1994 Ford Taurus Bad water pump?

KG14051

MEMBER
1994 FORD TAURUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
176,000 MILES

This is the 3.8L V6. On the way to work this morning, heater was nice and hot but suddenly went cold. It went slightly warm a minute later, then cold again, like there's not enough flow through the heater core. I replaced the radiator a few weeks ago, but I have had to run the heater every morning since and it's worked great until today. Coolant level is good. Engine was running and hot, but both hoses that go through the firewall were cool. I was thinking maybe an air lock in the heater core, so I loosened a clamp on one of the heater hoses and let it bleed out for a minute, with no improvement. While I was doing these checks, the engine got REALLY hot and I had to shut it off. Could this be a bad/failing water pump? I don't see any liquid coming out of the pump. (Side note: installed remand pump around 120k mi) Thoughts? Thanks.

2 Replies

RASMATAZ

MECHANIC
75,992 POSTS

Replace the thermostat and check the water pump

One way to test for a bad water pump is to squeeze the upper radiator hose when the engine is hot and idling. Careful, because the hose will be HOT! If you do not feel much coolant circulating through the hose when you rev the engine, the pump may be bad. The other cause might be a bad thermostat that is not opening properly (remove and inspect the thermostat), or a clogged radiator.