2001 Ford Taurus overheating.?

Question

I'm about to haul this pile to the dump.
Seems to be fine in the winter, but overheats erracically in the summer.
*First time a replaced the thermastat. Still had a problem.
*Had a water pump and another therma installed plus radiator flush, same thing.
*Had an exhaust gases test done on the head gasket and it came out fine, mechanic thought the belt may be slipping, replaced the idler and belt, still overheats.
*Initially it seemed to be just when the AC was on, so we had the system checked and recharged and all was fine. Also checked fan operation and that was OK.
By irradically I mean one day we drove 80 miles stop and go with the AC on at 102 degrees and no problem. Today it overheated after 12 miles with AC and it's only 90.
Also, one time it will over heat around town but fine when you speed up, today it was fine around town and overheated after we got on the highway.
I did look under the car and the hose does not seem to be collapsing.
I'm stumped, anyone?

Answer 1

You have mentioned everything except the radiator. I would remove it and look through the fins. Dirt and bugs can embedded in the fins and prevent the transfer of heat from to the air that should be passing through it. Also check your condenser and make sure it can get good air flow. With the radiator removed look inside through the water neck and see if you can tell if it has any buildup on the water tubes. If so take it to a radiator shop and have it roded and cleaned. I bet this will correct your problem.

Answer 2

I would have said the air in the system too espcially since most people don't know how to burp a ford (just put the heater on until heat comes out)

but anyhow, unless the fan isn't coming on, the PCM won't fix anything

When it overheats, does it boil out or just just temp gauge pegs?

You'd need a real shop like the dealer to look at it cause I think it could be a few things but here is my weird thought:

1. The coolant reservoirs are known for cracking at the top of the tank.. expanding and contracting can cause slight water seepage ( been adding a little water here and there perhaps?) but biggest thing is pressure loss... pressure loss= boiling point lowered and bam overheating ... that also explains the not in cold weather thing.. need to have jug professionally coolant pressure tested and see, or drain the coolant, kill the $50 I think for a new one, take a chance and bleed it like I said above.. This is most likely

Usually when the tank leaks though, it overheats with water coming out, you may have a weird one leaking

Answer 3

Your problem lies within a few things. The first thing is your fan, I know you said you had it checked, but the fan needs replacing. And you are wondering why it didn't run hot on an 80 mile trip stop and go is because the fan is shutting on when you're on a long trip but like an around town trip, as you said like 12 miles, the fan does not have to cool, this is because it is malfunctioning. If the fan does not fix the problem, then the only thing else that will cause it to run hot is your water pump.

Answer 4

If the engine overheats driving at highway speed, the radiator needs to be changed. I would also say the water pump, but if you changed it, its not that. Make sure the fans work when the a/c is on. Flushing a radiator only helps a little bit.

Answer 5

Does it point out as overheat by utilising gauge or fool easy? Or does engine compartment spew coolant? does coolant point shrink slowly? Coolant may well be a sparkling-brownish look, no longer all coolants are the fluorescent eco-friendly anymore. If dark rusty brown, then something in gadget is rusting (Radiator, heater middle or tube etc) -verify out front fins on radiator...too many lifeless bugs or airborne dirt and dirt blocking off airflow would reason this. -verify for proper operation of radiator fan and or fan snatch. -Cracked coolant reservoir are nicely-known subjects on some Taurus. -some Taurus have a front engine conceal basically in the back of the place water pump is fastened. this cap holds coolant and shares some bolts with water pump and would decide on teflon tape on threads to shrink small leaks. verify for leaks around mating surfaces and bolt holes. removing of bolts demands draining coolant. If leaking, the front conceal removing is a reasonably long undertaking. -Internally the radiator, heater middle, a tube and or hose must be blocked. even nevertheless you flushed this does not advise all blockage debris is bumped off. it is not uncommon for those to pass freely for the time of flush and then clog up returned if an excellent sort of flakes & debris are in gadget. removing and thorough flush (soft shaking and flushing over countless minutes) would help. pass the heater middle to get rid of it. Isolate and flush radiator and if solid pass and sparkling, do comparable for engine with heater middle bypassed. If radiator or heater middle seem somewhat undesirable interior, i could evaluate changing to get rid of destiny problems. If all of those are corrected and verify out, then it must be an inner engine concern (no longer unavoidably coolant).

Answer 6

Well to get where you need to go, when it overheats, turn on the heater to draw the heat into the car. Check the fluid levels. Well we all know what Ford stands for. Fix Or Repair Daily

Answer 7

I will venture to say it is the thermostat. Especially if you bought it at Autozone. Their thermostats are crap. I think if you buy one at a dealer you wouldn't have this problem. The only other problem I would think of is that you have a hole in a radiator hose. You might need to "burp" your system. You might have air in the system and that would cause irractic acting. Just a suggestion.

Answer 8

Wow ,,,,,,,,, I would say that you need a new computer put it . the engine in this car is controlled by the computer . I would search loacl jusk yard and find one . odds are this will fix the problem .

Answer 9

did you check to see if your cooling fans are working