, did one head gasket end up upside down when you installed it?
Have you allowed adequate time for the engine to burp out all the air ingested when making these changes? Sometimes it takes a while and in the interim, the engine will run hotter (because air is a lousy conductor of heat compared to water).
You can start the engine cold with the cap off and observe the water flow once the T-stat opens...it should be relatively vigorous.
Have you noted any debris in any coolant drained?
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Have you allowed adequate time for the engine to burp out all the air ingested when making these changes? Sometimes it takes a while and in the interim, the engine will run hotter (because air is a lousy conductor of heat compared to water).
You can start the engine cold with the cap off and observe the water flow once the T-stat opens...it should be relatively vigorous.
Have you noted any debris in any coolant drained?
Get back to us...
All I did was replace all of the gaskets.. I remember the head gaskets had FRONT printed on them.I have replaced about 50 head gaskets in my lifetime, Never made this mistake before - Had a buddy do it once on a 2.3L Ford and it would not get oil to the cam... The water pump has an open impeller on this 65, my 66 has a cast iron pump with a steel cover between the timing chain cover and the pump...
I did purge all of the air, even today when I replaced the stat, I filled the rad, ran with the cap off, she burped and finally the upper hose got warm, I reved it up and did not notice what I would call normal flow.. That's why I suspect the water pump... Hard for me to believethe rad is clogged, she ran cool as a cucumber last year and the engine has always been filled with anti-freeze.. A long time ago I bought a reman water pump and the car would run hot at an idle (escort).. I replaced the pump with another and it turned out that the clearance between the pump housing and the impeller was way to big - rebuilder screwed it up... This mustang is acting like there is no water moving - If one or both of the head gaskets were wrong, would I get water in the oil? i have not water in the oil and she runs great.. Just hot. Thanks for your help again!
I did purge all of the air, even today when I replaced the stat, I filled the rad, ran with the cap off, she burped and finally the upper hose got warm, I reved it up and did not notice what I would call normal flow.. That's why I suspect the water pump... Hard for me to believethe rad is clogged, she ran cool as a cucumber last year and the engine has always been filled with anti-freeze.. A long time ago I bought a reman water pump and the car would run hot at an idle (escort).. I replaced the pump with another and it turned out that the clearance between the pump housing and the impeller was way to big - rebuilder screwed it up... This mustang is acting like there is no water moving - If one or both of the head gaskets were wrong, would I get water in the oil? i have not water in the oil and she runs great.. Just hot. Thanks for your help again!
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if the radiator is plugged, there is nothing for the pump to suck.
Let me tell you what happened to me. I did a gasket kit on my Cleveland. I even cleaned the radiator out at the time. I put it back togetherm and it didnt cool for crap (was great before pulling engine out). I flushed it with muratic, and it drastically improved. I didnt install a filter, now it is beginning to run hot again. I will be flushing it again with muratic, and installing a filter. I read somwhere that a coolant filter is a MUST when installing an engine after it has been apart, be it a full rebuild or jsut a gasket kit, cause stuff DOES come loose.
I also saw pictures of a radiator filter after just 200 miles... never again will I run without one. That is my personal preference though. I think you at least need one for the first few thousand miles to strain the crap out, checking/cleaning it when you refuel.
Let me tell you what happened to me. I did a gasket kit on my Cleveland. I even cleaned the radiator out at the time. I put it back togetherm and it didnt cool for crap (was great before pulling engine out). I flushed it with muratic, and it drastically improved. I didnt install a filter, now it is beginning to run hot again. I will be flushing it again with muratic, and installing a filter. I read somwhere that a coolant filter is a MUST when installing an engine after it has been apart, be it a full rebuild or jsut a gasket kit, cause stuff DOES come loose.
I also saw pictures of a radiator filter after just 200 miles... never again will I run without one. That is my personal preference though. I think you at least need one for the first few thousand miles to strain the crap out, checking/cleaning it when you refuel.
I have another water pump I will install tomorrow - it that doesn't do it, I will pull the radiator and have check it for flow - probably get it cleaned while it's out.. It that ain't it, I guess I'll pull the heads - gotta get this baby running - summer is here!!! Thanks for the replies!
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