Staying cool

[CAT]

I have a 1999 Cougar with high mileage on it and where I live it gets very hot, above 100 degrees, for at least 3-6 weeks in the summer. Since I got the car in November of last year I have no idea how it is going to act. What are some things that I can do to preempt overheating?

[99Elimin8r]

Other than getting a flush, fill, and thermostat change there isn't much you can "do" to prevent an overheat. As far as I know adding water wetter is a no no because of the type of coolant the cougar uses, someone chime in if I am wrong. Pressure testing the system will tell you if you have any leaks and that could prevent the heads as well as other vital compontents from overheating during the summer. But to answer your question bluntly there is nothing you can really do to prevent it from happening. My cars system is rock solid and it will still overheat uphill with the A/C on when it is hot outside.

[Goldie]

Only time my car has come close to running hot was at the NorCal meet last summer - and that was after sitting in a traffic jam without going over 10MPH for close to an hour - with the A/C on. Running with the A/C off - and once we started moving again, temp went back down to the normal range (and IIRC, it was over 110 F).

If it hadn't been for sitting for so long, or if the A/C was off, it wouldn't have been an issue.

EDIT: from the NorCalFest photo thread
(note the speedo.... this was while 'going' down the freeway )

[skater]

The coolant should be a 50/50 mix, and that should cover just about anything you'll encounter.

Flush the coolant and replace it with fresh Dexcool if it hasn't been done lately. Other than that, as was said, there really isn't much you can do.

If you're moving there shouldn't be any problem at all. If you're running it hard, then come to a traffic light, and you sit there a while, that's when the temperature will climb. Your cooling fans should kick on at that point to help the airflow. A quick way to ensure the fans are working is to turn on the air conditioner; both fans should start running. (However, this doesn't guarantee they'll be triggered by temperature, so you'll want to listen for them to trigger under hot conditions.)

Note - the thermostat gauge we have in the dash is nearly worthless. It'll stay at the midpoint until it starts to overheat; it's essentially an idiot light in gauge form. If you want the actual coolant temperature, you can go into diagnostic mode when you start the car (do a search, I can never remember the two buttons you have to hit) and one of the displays in there is the actual coolant temperature.

If you're really worried about it, a real coolant temperature gauge isn't a bad idea.

[MOMO]

My car was in Dallas traffic for 3 years before i moved here.
(bumper to bumper, 30 minute 5 mile commute... at over 100 degrees, entire summer.)

Not a single overheating situation whatsoever.

[bensenvill]

ditto on the worthless temp guage... funny because the contour I just picked up has a real temp guage in it.

if your looking for 'modding' suggestions on keeping your car cool, you could always drop in a contour SVT radiator, its twice the thickness. I would also be worrying about your transmittion, A TRANNY COOLER IS A VERY GOOD IDEA! You could also add an oil cooler, once again from a contour SVT or an aftermarket one from mocal or the likes.

those are all good insurance items that would be benifitial to anyone and none of them are all that expensive [although the radiator is getting hard to find]

[CAT]

How about this?

Royal Purple Radiator Coolant Additive:

Purple Ice® is a high performance, synthetic, radiator coolant additive for both gasoline and diesel engines. It is formulated to reduce the surface tension of the coolant, which improves heat transfer through the cooling system while providing additional protection against rust, corrosion and erosion.

Purple Ice® prevents the formation of scale deposits in the radiator for optimum coolant flow and lubricates the seals of the water pump. It is ideal for use in straight water racing applications or in antifreeze / water mixtures.

Purple Ice® is compatible with traditional ethylene glycol antifreeze (green) and GM Dex-Cool® antifreeze coolants.

[IdealProductz]

post #4 from skater covered it all