Ford 302 water pump help

[sandpitcobra]

I have 1989 5.0 HO V8 Mustang engine in my Cobra and have just got it running recently. However it is overheating and I have tried everything to solve the problem. Can anyone tell me which way the water pump should rotate if looking at the engine front to back. Also out of the 2 smaller hoses which is the pump outlet hose?

[Clois Harlan]

If your are looking at your engine from the front of your car YOUR water pump probably should turn counterclockwise if the correct water pump was installed.

If you are running a late model (85 or newer block I think) the water pump should turn counterclock wise and use a sepintine belt. If you are running a v-belt then your engine should turn your water pump clockwise. Be sure and bleed the air from your intake because your engine probably sets a lot higher than your radiator. Start your engine and where your temp gauge goes into your intake, you would want to loosen that brass fitting and allow all the air to escape. Let the fluid begin to seap out of that fitting before you tighten it. Then while the engine is running re-fill your radiator. IF all that fails come back and let us know and we can approach this from another direction.

Just another point here, all new engines will run a little hot for a short while because all your bearings are tight and your rotating assembly is still trying to get broken in.

Clois Harlan

[sandpitcobra]

Clois Harlan,
Thanks for the swift reply. I am running a serpintine belt but the pulley set up was installed by the previous owner and I wanted to check that counter clockwise was correct. I suspect as you suggest it might be air in the systen so I will try removing the temp sender. It's late now in the middle east so I'll try your suggestion tomorrow morning. I'll let you know the result.

Thanks,

Ian

[Power Surge]

The belt rotation only matters if it's going the same way the water pump goes. You may need to pull the pump and check the impeller direction. If you're running the older rotation pump on the serp setup, you can be rotating the right way for the BELT, but not for the PUMP.

[Clois Harlan]

Sal couldn't you feel the difference in the inlet and outlet hoses if the pump was rotating backwards? If there was no movement of fluid wouldn't both hoses be soft and a lot cooler than normal?


Clois

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by Clois Harlan

Sal couldn't you feel the difference in the inlet and outlet hoses if the pump was rotating backwards? If there was no movement of fluid wouldn't both hoses be soft and a lot cooler than normal?


Clois

Well theoretically yes, but I don't think reality would match that.

When the car is cold, the thermostat would be closed, so you wouldn't have flow, and there'd be no heat to build pressure. Once the motor warms up, you'd have flow (or lack of), but the motor would be hot and you'd have pressure.

Once the thermostat opens, even with no flow, you'll still get thermal heat cirulation so it might be hard to tell that way. It could work, but it also might not. I've been through enough cooling system nightmares to learn that the hard way.

Another thing to keep in the back of your mind while checking this stuff.... the head gaskets. You CAN install 5.0 gaskets backwards, and it will cause overheating issues because you block off the water passages to the heads that way. I've seen that one plenty of times too.

[Dwight]

Anti-freeze ratio should be 50/50 max. A 30% anti freeze and 70% distilled water is best. 5.0 EFI should have a 195 stat. Running 200-210 is not bad. If the pump has straight impeller blades then it can be use either way.

Dwight

[PatBuckley]

As to your other question regarding the smaller outlets.....they both suck.

[sandpitcobra]

I finally got all the air out of the system using suggested techniques. I have good flow through to the radiator and the fan switch is kicking in as advertised. I don't think it was running as hot as I feared. I think my problem now lies with the Temp gauge. It's reading 140deg C before the thermostat has even opened and then remains off the scale. The oil temp gauge never goes above 90deg C. Is it possible that my temperature sender unit should be wired up to a Fahrenheit gauge???

[Dwight]

Buy a infrared thermometer with build in laser at the parts store. Use it to check the sensor, radiator, hoses, block temperatures, etc. Great little shop tool for Cobra owners. Cost $40 to $70.

Dwight

[PatBuckley]

It's a pleasure.

[Clois Harlan]

I had to think about your post Pat and you are right! They both do suck!

Clois