Cooling Issues: Need to Vent

[monkeyspunk79]

:fm:Alright, I don't normally come here and start complaining...but I have to vent before I come unglued.

The issue: two months ago I noticed the Cobra was running warmer than usual & leaking coolant around the thermostat housing, so I parked the car and ordered new parts. The old t-stat housing was cracked so off it came. I just reinstalled it and a new OEM thermostat, flushed the coolant and filled with Peak antifreeze, and I attempt to open the coolant crossover plug and it didn't budge. Even with some penetrating oil, nothing...and then >SNAP< goes the 1/4 drive ratchet attachment. It broke off and is still stuck inside. This cheesed me off since about 25K ago I flushed & refilled and burped the system perfectly in one shot. I even put ANTI-SEIZE on the stupid plug so it wouldn't give me troubles later on. :burn: So much for thinking ahead.

So I went ahead and jacked the car up, and filled it using the de-gas bottle. Turned on heater to full blast, let it warm up in the garage on jackstands & topped her off. Everything was fine. I let her down, take it down the street and onto a 2 lane road and the temp creeps up and up. I pull over & burp it...and its fine. Drive some more. Creep creep creep. So its back home and in the garage again until I can cool off :fm: I am on my first of many beers.

A few thoughts as I come to my senses.

1. What can I do to get this plug out now that my ratchet is broken off inside?

2. Who sells that replacement brass plug that I can use to chuck the POS stocker? I may also look at plumbing a gauge that actually works.

3. Is there a way to burp the system without using the crossover plug? Right now I don't really want to open up a can of worms by stripping out the tube itself and spending $200 for a new one.

4. Anyone know the name & address of the Ford engineer that designed the crossover plug to accept a 1/4 drive instead of having a normal hex head? I owe that bastard a knuckle sandwich.

Thanks as always for the help everyone. And for letting me vent. :beer:

 

[mwolson]

I did exactly the same thing as you except I broke my Craftsman breaker bar.

I used a vice grip on mine to get it loose. It chewed up the side of the plug.

Now I have one of these on mine:

You can get them tapped for an Autometer temp sender (like mine is, but I plugged it for now) or solid.

You can buy it by emailing Anthony: mpp97sst (at) hotmail (dot) com

 

[ZeroDCX]

I did exactly the same thing as you except I broke my Craftsman breaker bar.

I used a vice grip on mine to get it loose. It chewed up the side of the plug.

Now I have one of these on mine:

You can get them tapped for an Autometer temp sender (like mine is, but I plugged it for now) or solid.

You can buy it by emailing Anthony: mpp97sst (at) hotmail (dot) com

I did the same with mine, but I've not ordered a replacement yet. How much does Anthony charge for the better replacement?

Btw, hope you get this situation resolved man and good luck.

 

[mwolson]

I bought more than one and then misunderstood his pricing, and sent him the wrong amount. By the time the dust settled, I had no idea what his standard pricing was. But it wasn't bad, and I am real happy with his plugs. You need to emai him for his prices.

 

[monkeyspunk79]

Will do. This stock piece is garbage and if I plan on keeping the car I would like to be able to get the coolant filled without breaking my tools

Thanks for the leads everyone.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

You can try vise grips around the edge of the plug, you can weld a nut on the top of the plug or you can replace it with one of those but you still need to get the old one off.

And you need to remove it to burp properly so there is no doubt to me that this is the current problem with it running warm on you.

 

[monkeyspunk79]

Thanks again everyone. Today I started fresh & used vice grips and another 1/4 drive ratchet and got the plug out. I greased it up good, refilled, and drove around. Now that its free I can replace with a new plug from the gentlemen on SVTP that sells the nice ones!

So after burping it twice and driving about 15 miles...its still running hotter than it used to. On the stock guage it runs up the "L" in Normal. Used to sit around the "O". It doesn't overheat, but it does fluctuate, and seems to creep up to the L quickly when I'm in 5th gear on the open road. In town it settles down but still bounces. When I came back home I burped a real good air pocket out and topped her off. Its raining now so I am just going to let her cool and (HOPEFULLY) start it up later and be fine.

If this last belch doesn't do the trick I'm beginning to wonder if my new t-stat is not opening. One side of the hoses going into the t-stat housing are hot to the touch, while the lower radiator hose isn't. Could this be possible? Its a brand new Motorad premium unit. It should be warm on both sides after she opens up, right?

 

[venom1997]

yes it should be hot on both sides once it opens

 

[Mystic-SVT]

Sure you got the right thermostat?

I had gotten a new thermostat from oreily's to replace my stock one and after replacing it my car was running at the "a" on normal...i burped the system many times hoping it was just an airpocket and after many curse words and pulled hair I put the stock one back on and back to normal. I went back and they checked the part number and the stat was for a 2V and not a 4V

 

[monkeyspunk79]

UPDATE: Burped again and its consistent, no fluctuation...but its still on the "A" in normal. Much hotter than it used to be, and the lower radiator hose feels cold, while the other side of the t-stat housing is hotter than you know where. I think we've got a defective stat or install. I installed it just as the OEM one was with a new o-ring.

This is killing me. Should I take it out and try another t-stat? The one I put in did check out to be right. 195 degree OEM Motorad part # for this car. So I can't blame Auto Zone (this time)

 

[venom1997]

UPDATE: Burped again and its consistent, no fluctuation...but its still on the "A" in normal. Much hotter than it used to be, and the lower radiator hose feels cold, while the other side of the t-stat housing is hotter than you know where. I think we've got a defective stat or install. I installed it just as the OEM one was with a new o-ring.

This is killing me. Should I take it out and try another t-stat? The one I put in did check out to be right. 195 degree OEM Motorad part # for this car. So I can't blame Auto Zone (this time)

get a stant 14138 from pepboys its a direct 03-04 cobra replacement

 

[mwolson]

I am not sure if our housing allows a T-stat to be installed backwards, but if it does, then a backwards installation could also cause this symptom. Just a thought...

 

[DHG4410]

We just went through this with my son's car, 1997 Cobra. Replaced the t-stat, water pump, belt. Make sure your fan is turning on. If it is it could be the problem my son was having, the gauge sending unit located in the cross over tube to the right of the alternator. Cheap part to replace. The unit on the right is attached to the gauge the one on the left activates the fan. Good Luck

 

[mwolson]

The unit on the right is attached to the gauge the one on the left activates the fan.

Ford, in their infinite wisdom, did not do the sides consistently. Mine is backwards from this. So look for the red wire with a white strip. That is the side that drives the gauge. The other side is the PCM sensor that the PCM reads and uses to activate the fan.

 

[DHG4410]

Thanks he is correct. I think I paid $15 bucks at autozone.