1997 Ford Taurus Cooling-overheats

TWOTAURUS

MEMBER
1997 FORD TAURUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
66,000 MILES

The car ran on upper end of the heat gauge while on the highway in the morning but did not overheat until it was driven through stop and go traffic in the afternoon during the heat of the day. Was checked out at a local garage where they removed the thermostat, still heated up and sent alot of coolant back to the coolant tank. Removed the water pump to check if the fins had separated from the shaft, it was OK. They assumed it was a blown head gasket. Could it be possible the radiator is restricted and overheating the engine? Car has no water pump at the moment and I towed it home. Is there a way to test the flow with the radiator still in the car? Very difficult to remove the radiator as you would know. Anything else you can suggest to check before assuming a head gasket is blown?

2 Replies

AMRAAM35

MEMBER
39 POSTS

If there is no water pump, there is no way to test the engine. Everything will leak out where you put the pump. To test the radiator, remove the outlet hose, and spray water from a hose in the intake hose, under pressure, while leaving the cap on. It should flow out with not much pressure loss.

Are you loosing coolant? Externally, internally? Check your oil, any coolant or foam in it? Check your coolant, any oil in it. When a head gasket goes, you typically burn the coolant in the cylinder and it doesnt get mixed in with the oil. That is bad for the cylinder. When the pumps fail, it is usually by leaking. If you have an external leak and are just low on coolant, that would cause it to over flow. You could have an internal clog that is restricting flow in the enginer that is causing it to over heat. How clean was your fluid?

We need more info.