Overheating

[jason vocaty]

This did not happen to my trac it happened to my 94 Lincoln mark VIII, But I know you guys can help. The car has been in storage since January today the wife took it for a drive and it overheated. The coolant is full minus what spilled out of the overflow container.



What could be the cause of this? I think a stuck thermostat, the fan comes on and I cant check for radiator flow as the radiator cap is on the overflow bottle. Everything ran fine before being stored. Thoughts anyone?

 

[Jacob Dryer]

My first guess is thermostat too.

 

[Dave S 2]

If a quick R&R of the thermostat doesn't cure the overheat, my next guess would be a clog in the radiator. Being that it is so old (if original) the sediment in it probably settled during the storage time and when it began to flow upon the restart, that sediment worked its way into the coils and clogged them.

 

[Todd Z]

I believe that car also has electric fans..... Check the fuses and relays as well as a stuck T-stat..



Todd Z

 

[Jeff Jolley]

I'm with JD and my money is on the thermostat, especially since it's been in storage for a while.

 

[Kevin Palmer]

To check the flow of a radiator, let it get up to temp to the point where the fans either come on or the temp gauge shows normal operating range.



Remove the key from the ignition, make sure the fan is NOT spinning, hold the fan blade if it is eclectic so it does not start and cause harm, put your hand on the face of the radiator and move it left and right and up and down.



If the radiator is plugged, you will find a COLD spot, not even close to warm, it will be COLD...

 

[Dave S 2]

Hmmm, makes sense to me Coastie. Thanks for the tip. Although I hope I never need to put it into practice...

 

[Mike Dziubina]

i went through 3 T-stats in my S/T