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[aw2oban]

So I finally got my xr2......flew to pick it up.... drove 1000 miles with the heater on because I was so nervous..... What temp should they ruun t both normally and climbing a hill?  Also when I looked on rock auto I see two thermostats 180 & 195 yet in all posts I see you site only 195.... is there a reason?

Thank you in advance

Ethan

[Rocketman]

That's where mine runs, it should be close to that. If you have a 92 you probably only have the H-L graduations.

The correct thermostat is 195° - anything lower can cause issues with fuel economy and engine wear

[aw2oban]

Assuming the gauge is correct that means it should be about 200....mine doesn't have the numerical values like you stated.... the previous owner added a second gauge that measures the water temp in the upper radiator hose.... here is how mine ran from central Oregon to southern California.....

Flat ground 220-230
Downhill 210
Uphill 230-238 (never hit 240)

Keep in mind I was running the heater the whole time because I was nervous..... heck I haven't even tested the A/C yet!!!

I can hear the fan even before startup.....

I was thinking radiator and thermostat (not sure which temp) and then see what happens.....

ANY ADVICE???

[Rocketman]

In some cases the stock gauges cannot be trusted. Your #'s seem rather high, if correct.

It can never hurt to do a coolant flush & replace the thermostat.

Keep an eye on the many small coolant hoses to & from the idle valve, throttlebody, and bypass tube (near the t-stat area) also the coolant lines that run to the turbo itself. These fail due to age & can leak a goodly amount of coolant.

The fan will spin real quick at startup, if it's running nonstop the sensor has failed, or there's a wiring issue.

[Chicken]

Don't trust the gauges.

[Grimsleeper]

I live in Texas and deal with the very long hot summers here.  I had noted very high temps such as you had mentioned.  I have a full aluminum radiator and I run a 175 degree thermostat.  It seems to be running in what I consider to be normal.  It runs a little warmer with the A/C on, but it's certainly not too hot.  The fan cycles as it should as well.

[Capri-guy]

i noticed that in urban traffic, the fan of my N/A kicks in quite regularly. when checking the (cold) coolant level in the radiator, the level is at max., and in the tank under min. when at temperature and with running fan, the level in the tanks is close to max.

the fan kicks in when the gauge is a bit lower than in the pic above, so inbetween '175' and the first white line above that figure (but there's no temperature, only 'C' and 'H'). although it's quite quick, i think it's normal.

[aw2oban]

I think I will do the coolant flush and swap to the 180 thermostat that is listed as the "other stock item" on Rock Auto when I get a chance.....this damn work thing keeps getting in the way!!!!  Why doesn't work understand I have a new toy and would rather be wrenching on it?

[mitch1204]

Work understands you need money to buy parts, lol.

You said the fan comes on before you start it. That should be a warning sign. The fan switch when unplugged will make the fan come on with the key in the on position. From the drivers side look a little left and down from the thermostat housing and you'll see the one bladed fan switch. If it's unplugged he did it probably cause the switch is bad or he knows the car ran hot. Some people sell their problems so keep a close eye on the coolant level.

The temp switch for the gauge is a little itty bitty switch on the right side of the thermostat housing so don't confuse it with the fan switch.

Low coolant will make one run hot, so will a dirty radiator or dirty cooling system. Also while cool take the radiator cap off and start the engine. Look for bubbles indicating a head gasket or warped or cracked head. Inspect the tailpipe while the engine is warm and look for moisture coming out. Last inspect all your hoses including heater and bypass hoses.

[aw2oban]

I had the radiator cap off the first time I started it.  I learned years ago people will throw a couple ounces of new coolant in the bottle when selling a car to make it look fresh.  The guy I bought it from seemed genuinely sorry his wife was making him sell it.  Every fluid I checked seemed perfect (like he had just changed everything) so of course as much as you want to assume he did that because he was a wonderful human being I assumed he was trying to hide something.  Other than checking the hoses for leaks I did everything else you had suggested to check and there are no leaks (not even small ones which surprised me.

I take that back I didn't know about the fan switch but to be honest I would rather it stay on anyway and may install another fan on the other side of the radiator just in case one fails (Spent too many nights dealing with Murphy's law I guess).

I drove it home the 1000 miles and the fluid still looks new which amazed me.  The problem is that I needed something to do for extra credit back in high school and checked the boiling point of every combination of water and antifreeze at 10% increments and 50/50 truly was the best so I will still likely flush it out put new fresh 50/50 in with the 180 degree thermostat and see how the temperature is.

Problem is if I don't get it done in the next couple weeks it may not be hot enough for the perfect test weather!!!

[capriBill]

I replaced the sensor for the temperature gauge in my 92 XR2. It always showed too hot, but the shops tested the water temp and it was good. The sensor fixed the problem. It only costs $5.78. I purchased 2 so that I can change it again if needed.

It is: AIRTEX / WELLS Part # 1T1002: Single Bullet Terminal Attaches at Rear Corner of Cyl. Head; w/ Gauge

The web location is: http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/raframecatalog.php?carcode=1196658&parttype=4748

I had spent a bunch of money many years ago replacing the radiator, hoses, and other cooling parts. The shop even said they replaced the sensor. The temperature gage never showed in the middle. Now it does with the 1T1002 part. It was easy to replace too. Just had to let out a little coolant, and replace it near the top on the back side of the engine, from the driver's side.

Bill
92-XR2

[aw2oban]

Stupid question with regard to the radiator....

I went to Rock Auto and found they carry two for the 1992 Mercury Capri xr2 Turbo....

one is 22 3/8 inches (which I currently have) and the other is 26 1/8.

I was going to order the straight replacement but before I did I wanted to make sure I was doing the right thing.  If I could gain a little more air exposure and all of the coolant lines would still line up why wouldn't I do that?

Has anybody else done this?

I tried doing a search and the search engine doesn't even come up with anything with the word radiator in it which I find very surprising.

Any insight would be appreciated....If not I will just order the smaller one like the one I have to make sure I am not having to retrofit coolant lines for an entire evening.....

[turboxr291]

mine never runs over 175. befor i hooked my fans to a switch i was always running hot, i run now at 175 at all times...

[Rocketman]

They list the larger radiator, but I think it's a mistake. Pretty sure every capri is the smaller size

[turboxr291]

well most when you think of a capri there most that think of the foxbody look alike.. not our small compacts lol