overheating problem, please help

[66bird]

hey i own a 66 thunderbird w\ the 390 and no a\c, i have a external trans cooler hooked up, i flushed the radiator, it had all new antifreeze in it. So i took it on about a 50 minute ride. when i parked it steam shot out the overfill hose on the radiator. why did it over heat so badly? and suggestions would really help, i need to fix it before the summer
Chris

[Joe Vandatta]

If your radiator is in good shape I would suspect a bad thermostat.
Joe

[66bird]

ok thats what somebody else said, what if both are in good shape? where do i go from there?

[2-77s, 1-85, 2-86 TCs]

Check all of your hoses for leaks. i had a pinhole leak and couldn't find it in my '93 T-Bird. It ended up being in my upper radiator hose and I couldn't figure out why it was overheating. I finally found it after I shut it off and heard a hissing. I opened the hood and saw the pinhole. Right after I closed the hood (thank goodness), the hose completely exploded and blew itself in half. So you may want to replace all your hoses, or at least check them out to be sure. Also, check to see if you have any sludge buildup in the bottom of the radiator or the surge tank (fill tank).

Rick

[Joe Vandatta]

Remove the thermostat and do a reverse flush, if that doesn't do it you must have a bad radiator.
Joe

[66bird]

ok thnaks a lot, i already replaced the upper hose and did a full radiator flush with prestone super flush. So next im going to try the thermostat and the reverse flush, but how would i go about doing that?

[Joe Vandatta]

The insructions will be with the kit--be sure to remove the thermostat while you are flushing and replace it correctly.
jOE

[mr.t]

I have had old hoses look good on outside but actually were falling apart inside causing a piece of rubber blocking the passage of coolant. I've had in one case a piece of silicone lodge itself in the waterpump and vehicle was mystrieously overheating. Worth checking out.

[66bird]

ok thanks, but what other hoses do i replace besides the upper and lower radiator hoses? Does the transmission have anyhting to do with overheating?

[Joe Vandatta]

The only other hose to do with engine cooling is the short bypass hose. If you have an external trans. cooler that means it does not affect on engine cooling.
Joe

[66bird]

ok thanks everyone for all your help

[tbird5866]

I had a similar problem. Removed the water pump and found that passage to the left side of the block was plugged. Replaced water pump - problem gone.

[66bird]

ok ill take a look at that 2

[Joe Vandatta]

How are you coming on your heating problem--just curious.
Joe

[t-bird-art]

There are a dozen or more reasons a Bird or any other car will overheat. In addition to the above mentioned reasons, I add the following: A) In any 35 something year old car, deosits of rust, calcium. and dirt settle to the bottom of the engine block- big time. The crap and corruption itself holds heat and when the engine is turned off, the heat is released to boil coolant . In addition when the coolant boils over , the crap & corruption goes gushing straight into your freshly cleaned radiator. Flushing the WHOLE coolant system is required to do it right. Note: the heater core is a mini radiator in itself and also accumulates rust etc. big time. The heater core must also be back flushed . B) Upper and lower radiator hoses must be replaced. They have a useful life of only 2-3 years top. Why? The water pump sucks coolant from the lower radiator hose as the pump circulates water. Ever notice the wire lining the inside of the lower radiator hose? The wire is there to stop the hose from collapsing as the water pump sucks coolant thru the hose. This wire has a useful life of 2-3 years even with "rust preventive" antifreeze. Also, 2 gallons of antifreeze is required at all times , to get SOME rust prevention throughout the cooling system. C) Incorrect timing of the engine will overheat the enging D) Kinked or bent transmission lines will cause overheating. 1 mechanic in 100 will put the lines back exactly in the line clamps where the factoy put them. E) Poor oil flow will cause overheating. Your oil pressure guage can read normal and still have a problem with oil volume. Oil voume is restricted by a clogged screen at the bottom of the oil pump. I have seen screens so plugged up just 1/2 inch of screen was left open to pass oil. F) Dragging brakes will overheat a engine. Drive a mile-get out- and lightly touck all hubcaps. Look for hubcap hotter than a pistol or hotter than the other hubcaps . A malfunctioning emergency brake release may be the culprit on the rear wheels or stuck caliper(s) on the front or neglected inspection maitenance of the shoes on the front. G) You will note all of the problems above originate with improper servicing at regular intervals according to the recommendations of Ford. Servicing at 10K 20K 30K intervals is only way to minimize "what's wrong".