Need help after EFI upgrade. Overheating.

[Broncowalt]

Hi, well good news is I finished my 5.0 upgrade. Bad news it is overheating and I can't seem to figure it out. After I got it started I made a big mistake. It was idling too fast and while I was trying to figure it out I didn't notice that it was getting too hot. When I noticed the headers were red-hot and water was beginning to come out of the hose connections on the radiator I shut it off and put a large fan on it. I am afraid I was too late though. After I figured out that the throttle body was sticking open I replace it and it now idles great. I set the tps correctly, set the timing and it seems to idle good but it is still getting too hot when idling. One thing that I noticed is that when I rev the engine the top radiator hose collapses. It is a brand new hose. Also replaced the lower radiator hose. What would cause that. I still have the stock water pump and radiator.

I started it cold and watched the water with the radiator cap off and could see that the thermostat opened and water started to flow.

Another and probably more concerning for me is that it is making a squeaking sound that sounds like it is coming from the upper part of the motor. It goes away when I rev the motor even a little bit. I don't notice any water in the oil or oil in the water so I am hoping I didn't damage the heads.

I am not sure where to go from here, any help or pointers would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[Ourobos]

Correct water pump?

 

[Broncowalt]

It is the same waterpump that I have always had in it. I didn't change the front end so I am not running the reverse rotation pump.

 

[Broncowalt]

Can I run the stock radiator with the 5.0 setup? Will it handle the cooling duties?

 

[Thunder Chicken]

This is interesting ......anxious to see how this ends up

 

[73azbronco]

Make sure you burb the hose and heater hoses. Might have to put the front end on an elected ramp to do it. I would get one of those radiator springs and stick it in the collapsing hose.

 

[spap]

I run the stock radiator with a cross over tube and it never gets over 190 degrees. Right where fuel injection is supposed to run

 

[badmuttstang]

I run the stock radiator with a cross over tube and it never gets over 190 degrees. Right where fuel injection is supposed to run

If he's still running the stock front dress with standard rotation water pump he does not need the cross over tube nothing has changed with routing the hoses. Using a spring in the top hose is something I have never seen done but could be worth a try but what I have to ask is what the condition of the hose now. I agree with the making sure its burped and no air trapped but would also probably replace the hose.

 

[ransil]

Vacuum leak will cause the headers to get hot... running too lean

sound how is you PCV connected

post pictures of your motor

 

[Broncowalt]

Thanks for the tips. I will do the burping tonight. Also, how can I check for vacuum leaks. It might be an issue. That might be the "squeaking" sound that I hear when it idles. Whistling could also be used to describe it. I didn't hear that the first times I started it but after that major overheating it started doing it. As for the hoses they are all brand new.
The PCV is connected to a vacuum port on the upper intake from the PCV port in the back of the lower intake.

 

[Toddpole]

You stated you're running a stock water pump. Are you still running the v-belt or did you install a serpentine set up when you did your 5.0 install? The upper radiator hose collapsing and the engine getting very hot tells me your water pump is running backwards and is trying to pull coolant from the upper hose. Any pictures of the install?

 

[Broncobowsher]

I bet there is still some air in the cooling system (probably heater, have you turned that on?). When you rev the engine the air compresses. Since the cooling system is pretty much a sealed unit as the volume in the system momentary decreases (air compressing) the path of least resistance to cove that loss is to collapse the upper hose. Even in completely filled cooling systems it is still common to see a minor drop and rise of water at the radiator cap when you wing the engine.

 

[welndmn]

You stated you're running a stock water pump. Are you still running the v-belt or did you install a serpentine set up when you did your 5.0 install? The upper radiator hose collapsing and the engine getting very hot tells me your water pump is running backwards and is trying to pull coolant from the upper hose. Any pictures of the install?

Agree, that's where I got lost is saying your upper hose is sucking shut.
The lower hose is the intake, those can suck shut.

 

[Broncowalt]

That is kind of strange that the upper was collapsing but I didn't change any of the front end. It is still running the v-belt system, stock radiator, stock pump fan and everything that I used to run. I didn't change any of that. I will check for air in the system tonight. I don't recall opening or closing the and I don't really know whether it is open or closed so will check that tonight too. It is all brand new so it may have introduced air into the system too.

 

[KyleQ]

Glowing headers is timing - happened on my first EFI swap. What EFI did you use?

 

[Rustytruck]

First thing i would do is change the thermostat. The pump sucking the top hose flat would be normal if the thermostat is causing a restriction. The lower hose would have sucked flat too if there wasn't a spring in it. When you fill your radiator get the nose of the truck up. When you swapped in your EFI did you swap to a 195 degree thermostat? If you did check it in a pan of hot water on the stove and use a thermometer to see where its opening. Make sure you didn't put the thermostat in backwards. The long end with the brass ? copper end goes inside the intake. The bail looking mushroom head into the hose end. putting it in backwards will cause this issue.

 

[Broncowalt]

I used the mustang EFI, A9P computer, Ron Francis harness, 89 mustang Dizzy. Setting the timing is not really exact as the timing marks are not clear. I have only two marks on the balancer and they are not marked as to what they are. When I did the swap I made sure that number 1 was tdc and noticed which mark was lined up with the pointer. I pulling the spout connecter I then set my timing light to 16 btdc and put the tdc mark on the pointer. I don't get the glowing headers now that I replaced the throttle body and reset the timing so hopefully that cured that but it is still climbing to 220+. I am hoping that it is the air in the system or vacuum leak and that I didn't destroy something else with the drastic overheating the first time.

 

[Nellybell]

Are you using the original style temp control valve? I believe the 5.0 setups are better served with a valve that bypasses flow around the heater coil when heat is not desired.

Good luck,

Ted

 

[welndmn]

Keep doubling checking everything, overheating at idle in the garage is a serious issue and a sign that something is very wrong.
Did you re use the water pump from the old 302? Or buy a new one?
Thermostat in correctly?
How does it crank over? Slowly / fast / normal?

 

[Broncowalt]

I put in a new thermostat when I did the conversion but I didn't change the pump. It seems to crank normally and starts pretty quickly. I checked and double checked the t-stat installation when I put it in. I am pretty sure that it is in correctly but I will check again.

Thanks for all the ideas.