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    #16
    Idk what to do with this car, replaced the entire cooling system but yet I'm sitting on the side of the road overheating

    Only thing we did different was a single core plastic tank radiator out of a 91 instead of the factory thick brass one, and an aluminum water pump instead of the factory cast iron

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      #17
      none of that will cause overheating unless the radiator is half clogged. A bad fan clutch will though. So will low coolant from a leak.
      86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
      5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

      91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

      1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

      Originally posted by phayzer5
      I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

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        #18
        Well I'm looking it over and that top right bolt for the water pump is loose so hopefully that's all the problem

        Edit: the one that runs through the timing cover leak area was loose, and the rest took a good bump, so hopefully it's fixed
        Last edited by 91merc; 08-15-2022, 11:03 PM.

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          #19
          I had persistent issues with my Cutlass running hot until I replaced the fan clutch (and installed a high-flow thermostat, but I put the old t-stat in a beaker of water on a hot plate with a temperature probe and it opened when it was supposed to).

          Originally posted by 91merc View Post
          ...and an aluminum water pump instead of the factory cast iron
          I didn't think they were interchangeable, but...

          These cars had two different water pumps available - one standard, and one for the heavy-duty cooling option. To buy one now, the standard pump is aluminum, the heavy-duty is cast iron. I don't know if the standard pump was cast iron in the past.
          1985 LTD Crown Victoria
          1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
          1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, 360

          Past: 1995 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor

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            #20
            Originally posted by Stocker View Post
            I didn't think they were interchangeable, but...

            These cars had two different water pumps available - one standard, and one for the heavy-duty cooling option. To buy one now, the standard pump is aluminum, the heavy-duty is cast iron. I don't know if the standard pump was cast iron in the past.
            They can be swapped around. The cast iron pumps utilize an additional bolt where the aluminum ones don't, so you'd need a bolt that would fit (and probably a thread chaser to clean up the hole) if you tossed a cast iron pump on where an aluminum pump was. Obviously if you reverse that deal, you just have a bolt left over.

            As far as reliability goes, I can't really comment. I know my '87 has a cast iron unit, and when Nick was doing his Explorer swap, it got an aluminum pump. Both have been working fine. Guess it just boils down to the quality of the manufacturer.


            My Cars:
            -1964 Comet 202 (116K Miles) - Long Term Project
            -1986 Dodge D-150 Royale SE (112K Miles) - Slowly Getting Put Back Together
            -1987 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS (325K Miles) - April 2017 + September 2019 POTM Winner
            -1997 Grand Marquis LS (240K Miles) - The Daily Workhorse & March 2015 + January 2019 POTM Winner

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              #21
              UPDATE: tightened up the water pump bolts and she's staying dry now

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                #22
                Cool - gotta do the obvious easy stuff first.
                What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
                What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

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                  #23
                  Isn't it best to retighten everything after a certain amount of time/miles anyways?

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                    #24
                    Probably best to research the torque setting and recheck after a specified amount of miles. That's the official way of doing it but many of us have maintained it without a torque wrench. I personally use the torque wrench.
                    What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
                    What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

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                      #25
                      something like torque to spec... check after 10 temp cycles. I need to check the intake on my wife's car (among other things on that car - I never drive it so I never see any issues until they're major). The thermostat bolts mainly. Everything is getting fuzzy in that corner.

                      Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                      rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                      Originally posted by gadget73
                      ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                      Originally posted by dmccaig
                      Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

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                        #26
                        It appears the coolant leak was masking a small oil seepage around the distributor, so I gotta take care of that eventually

                        I've heard of people bumping the timing to get a little more pep, how do you go about doing that?

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                          #27
                          Originally posted by 91merc View Post
                          I've heard of people bumping the timing to get a little more pep, how do you go about doing that?
                          Unplug SPOUT connector (1-pin from TFI module), fire up engine, turn distributor for a bit more timing, verify with a timing light. Tighten the distributor, shut off. Reconnect SPOUT and you're done.
                          Dunno how much it'll do since the timing is computer controlled, but someone smarter than me can tell if it's worthwhile.
                          1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS, "Maisa"
                          1995 Chevrolet Caprice Classic STW, "Sally"

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                            #28
                            Unless you are REALLY having a timing issue, I'd leave it alone. Have to be really careful about it, or it is not going to end well and be more grief than it is worth!
                            What I Own: 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS
                            What I Help Maintain: 1996 CV / 1988 CV / 1988 Tempo

                            Comment


                              #29
                              Usually 14 is safe, but some cars don't like more than 10. The 88 MGM I had loved 14. I think it's gadget's towny that hates any more than 10. The HO in the Mark VI I had liked 18 with good gas, but I kept it at 14 to be safe. I ran that one as far as 20, but that started to have a little ping under load and that's when I backed it down to 14.

                              Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                              rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                              Originally posted by gadget73
                              ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                              Originally posted by dmccaig
                              Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                              Comment


                                #30
                                none of my cars have wanted more than 10. The Towncar and the black Mark VII both pinged with any advance. The white one very slightly pings even at 10, though that mostly went away when I swapped the plugs back to copper.
                                86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                                5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                                91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                                1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                                Originally posted by phayzer5
                                I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                                Comment

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