My 96 mustang 3.8l runs cool, and has no heat. its getting plenty of water circulation. Is over heating while idling. Changed thermostat to new 180. blew out the heater core. Still getting no heat. Would a leaking head gasket cause a car to have no heat
How many miles on the engine?
195 is the OE thermostat spec. 180 is incorrect for this engine, and too low. Install the correct thermostat.
Are you sure there is no air trapped in the cooling system? An air pocket could cause the no heat problem.
Overheating at idle usually indicates a cooling fan problem. Is the cooling fan working correctly?
car was running hot with 195 and yes the fan works.
How are you determining “hot” and “cold?” Are you going by the dashboard gauge or has someone measured the actual temperature of the coolant?
When you say it overheats at idle, what do you mean? Does it boil over, or is the gauge just moving higher?
195 is OEM spec. The engine shouldn’t be too hot with a 195 thermostat unless there is another problem.
Get someone to measure the actual temperature of the coolant before you go any further.
Using a lower temp thermostat will NOT help keep a car from overheating. The EOM temperature thermostat not cause it to overheat, unless it is defective.
How are you determining it is overheating?
I wonder about the water pump. It is the original water pump?
Tell us more about the conditions that cause it to overheat.