1986 mustang LX convertible 3.8L cooling issue

[GoBlue101994]

Hey, good morning.

Last night I replaced the radiator to the mustang as it was stock. The cars "NORMAL" gauge reads at A or about 3/4 majority of the time.

I have replaced the Temp Sender, thermostat, ECT flushed coolant nothing seems to be working. The gauge didn't work till I replaced the Temp Sender. It's definitely running hot you can hear it.

What do I look for? Also I'm pulling codes H02S system lean bank 1, EVP sensor below min voltage (they bypassed the smog pump. ECT above max voltage and ACT/IAT/VAT circuit above max voltage.

I also think it's either a electrical issue, the water pump is failing or I don't even want to guess anymore. Hit me with some knowledge

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[KevinVarnes]

I would hook up an actual gauge first to see what temperature range it is actually running at for starters. The factory gauges are/were notoriously inaccurate even when new and now it is 30+ years old. Once you know that then you can start to use the codes to figure out what is going on. What specific codes was it giving you?

There might also be some helpful information for you in this thread: http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...-will-not-idle His symptoms were different than yours, but he was getting a similar slathering of codes that you are getting.

[Walking-Tall]

As Kevin mentioned above about the factory gauge, a verified engine up to operating, thermostat-open temperature with a mechanical temperature gauge really is best for knowing what's going on... but to check the sending unit at ambient temperature and engine operating temperature is outlined below. As well, new parts do not = parts that automatically work correctly. Test the sending unit...

Gauge/sender checking involves (from Haynes manual) removing the gauge wire and connecting a 10-ohm resistor to it's end and grounding that... the gauge should read in the hotter end of the gauge... (* warning in Haynes manual: "Caution: Do not ground the sending unit wire directly to the engine. This may damage the gauge or instrument voltage regulator.") ... and a repeat of the above with a 73-ohm resistor should indicate on the gauge in the colder end of the gauge range...

Therefore, to test the temperature sending unit itself, measure it's function, it's resistance to ground, when the engine is cold and when the engine is fully warmed up... with the positive lead of a multi-meter (set to reading ohms of resistance) touching the sending unit's stud and the negative lead touching ground... the differing coolant temperatures should mimic the above of ~73-ohms when cold and ~10-ohms when fully warmed up...


As for the rest...

Trouble codes explanations:
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...lanations-from

To test trouble code-indicated sensors/circuits:
http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...s-Testing-from

Boy do I remember feeling your pain, lol, prior to converting my '86 back to complete basic pre-'86 function. Good luck with it.

[GoBlue101994]

I'm trying to upload images but it says upload failed. Never had this problem before. I want to replace the one wire strand to the temp sender as it's been botched up, how do I go about this? I really want to attach photos for an example of why

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