95 Crown Vic, poor heater,HELP

Is it possible I need a new radiator cap for this beast? Two thermostats the last two years, OEM Motorcraft 192 degree.:banghead:
I can turn the cap off right after I shut her down, and there is very little hissing which makes me think this thing is not building enough pressure to open and close the thermostat properly. It will only climb a little off the bottom of the normal range on the temp gauge. I don't know what the heck else there would be, I don't have any leaks anywhere.
Every other vehicle I have owned I had to wait a while to turn the cap off, and even cardboard in front of the radiator won't help, and I hate doing that to any car.

What kind of temps are you driving in? I have the same trouble with my 93 Grand Marquis here in MI, so I threw a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator. If you take the plastic shroud off the top of the radiator a piece of cardboard with drop in between the radiator and the ac condenser perfectly. I will be sure to get that cardboard back out of there as soon as the temps start get back in the 40's though.

Even with the cardboard the car seem to take forever to heat up. After about 10 miles of run time the temp gauge will start climb into the middle third of the gauge, and as high as it will go is just a little to the right side of straight up and down.


I put a new thermostat in it about a while back, and it didn't really make any difference when I did it so I can't see trying it again. The temp runs good in the summertime. I hate doing the thermostat on that car too because all the coolant that spills on the intake ends up down in the spark plug holes and stays there pretty much forever, or until the plugs come and let it run down into the cylinders.

I have resorted to the dreaded cardboard as well, and like yourself it helped very little. I have about 2/3's of the radiator blocked and the engine hardly knows it is there. I did find a hairnet sucked in the fan area behind the glovebox(previous owner) so that helped the airflow quite a little. I do know the motor for the temp is working, as I can see and hear it moving.
I am puzzled as to why this thing will not get warmer. It runs fine temp wise in the summer months. I am tempted to take the fan off all together and just see if the electric puller fan will suffice for the winter, but it looks like the fan clutch is somehow threaded on to the water pump pulley?
I am baffled as to why there are not more people that have had trouble with this.
I replaced the radiator tank cap and it did not help a lick.

I just posted a reply on this form above yours ,try seeing it or you may have a plugged heater core or purged air blocking water surculation.To try removing blockage take off your heater hoses and take a garden hose force water from top inlet out bottom inlet. should run out as fast as it goes in.This is the second thing i would do after trying other post first .