Need help locating thermostat on a 96 Ford Taurus with a 3.0L V6 DOHC?

Question

It's always run a bit warm, but now I can't even get it around the block without overheating. I took it in a few months ago to have the thermostat changed, but I have reason to believe that the mechanic may not have done the job the way he was supposed to. If someone could link me to a diagram of the engine, that would be fantastic. I can't afford to take it in to be serviced right now, but we really need to have two working vehicles.

Thanks so much for that diagram! I knew I had to look for the top radiator hose to find it, but I was having issues locating that. I do know that it's possibly other things, but I've had three family members who are mechanics tell me that it's most likely the thermostat that's causing the problem, and that's why I'm starting with that. Thanks again for your help!

Answer 1

Autozone's web site is a good source. They have manuals for older vehicles on line for free.

For the 1996 Ford Taurus try looking here:

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1a/f4/b6/0900823d801af4b6.jsp

However, if the vehicle has been working for several months since the repair was made, it is possible that something else has gone wrong to cause it to overheat now. Other possibilities include things such as cooling fans not turning on, temperature sensor not reading properly, fan relay not working, water pump not circulating, radiator clogged, to a blown head gasket. All are additional reasons for a car to overheat.

Answer 2

Just follow the top rad hose to where it connects to the block. Under that housing is where the thermostate is.

Answer 3

If the mechanic you paid to fix it didn't fix it, take it back. He shouldn't charge you again if he did something wrong the first time.