Some help please!!

[Nye]

This is a question for a first gen. the radiator resevoir has two tubes coming off of it. The one on the bottom goes up to the cap of the radiator. the one near the top goes????? It came off while I was driving and the car started to get really hot so I pulled over. popped the hood and I thought I had cracked my radiator as all the fluid was spilling all over the floor. Towed the car home and found it was just that stupid tube. Another question is can a ATX be made a five speed? What needs to be done?

Thank you
Koray
94 white ATX
91 Black MTX

P.S. Please keep your eye on this thread because I will most likely have alot more questions.

 

[NiNeTy Fo SHO]

I think the one near the top is a drain tube...aka if the overflow is full to let some out and also lets air in and out as the fluid is transferred from the radiator to the overflow and back as the car heats up and cools down.

An ATX can be made a 5-speed with mucho work. Someone has been working on it, but a lot of time, effort, and custom modifications are needed.

 

[SHO#7]

The top hose is the overflow tube. It is used to vent off fluid. Sounds like you have other issues.

Start inspecting your cooling system. Sounds like a possible stuck thermostat.

Mike

 

[Nye]

So should I just let the hose hang there? HOw would I know if the thermostat is stuck?

 

[Bizzy]

IIRC mine has a little section of the bottle that's molded into it (like a little rounded clip deal) that holds the hose in place to keep it from flopping around. If that's not there then it's ok for it to just hang there.

The best way to tell if the t-stat is stuck is to remove and inspect it. That would be the first thing that I would do. They're cheap, RT-1112 Genuine Ford -B Thermostat 19.99 at FPN. It's important that you use a Ford replacement because they have the lovely jiggle-valve that allows the air to purge correctly from your cooling system.

Also, it's a good idea to pull that overflow jug out from time to time and give it a good cleaning. A lot of sludge will build up in the bottom of it after awhile which can cause some problems. Coolant can be forced into the bottle when the motor is hot but it won't allow the coolant to go back into the radiator when it needs it. Kind of like a 1 way sludge valve.

Yes, you can modify an ATX to make it MTX but it's not an easy (or quick) task. A lot of modifications to the interior pieces need to be made as well as the engine bay. I think that would be a job better suited for you a little while down the road after you've learned the basics about your car. No offense intended at all by me saying that, but you'll need to know the basics before moving on to the big stuff....there's nothing worse than the feeling of being in over your head. Do search it out though and learn all you can about it, it's really an interesting process.

 

[Redline]

So should I just let the hose hang there? HOw would I know if the thermostat is stuck?

If your talking about the upper hose, one end should connect to the overflow bottle and the other end should connect to the the radiator right by the radiator cap IIRC.