# Overheating 2005 Ford Thunderbird **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** thunderbird, ford\ **Created:** [September 20, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360 "2018-09-20T19:26:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 7:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/1 "2018-09-20T19:26:25Z")
My 2005 Anniversary T-Bird overheats. It has been “fixed” by 5 different mechanics. They have done everthing from new radiator cap, to thermostat and housing, to new water pump, to radiator to new engine. It works for a few days and then the problem resurfaces. Any ideas? Do any of you use gold coolant? That was a suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2018, 9:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/2 "2018-09-20T21:20:25Z")
Really? The engine has been replaced?? Has anybody ever checked the cooling fans to see if they run? I use gold coolant. I am confident that alone won’t fix your problem. You need to find a better mechanic! ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/3 "2018-09-21T14:45:23Z")
Yes the fans have been checked. I had 5 mechanics! ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/4 "2018-09-21T14:49:24Z")
> [@ChrisMoore](#): > > I had 5 mechanics! I read that. You need to find a 6th one. One that is better than the first 5! Did you really replace the engine?? ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 3:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/5 "2018-09-21T15:49:06Z")
An automatic transmission that’s running hot can cause the engine to overheat. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/6 "2018-09-21T18:26:13Z")
I wonder if something is blocking the airflow through the radiator? There was s strange case back in the ,1950s where a certain make of car was plagued with overheating issues, but only in certain states. The cars would have overheating issues in one state, but not in an adjoining state with the same terrain. It was finally discovered that the overheating.occurrd in the particular cars that were registered in states where a front license plate was required. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 3:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/7 "2018-11-05T15:07:37Z")
There continues to be something strange going on with my TBird! It overheats intermitantly. It will be fine on several trips and then I can get in it and it will overheat in a mile! Is there something electronic that may have been overlooked? Possibly a relay or a sensor? ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/8 "2018-11-05T15:23:06Z")
> [@ChrisMoore](#): > > Is there something electronic that may have been overlooked? The short answer is; How could we possibly know that? So have you found a better mechanic? Did you actually change the engine? How many miles on this engine? Have you ever flushed the coolant? You aren’t going to get much help if you don’t provide more information. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/9 "2018-11-05T16:20:28Z")
As I said before, a new engine because overheating ruined the last one. Everything they can think of has been replaced, thermostat, thermostat housing, radiator, radiator cap, hoses. The coolant has been flushed and replaced. The fan runs. Every mechanic suggests doing the same things that have already been done. ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 4:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/10 "2018-11-05T16:21:35Z")
The car has 145,000 miles on it but the new engine has about 250. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 4:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/11 "2018-11-05T16:44:49Z")
Your T-Bird has a Jaguar V8, maybe a Jaguar mechanic could have some ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/12 "2018-11-05T18:08:15Z")
> [@ChrisMoore](#): > > As I said before, a new engine because overheating ruined the last one. Read your own original post. You said the engine had been replaced but not why. And ruined, how? Cracked heads, block, head gaskets, seized up? How do you know the car is overheating? The gauge? Or the cap vents blowing coolant? Have any of the mechanics checked the temperature with an actual temp probe? Has the temp of the transmission fluid been checked to see if it is running hot, as @Tester suggested? What are the symptoms and how does it occur? Are you running down the highway when it overheats? Sitting in heavy traffic? Stop and go traffic? AC on or off? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/13 "2018-11-05T19:46:13Z")
There is nothing in common when it runs hot. It just does it when it feels like it! Sometimes on the interstate, sometimes on the road. Traffic doesn’t matter. Sometimes with heat or air on, sometimes with them off. It will be doing fine and suddenly the gage will quickly move up and the coolant begins to bubble. Afterward, it requires a jug of coolant. It is definitely running very hot! The only thing mentioned that has not been done is checking the temp of the transmission fluid. I will try that next. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 3:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/14 "2018-11-06T03:37:39Z")
Has the lower radiator hose been replaced and is it the factory correct one for the car ? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 3:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/15 "2018-11-06T03:59:39Z")
The next time it overheats immediately pull over , leave the engine idling, and pop the hood. The radiator fan should be spinning like a banshee. If it isn’t, that’s a good candidate for the cause. Both the sensor that turns the fan on and the fan itself are common intermittent failure items. I’ve had the sensor fail intermittently on my Corolla a couple of times. One time I didn’t notice the fan wasn’t running & it caused the engine to overheat. Another time when I noticed the fan wasn’t running, it was b/c the wire between the fan relay and the fan got eaten by battery acid. If the fan doesn’t run when it should, it will almost always cause overheating. It’s also possible the fan is running when it should, but not spinning fast enough. Ask your shop if they have the gadget needed to determine how fast the fan is spinning. It’s usually an instrument with a strobe light or optical sensor. Beyond that, for overheating (assuming there’s no internal engine, valve, or head gasket problems) - Pressure test the cooling system - If anything’s leaking coolant, fix that - Check/replace thermostat & radiator cap - Check water pump flow rate - Check coolant flow rate through the radiator - Verify Ignition timing vs rpm and engine load is correct - Coolant should be 50/50 mixture in most climates. Too little water in the coolant mix can cause overheating. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 6:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/16 "2018-11-06T06:34:06Z")
Has the A/C condenser been checked to see that it’s not plugged and stopping air flow to the radiator ? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2018, 3:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/17 "2018-11-27T15:04:58Z")
Thanks! I will see if any of your tips help! ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/18 "2018-11-27T15:05:45Z")
Thanks! I will see! ---
**Author:** ![ChrisMoore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@ChrisMoore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ChrisMoore)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2018, 3:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/overheating-2005-ford-thunderbird/125360/19 "2018-11-27T15:06:21Z")
Thanks! I will have that checked.