Hey SVTP.
Help me out (please, I'm begging!)
I've done pretty much everything imaginable and can't understand what is happening.
04 GT - 4v swap using 01 continental heads.
I have made my own head cooling mod, bridging both of the rear freezeout plugs up to the heater core. Other line on the heater core goes to the back of the water pump.
I have bought and installed a reische thermostat. coolant temps when cruising are anywhere from 89-91 *c - better than the OEM 03 cobra t-stat I had in before.
I'm not using 100% of the OEM hoses in the cooling system, a couple are silicone. One of them - the one between the thermostat housing and block was collapsing when the revs came up - I reinforced it with a coil of wire and it's rock solid now.
The rest of the hoses seem to be fine.
The car will get into an "overheat mode" where the coolant temp will slowly rise, and keep going up. The radiator fan will come on first at low, then on high. The coolant temp will just keep going up. The upper radiator hose will be solid from the pressure. Eventually, the temp gets up to 118+ and the coolant boils and pukes out of the overflow reserve. There is a fix for this - if I shut the engine off for about 20 seconds, then restart it, coolant temps PLUMMET back to normal. I mean, 20-30 seconds to go from 115 to 90 (or lower) at idle.
Eventually it does it again. It seems to get stuck in this mode more often if I start the car after it is already warmed up. I don't drive it very far any more because it does this. Usually my drives are just a couple of miles and the car doesn't even warm up.
I'm at my wit's end though. My next fix is going to be to plug off the bypass circuit and just remove the thermostat and leave it that way.
When I refill the car (i've had to do it 6-8 times now because of this issue - when it goes to overheat it does it so quickly that the temp gauge doesn't move, it just boils over), I follow the reische instructions and make sure the cooling system is completely burped. I've used everything from straight water, to 60% water, 40% coolant, to water wetter. It's been tried, and faithfully refilled the correct way each time.
The thermostat is installed in what should be the correct direction (with the bottom going through the bypass loop). This reische thermostat is the 4th one I have tried. The previous ones are the OEM 03 cobra stant thermostat - NOT the incorrect 2v stat.
Anyone had this happen?
Suggestions?
Ideas? I'll even take wild shots in the dark. This is making me hate the car.
Help me out (please, I'm begging!)
I've done pretty much everything imaginable and can't understand what is happening.
04 GT - 4v swap using 01 continental heads.
I have made my own head cooling mod, bridging both of the rear freezeout plugs up to the heater core. Other line on the heater core goes to the back of the water pump.
I have bought and installed a reische thermostat. coolant temps when cruising are anywhere from 89-91 *c - better than the OEM 03 cobra t-stat I had in before.
I'm not using 100% of the OEM hoses in the cooling system, a couple are silicone. One of them - the one between the thermostat housing and block was collapsing when the revs came up - I reinforced it with a coil of wire and it's rock solid now.
The rest of the hoses seem to be fine.
The car will get into an "overheat mode" where the coolant temp will slowly rise, and keep going up. The radiator fan will come on first at low, then on high. The coolant temp will just keep going up. The upper radiator hose will be solid from the pressure. Eventually, the temp gets up to 118+ and the coolant boils and pukes out of the overflow reserve. There is a fix for this - if I shut the engine off for about 20 seconds, then restart it, coolant temps PLUMMET back to normal. I mean, 20-30 seconds to go from 115 to 90 (or lower) at idle.
Eventually it does it again. It seems to get stuck in this mode more often if I start the car after it is already warmed up. I don't drive it very far any more because it does this. Usually my drives are just a couple of miles and the car doesn't even warm up.
I'm at my wit's end though. My next fix is going to be to plug off the bypass circuit and just remove the thermostat and leave it that way.
When I refill the car (i've had to do it 6-8 times now because of this issue - when it goes to overheat it does it so quickly that the temp gauge doesn't move, it just boils over), I follow the reische instructions and make sure the cooling system is completely burped. I've used everything from straight water, to 60% water, 40% coolant, to water wetter. It's been tried, and faithfully refilled the correct way each time.
The thermostat is installed in what should be the correct direction (with the bottom going through the bypass loop). This reische thermostat is the 4th one I have tried. The previous ones are the OEM 03 cobra stant thermostat - NOT the incorrect 2v stat.
Anyone had this happen?
Suggestions?
Ideas? I'll even take wild shots in the dark. This is making me hate the car.