Issue with my New '99 Cobra...

[99NJCobra]

Alright, so I picked up my '99 cobra lastnight and trailered her home (no reg or inspection). This morning we got the registration set and I decided to drive her to work on my lunch break. I drove a lil over 10 miles and she overheated. The temp gauge was in the red and smoke was coming out of the defroster vents (only defroster, no other vents) and the air was off at the time. So...any thoughts? I'm thinking clogged radiator, bad thermostat, or bad water pump. There was nothing leaking from the engine either and the car has pretty much sat and only been idled over the past 2yrs as the present owner wanted it as a collector car and only put 300 miles on it. She's at the garage now and I'll have more info tomorrow, but anybody else have any thoughts?
Thanks,
Brian

 

[Quadcammer]

there could be any number of reasons, but you are pretty much on track.

 

[99riocobra]

it seems like if all it did was sit or idle for short periods of time the coolant could have gummed up from not really flowing through ever. this could in turn clog the radiator as well. just a thought. good luck with your new car!

 

[UGAcobra]

Judging by the amount of time driven I'd start by bleeding the cooling system...these cars love to develop air pockets.

 

[99NJCobra]

Hey, thanks for the info. I'm praying it's just a clog as I already have a few mods picked out for it and hoping I don't have to waste my extra cash on just fixing it. Then again...if it needs fixing, might as well upgrade ;-)

 

[viperbluelx]

+1

 

[COBRA90GT]

Drain the coolant and refill/burp the cooling system (run a search for keyword "burp" - the proper instructions on how to drain/refill the cobra cooling system will be found).

If the cooling system is not properly "burped," you will encounter overheating due to air being trapped in the system...g'luck!

 

[99NJCobra]

Bad news...One of the problems is that the heater core is leaking. I never got a chance to call my mechanic back though and find out why it was overheating, so that'll come tomorrow morning. He said to get to the heater core, he'll have to remove the entire dash and also the A/C unit. So, lot's of labor for such an inexpensive part...oh well, it happens. When I bought it, I figured even if I pay around $2k in repairs (didn't know repairs were needed at the time), it'd still be well worth the total price. Driven this car maybe 20 miles and I'm already in love with it...hoping it will be around for a long time to come.
-Brian

 

[Quadcammer]

oh man, thats a boning

The heater core is a total slut.

don't watch the guy do it. Your interior/dash is literally torn completely apart.

 

[99NJCobra]

Yeah I know, I'm just hoping I can have it in time for the weekend. Any idea as to what it usually cost to replace and how long it takes?

 

[Quadcammer]

the part ain't real expensive, maybe about 100 bux or so.

I'd bet on about 12 hours of labor, at about 50 or so an hour. So figure about 700 to 800 plus tax.

 

[brkntrxn]

Holy cow! I would be thinking very heavily of plugging the lines to the core and buying a warmer coat, LOL.

Nah, gotta keep the Cobra nice. Good luck with it and WELCOME TO THE 99/01 CROWD!!!!

 

[99NJCobra]

haha...thanks for the welcome! Yeah, this one is my baby and there will be no half assing it with her. I've even decided to cut back on some of my planned engine mods to keep from breaking anything.

 

[gillahoon]

1111111

1111111111

 

[REX-RACER]

This is why you don't just let car sit like that for years on end. I wouldn't be surprised if all of the hoses and serpentine belt need to be replaced becuase of dry rot! Collectors are nice, but cars like this are meant to be driven!

Good luck man, at least once it's all done you'll have a low milage ride in good shape!

 

[Sanchez]

He said to get to the heater core, he'll have to remove the entire dash and also the A/C unit. So, lot's of labor for such an inexpensive part...oh well, it happens.

Don't be afraid to tackle the job yourself. All it takes is a couple of wrenches, a case of beer, and some time. A couple of guys in our local SVTOA chapter took at dash out from A/C repair and had no problems with it.

http://www.svtoa-atlanta.org/phpBB2...readid=2611&perpage=15&pagenumber=3#post19397

 

[cobraracer46]

I have pulled the entire dash on 94 and later cars and you can take it out with the steering column in place. There is no need to to remove the steering column from the dash in order to take it out from the car. If you know what you are doing, you can do a heater core job on a 94 or later mustang in less than 6 hours.