Need a fresh set of eyes on cooling problem, help?

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Backtobasics

Backtobasics

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Long story short:
  1. My buddy and I flip cars on the side to keep family budgets in check.
  2. We have a car that we thought we had resolved, but is now acting up on new owner.
Warning: non Mopar.

98 Lincoln Continental. 4.6 V8 transverse mount FWD.

We bought it under premise that it would stay cool at idle, but get warm under load. It idled home, but at 2,500+ it gets warm. We installed new radiator. Previous owner reports changing thermostat, and water pump. Now, at 2,500 + it does not get hot. No fill cap in radiator, fill through overflow can, and there is a small 1/4 rachet plug by valve cover to burp. Fill point is directly above the serpentine belt, so it drips on belt (retarded design). We clean, detail, and put on Craigslist. Terrible selling market. We end up trading a guy for a Mitsubishi Montero. He drives it home, calls the next day, and it is getting warm.

Previous owner is family friend that is renting a room from my friend, so he is not a game player. I trust he did water pump and thermostat.
Cooling fans were blowing after radiator install, but we did not check to see if they BOTH were turning...

I am at a loss. I am not the kind to screw the new owner, as we truly thought we had it solved with the radiator. To add to the trouble, we swapped on Friday night, and my friend and I spent ALL DAY Saturday completely gutting the interior of the Montero, pressure washing carpet, installing CD player, generally restoring the inside. I don't want to trade back, due to all our efforts, and I don't want him with a problem car, but I for the life of me, can't figure it out why it is overheating.
 
Is the coolant level showing to be full ? these new cars need to be burped to get coolant throw out the system or it will have no coolant moving it takes for ever to get them full it seems, I drive up and down hills slow and even be known to tilt the cars on each side to get them full CRAZY ah!! Make sure you can see circulation.
I hope he replaced the thermostat !! I have seen people leave them out thinking it will run cooler but it will just run hot because the coolant moves all the time and don't have time to cool in the radiator.
 
block plugged with junk, cracked head/heads, blown head gasket, nothing you want to hear,
is the temp gauge right? pick up a no contact thermometer at auto zone, etc, they can be had for less then 20 bucks, and you can check the temp. of different parts of the engine and cooling system.
 
There is a low speed fan and a high speed fan. You can check the high speed fan by turning the A/C on max and see if the High speed fan is working. Both should be working with the A/C on max. If it is not working check the fan relays in the relay center under the hood. Worst case is the waterpump impellers have rotted away. You should be able to see that the waterpump has been replaced. If not the prior owner should have a reciept I would think?? I know the Taurus was known for this problem.
 
I had one one of those bad-year taurus ('03). The culpret there was the plastic overflow tank/pressurized system. The tanks would split along the seam and run the system dry. If this is what's happening with the '98, you should have constant squealing from the belt. Of course that doesn't mean it hasn't happened in the past and the head gasket or warped head condition already exists. You may try flushing the system, I flushed my taurus SEVERAL times a year, and it always had rust in the coolant. If this hasn't been done, there could be a blockage limiting flow.
 
why not start easy and instal a new rad cap. Once the will not hold pressure the coolant in the motor will boil. Then you end up with air pockets. The cap is a cheep and easy fix to try first. I had this problem on a 64 impala. We replaced the pump, rad, t stat, and were considering a head gasket when we decided to replace the cap, and the problem was resolved. Just my thoughts I don't know what the cap looks like or how new it is.
 
abodyjoe said:
aren't they the years that always had bad head gaskets?
Click to expand...
Yes they were, and Ford actually came out with a single ported multi valve head in 99 because of overheating issues due to head gaskets failing. My vote is to start with the head gasket.
 
