Need help upgrading your Fox Body Mustang's cooling system? We have all the knowledge & parts you need!
The cooling system on your Fox Body Mustang is critical to maintaining its performance and longevity. With the Fox Body being 30+ years old, the factory components (if they are still in place) have seen their best days come and go. Hopefully, I will help eliminate some of the cooling system myths and legends within this article. Some of the most common questions we receive are the following.
We will get you answers to these questions, but first, we want to cover some of the top things you look at before upgrading your cooling system. The following steps should be reviewed before moving on to significant upgrades such as larger radiators, high-flow water pumps, and electric fans. If these essential inspections and replacement parts aren’t taken care of in the beginning, any upgrades will provide you will little or no gain!
Step one is easy and essential due to the age of Fox Body Mustangs. Check your parking spot and look for coolant on the ground. Take a flashlight and inspect the radiator, hoses, and engine block for coolant leaks. If you find a leak, you need to fix the leak before starting any upgrades. If you don’t see any leaks, it is time to inspect the coolant and evaluate its condition. If the coolant is rust-brown in color, it is time for a flush and refill your system while making completing your upgrades.
PRO TIP: Try using some Purple Ice cooling system additive from Royal Purple to improve your coolant's cooling ability. It also provides corrosion resistance above and beyond what is in your coolant as an added bonus!
Radiator Hoses tend to swell and wear out over time. Replacing these every 75,000-100,000 miles will help you avoid a ruptured hose. Splitting a radiator hose on your Fox Body Mustang always seems to happen at the worst possible time in my experience – at the race track or in traffic. Here at Late Model Restoration, we carry a complete line of performance and factory replacement hoses for your Fox Body!
Do not forget to inspect the air deflectors when replacing your radiator. We often get calls all the time about why is my Fox Body Mustang overheating after replacing the radiator? The most common issue is that the radiator air deflectors are damaged or missing. These are critical to helping ensure that airflow is properly going through your radiator.
The lower air deflector is often torn off on speed bumps or curbs. The side air deflectors are often left off during radiator replacements or when replacing core supports. The radiator air deflectors are critical in helping force cool air through your radiator rather than around it. They also ensure air moves your A/C condenser as well.
We have additional tech guides to help you replace these air deflectors here:
You can skip this step entirely if upgrading to an electric fan. Broken radiator fans, worn-out fan clutches, and broken fan shrouds can result in improper cooling and overheating in your Fox Body Mustang.
Broken or cracked fan blades not only reduce your cooling ability, but if they break under-speed, they can cause damage to your radiator. When your Mustang fan clutch fails, it usually stops engaging and allows the fan to spin freely. This will cause your engine to overheat and your air conditioning to stop cooling. Though not as common, another symptom of fan clutch failure is when the fan clutch is locked up or always 100% engaged. If this happens during the winter, the heater will blow lukewarm air instead of hot air.
The fan shroud is often overlooked when looking over your engine cooling system. Make sure the cooling fan shroud is not missing or broken. The fan shroud helps funnel air and improves the efficiency of your fan and fan clutch assembly. If you notice any fan dragging marks, you should inspect your motor mounts. Severely worn motor mounts can cause the motor and cooling fan to drop onto the shroud.
Following the previous steps will leave you with a solid cooling system that will handle any lightly modified Fox Body Mustang. If you are like most other Mustang enthusiasts out there, you can't leave well enough alone. Simple bolt-on cold air intake and cat-back exhaust just won't cut it. That means it is time to upgrade your cooling system components accordingly.
Below we will look at some of the top cooling system upgrades that will keep your Fox Body Mustang from overheating. Even better, these will allow you to support all those performance modifications you have or plan to do.
Few will argue that upgrading your radiator should be at the top of any Fox Body owner's mod list. I would have to say that is a fair assessment. The small factory radiator holds little fluid and is a cooling nightmare for heavily modded Fox Body Mustangs. If you still have the factory radiator, it is well past its prime and should be replaced.
Why not upgrade when you replace it? By far, the most popular and top-reviewed radiator we carry is the SVE radiator (see link below). These radiators are a direct fit design and feature a complete aluminum construction. They also add in extra coolant capacity to further improve the cooling capabilities.
Ditching the factory engine-driven fan and clutch assembly for an electric fan reduces drag on the engine. This can help you pick up a little extra horsepower and, if done correctly, will help increase your radiator's airflow and cooling capabilities. One of the most popular options when installing an electric fan on your Fox Body Mustang is the Contour electric fan upgrade. This dual electric fan system helps pull some serious air through your radiator compared to some of the other economical electric fans on the market.
Late Model Restoration has taken the guesswork and labor out of the Fox Body Contour fan upgrade. We have sourced all new parts in these kits, so you don't have to dig through the junkyard. We have taken the time to fabricate all the parts and did the R&D to make this as turnkey as possible. You can watch the "how-to" video in the link below.
NOTE: It is highly recommended that you upgrade your alternator when installing an electric fan in your Fox Body Mustang. Check out our 130 Amp Alternator Install video for help with this installation!
Your Mustang can overheat for a wide assortment of things but the most common reasons are the following:
I would highly suggest you check out the following tech guide for some more tips on how to stop your Fox Body from overheating - Common Fox Body Cooling Issues, Problem, and Solutions.
Are you having cooling issues & problems with your Fox Body Mustang? Check out our solutions guide.
Parts included in this install are the following products: Contour Fans Exclusive Mounting Brackets Overflow Tank Solution Please note that the wiring portion of this install will be included in a different video. Also, if you are wanting to know more about our contour fan assembly check our review ...
Increase your Fox Body Mustang's ability to keep your Mustang cool, and replace that clogged, leaking, or damaged factory radiator with an aluminum radiator from our selection of aluminum radiators at Late Model Restoration!
Thinking about upgrading to an aluminum radiator? Check out the key differences, benefits, & features of an aluminum radiator & why it's worth the upgrade!
