Engine running hot?

HI:
I would get a new radiator cap. With the engine COLD, remove the radiator cap. Start the car. If coolant starts spraying out, it sounds like you have a head gasket problem. Keep an eye on the coolant for air bubbles. This guide should help us fix it

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-overheating-or-running-hot

Let me know what you find.


Joe

Engine Cooling problem
1999 Ford Taurus 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

this car runs hot only when u run the A/C

Check coolant level
check belt and tensioner
check coolant fan operation

my wagon was running hot. I took to mechanic, they replaced waterpump. Then drove next day and car started acting like it didnt want to drive(kept sputtering) But when i pulled over and waited few minutes it would drive again. Took it back to mechanic and he said now its a fuel pump. how can that be? Does a fuelpump need to cool down before you drive it lol?

The pump could be bad, but that isn't causing the engine to overheat. Have (you) checked fuel pump pressure?

the radiator recovery tank was leaking so i replaced it the engine runes cooler and the heater runs hot and cold since replacing the tank thank you

HI:
Is the engine running at a normal operating temp? Also, is the coolant full?

Joe

[quote="Jacobandnickolas"]HI:
Is the engine running at a normal operating temp? Also, is the coolant full?

Joe[/quote to jacobandnickolas the coolent is full and the engine is operating a little cooler

Hi:
If the coolant is full, engine is running cooler, and the problem started since you repaired the overflow, my guess is the t-stat needs replaced.

Let me know what you find.

Joe

1997 Ford Taurus 6 cyl

why when I drive my car it runs hot? When I drive with the heater on it doesn't run hot, the temputure stay in the middle. Why is that?

HI there,

I would be checking the thermostat and also for a partly blocked radiators, start here.

Mark (mhpautos)

I had the thermastst removed, so could it be my radiator cap needs to be changed.

Radiator & cap will have to be checked, is it using coolant?

Mark (mhpautos)

I put coolant in & it still runs hot, bt I can drive it with the heater on without it running hot.why is that?

As i said, get the radiator cleaned by a radiator shop as it may have a partial blockage.

Mark (mhpautos)

My car is running hot in freezing temperatures. The other morning on my way to work, my car ran hot, I pulled over and parked it. Later that afternoon, I put some antifreeze in it and drove it home (11 miles) and it done fine. This morning I started it up to get it warm and drove down the road and before I could get a mile down the road, it runs hot again. What could be the problem?

Any heat??? If not, thermostat should be replaced.. may be good idea to do it anyway... make sure no leaks and rad is not plugged up... do NOT overheat the motor, worst thing you can do, usually causes some sort of collateral damage to motor..

I just bought a second hand 1996 Taurus GL with a 3 litre V6 Vulcan engine. The water pump innards were non existent. I had the water pump changed, but the in cabin temp gauge keeps reading between 1/4 on the gauge then up to 3/4 on the gauge and I can hear the fans kick in and the temp goes down again,but it's a constant thing. It never finds a happy median unless the car is sitting idling, then it will keep itself at halfway on the gauge.

Also, when I drive at speeds of 45-50 it seems to hold a halfway mark on the temp gauge, going up and down very little, but still does. When driving at normal highway speeds of 60-70 MPH the gauge does a seesaw, but what gets me is that the gauge will go all the way down to 1/4 again and then back up.

So my question is, WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON? LOL. Please, I don't want to have to keep driving this car with one eye on the gauge and one on the road. Should I pull the thermostat out and run it with no thermostat for one day to see if that helps?

Replace the thermostat and test the engine coolant temperature sensor.

I actually think there "IS" something wrong with that coolant temp sensor. The cabin temp gauge sticks. When I turn the car off the gauge stays where the car temp was when I turned it off. Even after I start the car back up again, the gauge sticks where it's at until the thermostat opens up, then it climbs up 3/4's of the way up and the fans come on. Odd. I'll replace both thermostat and coolant temp gauge. Is it ok to use a 180 degree thermostat? OE is 192 degrees.

I had my mechanic put in a new thermostat ( I could have done this myself, but the coolant temp sensor I didn't want to fool with) and a coolant temp sensor since it was throwing a code on diagnostics. The up and down movement on the in cabin temp gauge stopped. It now reads normal and holds a level, but still climbs up to 3/4 on the gauge when sitting at a light after running at 50 mph. I know this is pretty normal, but I have a feeling that I need to back flush the radiator since the original water pump eroded away and the core might have a clog in it.

Thanks for your expertise. After all I spent on this car if I had a few extra bucks I would make a donation. I will as soon as I catch up on some money.

Thanks again.

1996 ford taurus lx 3l dohc 108,000. Car has been running a little hot for a while then lately it was running closer to the hot mark than to normal mark. I did a fllush and changed the thermostat and the overflow cap(there is no radiator cap in this car) the old coolant was pretty clean. still the same. so I inspected all the hoses, changed two of them and also changed the water pump and the radiator.still the same. The fans always come on and seem to come on at the right temp but even when the fans come on; the temp seems to gradually go up to that level. The fluid level seems to always be the same. I have never noticed a leak. and there is no white smoke or condensation in the exhaust.

have you verified that your temp sensor is working correctly??? it may be telling the gauge that the coolant is hotter than it really is....

I would advise to first verify coolant circulation and that the water pump is pumping sufficiently. Once that is tested satisfactorily, then you need to start looking for a blown head gasket. Take it to a shop that has an exhaust analyzer and they can sniff the coolant for any hydrocarbons.

if it was a blown headgasket, there would be a loss of coolant... he stated the coolant level remains the same.... thats why i suggested the coolant temp sensor....

I don't disagree with that. We posted at about the same time.

I would expect it to use some coolant but it's possible to just be pumping pressure into the cooling system but your right, he should verify the temp too.

So today my car was running hot so I put coolant in it and it'll stay cool for about 10 minutes then go to the hot side then the gauge will go back in the middle. When it goes to the hot side the check engine light comes on and when it goes back to the middle it goes off. I'm not sure what's going on.

You need to start checking coolant level coolant flow cooling fan . Start with this first does it run hot when idling or when driving . See if the cooling fan is on when its running hot, and if its on with the a\c on

When driving it runs hot when idling it either stays at the same spot on the gauge or goes down a little

Is the fan working

I'm not sure lol

my car runs hot when i stop at red lights or idle for longer than 5 minutes but is cool when im driving down the road.

Turn on the a\c and see if its running

why does my car run hot when i idle but is cool when i drive? sorry

Ever since like 2 months ago it only blows out hot/warm air.

Sounds like your radiator cooling fan isnt working?

I ment to see if the cooling fan is running

na the fans work fine could it be the water pump?

If it was a bad water pump or thermostat it wouldnt cool down when driving because driving or not the coolant wouldnt circulate from the engine to the radiator and back.Thats why i say the radiator fan because if the fan wasnt working correctly or coming in at the correct temp it would heat up when not moving.Then cool down while driving because the air is passing thru the radiator.

well there seems to be rust in the radiator and i'm guessing that there might be rust in the water pump causeing it to not circulate like it should just wanna get a second approval?