I have a 1985 Ford Bronco, 351. I have an overheating problem that I can't seem to fix. I have replaced the radiator and hoses, thermostat, and I dumped and refilled my coolant in the radiator. It still seems to get to the upper range of normal of the temperature gauge. I don't know if that is normal or if it is still overheating. Any help would be appreciated.
overheating problem
- Thread starter CAE79
- Start date
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Try the analog rad. cap (built-in temp.gauge)
lcenterprises.com
Yours may be reading incorrectly....
could also be a bad sender..!
lcenterprises.com
Yours may be reading incorrectly....
could also be a bad sender..!
Seabronc
New member
Have you flushed the system? You may have enough gunk inside the engine to keep it from doing a good exchange of heat ot the fluid. The upper range of normal, if your gauge is like mine is around 210 to 215 degrees. I agree with Bully Bob, get a mechanical gauge that reads in degrees. Also, it could be that your watger pump is on it's way out or the clutch on the fan blades may be slipping too much.
Good luck,
>-
Good luck,
>-
Seabronc
New member
Could be. Also, what size radiator did you put in? How about the shroud around the fan, is ther one? I have a 3 core radiator for a truck with A/C and no A/C in the truck. It rarely gets above 195, the tstat setting, and then only on the hottest days when setting at a light for a while, but as soon as the fan kicks in it cools right back down to 195.
>-
Seabronc
New member
I'm sure they gave you the minimum 2 core size radiator. They depend on looking up everything by a computer menue. I got mine from a local friendly parts store that lets you have some input to the process
/emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" /> . It is kinda late now for that unless you want to spend another 150 to 200 bucks, but a 3 core radiator would be better. Under what conditions do you experience the heating problem? Heavy stop and go traffic? The problem with the overall cooling design of most vehicles is that they are least efficient when they need to be most efficient. When you are at idle you get the least amount of water flow. I'm looking into installing a full time rated electric pump. Take a look at the Ford Muscle article here http://www.fordmuscle.com/TechDepartment/cooling.php about cooling.Good luck,
>-
Seabronc
New member
Most likely, since then you will have more air flowing thru the radiator. You might also want to consider doing an electric fan conversion. If you get a fan like a lincoln Mark VII fan from a 4.6L engine it pulls more air than your mechanical fan at idle. With my setup the Ford gauge never exceeds mid ranage and usually shows between 190 and 200 degrees on my mechanical gauge.
A couple of pictures, one of the Ford fan installation and the other with the Lincoln Mark VII installed.
>-
Seabronc
New member
I got mine from a local wrecker for $30.00. You will also need a fan controller and a continuous duty relay with contacts rated at around 85 amps. Read the article I directed you to in the Ford Muscle online magazine. It lists all the parts and how to do it. I did mine slightly diffferent but it works the same. I mounted mine diffferently, see the two pictures I posted and if you want to see more or want more info on installing, PM when you get the fan.
>-
Last edited by a moderator:
