Went back into the thermostat this morning. Removed the previous blunder and put the thermostat on the housing side as stated in the shop manual. However, the shop manual says the thermostat should lock into the housing with a twist. There was no way to do that with the housing. Continued to reinstall the housing and it seams to be working properly. I could tell by the gasket that water was pushing against the thermostat and this was likely causing the flow to be reduced. The radiator tank still gets very hot and I have to check the actually running temp of the water like previously suggested. I know the thermostat works because I stuck it in boiling water and watched it open.
I am now left with the water pump problem. Before it was not making a noise. Now it is making a churning sound that I am sure will only be fixed by replacing it. So what do you suggest, rebuilt with lifetime warrantey for $25 bucks or a new one with a lifetime warranty for $60? Will the new one make that much of a difference?
Followup regarding the heat. I pulled the control panel on the side to find out why I do not have tension on the defrost control. It was off the peg and I thought kewl an easy fix. But I noticed that the cable was in bad shape and I pulled the glove box to check all the cables out. Lo and behold I find the monster of the problem. The portion where the defrost cable is connected to is totally blown out. Only way to fix this is to replace the heater plunium. That is a job outside of my league. Looks like I will be wearing long johns until I can find a shop that will do it for a reasonable price.
One last thing as I was helping my son change the oil we kept noticing puffs of smoke towards the rear. We watched carefully and it looked like the exhaust manifold was leaking. Tightened up all the bolts, I think it corrected the problem. I am sure it will be just a matter of time before I have to replace the exhaust gaskets also.
Ohh well such is life as the owner of a vintage mustang. Sorry about the long post.
P.S. Sanded the portion where the blinker light connects to the housing, that fixed it and it works great. Got the horns working when going directly to the battery, but when hooked up properly they sound like a sick cow. I must be losing volts in the harness somewhere.
I am now left with the water pump problem. Before it was not making a noise. Now it is making a churning sound that I am sure will only be fixed by replacing it. So what do you suggest, rebuilt with lifetime warrantey for $25 bucks or a new one with a lifetime warranty for $60? Will the new one make that much of a difference?
Followup regarding the heat. I pulled the control panel on the side to find out why I do not have tension on the defrost control. It was off the peg and I thought kewl an easy fix. But I noticed that the cable was in bad shape and I pulled the glove box to check all the cables out. Lo and behold I find the monster of the problem. The portion where the defrost cable is connected to is totally blown out. Only way to fix this is to replace the heater plunium. That is a job outside of my league. Looks like I will be wearing long johns until I can find a shop that will do it for a reasonable price.
One last thing as I was helping my son change the oil we kept noticing puffs of smoke towards the rear. We watched carefully and it looked like the exhaust manifold was leaking. Tightened up all the bolts, I think it corrected the problem. I am sure it will be just a matter of time before I have to replace the exhaust gaskets also.
Ohh well such is life as the owner of a vintage mustang. Sorry about the long post.
P.S. Sanded the portion where the blinker light connects to the housing, that fixed it and it works great. Got the horns working when going directly to the battery, but when hooked up properly they sound like a sick cow. I must be losing volts in the harness somewhere.
