alright guys i figured i'd post in here about this since theres more 5.0 guys obviously.
what i'm going on about is, i have a 289 (technically not a 5.0 but neither is the 302 ;)) anyway, i got a brand new radiator, brand new 165 thermostat, high vol water pump, new cap, and a taurus fan. the car likes to run at like 190-200F all the time now and i keep losing water from the radiator. every time i get done driving it and i go to check it, it's low.
the car doesn't seem like it's lost any power, and the oil pressure is fantastic, 80psi down to 40 when at idle etc. i don't have any smoke, the oil isn't milky so i'm stumped. do i have a blown head gasket or do i have a cracked head? what's the easiest way to check? obviously for the head gasket i can just pull the heads and physically look at them. all i know is cruising down the interstate at like 70mph it heats up to like 210 and just stays there. any help is appreciated.
nah i doubt the thermostat was put in backwards but there could be a blockage that i never knew about, but i'm kind of doubting on that one too since we completely tore the motor down, bored it out, rebuilt it etc - and everything else is new. i guess i'll do a compression test, i just don't know what the #'s should read.
Coolant doesn't just disappear..... you either have a leak, or it is burning away. Do the compression test but you should be able to see the plugs as well when you pull them out. If it all checks out place a large piece of cardboard under the car and run it at 3 grand for a few minutes and check the cardboard for wet spots.
pressure the system/look for leaks. If it was the headgasket, you would know. It couldd be your heatercore and when it leaks it is going out the vent and you are not seeing it.
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Joined: 5/27/2007 From: Warner Robins,GA Status: offline
Check your weep holes on the water pump. It's very common and often overlooked. I know it's new but that doesn't mean it's perfect. It happened to me, i kept loosing coolant and getting hot. I could not see where it was coming from. Drove it to work and went back out to the parking lot and noticed a tiny puddle and finally saw where it was coming from.
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i pulled out 7 of 8 plugs (the 2nd on the passenger side is obscured because of the header) but 3 have this weird color to them , like a polished metal look to 3 of the electrodes, all others have slight tan to them but nothing too crazy. i'm starting to think the heads are warped as also they leak a little bit of oil (nothing drastic) from under the heads - this blows. if anyones got some heads for sale or knows any let me know!
Oil shouldnt leak from under the heads, there is no oil that goes through there (it oils through the pushrods). the only thing is the return holes, but they have no pressure. Looks like a warped head would cause water to get in the oil.
Doubt thats your problem. If its leaking oil, it is probably from where the intake meets the heads.
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Tuners are like Tampons... Every Pussy has one! 72 Mustang Coupe. 347 stroker with Edelbrock Performer RPM Heads. Coast High cam. RPM air gap intake with a 650 Demon. Ceramic coated headers. MSD billet distributor, 6AL box, Blaster 3 coil, MSD wires.
probably, i think its just normal crap i've seen it on other 302's and such. at any rate i ordered some new eddy rpm's and some fms rocker arms to replace these garbage gt40p's - maybe i can actually run faster than 14 flat now :|
another way to check for a blown head gasket or cracked head is to get a tool that screws into the spark plug hole to change valvesprings, you hook it up to air and it holds up the valve so you can service the valvetrain, just hook it up pressurize each cylinder one by one with the radiator cap off, if you have a bad head gasket or cracked head you can narrow it down to what cylinder and which head. it works great, youll know cause itll push bubbles if you got a leak.
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did i blow a head gasket? - 
RE: did i blow a head gasket? - 
