2003 Ford Focus engine overheating

CONKON

MEMBER
2003 FORD FOCUS

Engine Performance problem
2003 Ford Focus

I have a Ford Focus 2003 and I had an accident in which I hit somebody in the back and damaged the front of my car a little bit. I fixed the car, in a body shop and as far as I remember they had to replace the whole cooling system at the front of the car. I chose not to repair the AC, but after around 2 months I had to go to a mechanic to do it anyway because I could not start my car and this was somehow connected to the accident and had to be done as well.
After 6 months from that time my AC quit working and I had to replace the blower motor, which I did, but immediately after that the ENGINE STARTED OVERHEATING, which is my current problem. It does not happen at night or when I drive on a freeway. It mostly happens when I stop a lot on the traffic lights etc and drive on the "surface streets" during the day (I live in Las Vegas, NV which is pretty hot right now.) That control goes to 3/4 of the scale, sometimes even to the 4/4 (red color on the display).
I was talking to some mechanics about it (besides the one that was fixing the car) and they told me that this is rather a coincidence and that one thing does not have too much to do witch another. They recommended another repair, but I started getting a little frustrated about it because these repairs dont seem to help much. I seem to have one problem after another connected to the same thing (AC - cooling system etc).
What would you do about it?

1) Can I go to the body shop which was the first place to do the work (replacing the radiator etc) and demand fixing the problem after 10 months?
2) Is it really like that, that that blower motor replacement does not have anything to do with engine overheating (the problem started right after doing that blower motor replacement)

I really wanna solve this problem, but this will be the 4th time I have to go and spend money for it. What would you recommend?

6 Replies

AIRSOFTSOLDRECN9

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348 POSTS

Are you running the A/C when this occurs? Check the CTS sensor for proper operation by measuring its resistance in a glass of water at 100 F, 150 F, 185 F, 210 F. Note the values and ask your mechanic if they are within tolerance. Make sure your cooling fan is operating correctly.

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Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 AT 11:24 PM

CONKON

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I actually turn off the AC during the day now, or keep it at 1 (on the scale from 1-4). Sometimes that does not help either. I know that the temperature outside is too high for the cooling system, but I did not have that problem one year ago, before the accident.
Unfortunately I am not that much of a specialist when it comes to cars, and I am not sure about measuring that resistance or anything. I would not even know where to look for it ;-/.

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Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 AT 11:33 PM

AIRSOFTSOLDRECN9

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Well the thermostat in your car has no bearing on the output on the A/C compressor (unless you have a variable vane pump). Think of it more as a timer. The A/C is either on or off. The thermostat limits the amount of time your A/C will cycle on and off, but the compressor and condenser will still reach the same temperature when they are ON at any setting. Your A/C was not working up until recently correct? Did they replace everything with factory parts or no (Particularly the radiator)?

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Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 AT 12:03 AM

CONKON

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4 POSTS

The AC was working fine for most of the time, until I had to replace the blower motor.
I dont think they have used factory parts, but I was aware of that.
I was talking to the mechanic about it (the one that was replacing the blower motor) and he told me that the radiator is not good enough to handle the summer heat (Las Vegas, NV - it gets pretty warm out here :-) so it needs to be CLEANED or REPLACED. He checked and the fan was working all right.

I was actually thinking about going to the dealership and getting that radiator by myself and then just go to a shop and have it replaced. Would that be something that would solve this problem. I really dont wanna go somewhere for the 4th time and overpay etc.

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Wednesday, July 9th, 2008 AT 7:31 PM

AIRSOFTSOLDRECN9

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Yes get the factory designed radiator. Most production cars are taken through torture tests at Death Valley, California (110 F+). The A/C puts a high load on your cooling system, usually 10 - 35 F more. If you are in heavy traffic and it is excessively hot, then that places an even greater strain. Lol just be glad humidity isn't to add on top of that. Make sure your mixture is a little higher than 50-50. Try 70% antifreeze -30 % water.