memike said:
Is the coolant level showing to be full ? these new cars need to be burped to get coolant throw out the system or it will have no coolant moving it takes for ever to get them full it seems, I drive up and down hills slow and even be known to tilt the cars on each side to get them full CRAZY ah!! Make sure you can see circulation.
I hope he replaced the thermostat !! I have seen people leave them out thinking it will run cooler but it will just run hot because the coolant moves all the time and don't have time to cool in the radiator.
Click to expand...
After we change radiator, we ran for a long time, filling the over flow, letting it burp, and removing and filling via the little plug. We thought it was burped.
mac daddy mopar said:
block plugged with junk, cracked head/heads, blown head gasket, nothing you want to hear,
is the temp gauge right? pick up a no contact thermometer at auto zone, etc, they can be had for less then 20 bucks, and you can check the temp. of different parts of the engine and cooling system.
Click to expand...
We are going to check this out too. No pressurizing of coolant, no white smoke?
CUUDAK said:
There is a low speed fan and a high speed fan. You can check the high speed fan by turning the A/C on max and see if the High speed fan is working. Both should be working with the A/C on max. If it is not working check the fan relays in the relay center under the hood. Worst case is the waterpump impellers have rotted away. You should be able to see that the waterpump has been replaced. If not the prior owner should have a reciept I would think?? I know the Taurus was known for this problem.
Click to expand...
I did not think about low and high speed fan. I will have him check it out!
abodyjoe said:
aren't they the years that always had bad head gaskets?
Click to expand...
? Dunno. I found a lot on cooling via online search, but could not find anything on a LOT of headgasket issues.
4flats said:
I had one one of those bad-year taurus ('03). The culpret there was the plastic overflow tank/pressurized system. The tanks would split along the seam and run the system dry. If this is what's happening with the '98, you should have constant squealing from the belt. Of course that doesn't mean it hasn't happened in the past and the head gasket or warped head condition already exists. You may try flushing the system, I flushed my taurus SEVERAL times a year, and it always had rust in the coolant. If this hasn't been done, there could be a blockage limiting flow.
Click to expand...
I had considered that the cap might be the problem. The resevoir does not leak. This has a metal tube that connects both sides of the block, and at the top of the tube is a 1/4 in rachet socket, that you can remove. We filled through the resevoir, and through this plug, to get it filled. Of course, this plug is RIGHT ABOVE the belt, so when it burps it does so ALL OVER the damn belt. Stoopid design.
 
03ramit1 said:
why not start easy and instal a new rad cap. Once the will not hold pressure the coolant in the motor will boil. Then you end up with air pockets. The cap is a cheep and easy fix to try first. I had this problem on a 64 impala. We replaced the pump, rad, t stat, and were considering a head gasket when we decided to replace the cap, and the problem was resolved. Just my thoughts I don't know what the cap looks like or how new it is.
Click to expand...

This does not have a cap, the radiator sits too low. The overflow is pressurized, so we might try that.
 
well it has to have a cap. It may be on the overflow bottle, but it has to have a rad cap someplace. The cooling system will not work correctly without one.
 
my 2 cents . . .
I just got done with my PT crusier replacing the timing belt, water pump etc. Here's my story: after I got it running again and after idling for a while it would overheat. I burped it alot, changed the cap, checked the fan it was running. I too started thinking head gasket. But there was no evidence of pressurization of the cooling system, no white smoke, no water / oil mix, it drove me nuts. After reading the manual a few more thousand times, I realized it was a two speed fan. I thought maybe it wasn't running on high speed and therefore wasn't capable of cooling the engine after heating up. Turned out, not only the high speed wasn't working, but the low speed was intermittent. Watch your clues. I idled mine for 20 minutes without a problem, then it overheated. Couldn't be a blockage or air. Couldn't be the radiator or the pump. Something that was intermittent. My fan wouldn't run on high speed, And would quit on low speed when it got hot. Well, I changed the fan and on mine that was it. Not saying your problem is fan. Listen to those clues.
 
Gonna throw my two cents in here.

1.) Never trust that idiot little bleeder screw to do the job. Invest in one of these:

View attachment coolant funnel.jpg

Cheap enough at less than $20 bucks to watch the coolant level and actually see the t-stat open. Get the one with the Ford adapter that screws on to the burp bottle.

Doing this eliminates the possibility that there's air in the system.

2.) Some of these Fords have issues with aftermarket t-stats. Are you sure that the t-stat is doing it's job?

Are you getting heat at idle? Simple enough to check the system. No heat at idle, air pocket. Why? Then you can take it from there as in leak, head gaskets, whatever.

If you determine that the system's fine, then you can check out the fans.
 
A lady friend had a Taurus that would run hot when it took a notion. Her sons had tryed about everything. So when she asked me to look at it, I turned the a/c to max and cycled the ignition switch a dozen times or more before finally , the fan failed to start. I walked around to the front and give the fan blade a nudge and it took off. Dead spot in motors armeture. New fan motor fixed it. Here's tip too. Those electric motors should coast fairly easy. If it runs noisey and doesn't coast to a stop, it may overheat and fail too.

One more tip... coolant on the belt. Get a fat stick of sidewalk chaulk. Stick it too a running belt. It will soak up the coolant and throw off.
 
ramenth said:
Gonna throw my two cents in here.

1.) Never trust that idiot little bleeder screw to do the job. Invest in one of these:

View attachment 183585

Cheap enough at less than $20 bucks to watch the coolant level and actually see the t-stat open. Get the one with the Ford adapter that screws on to the burp bottle.

Doing this eliminates the possibility that there's air in the system.

2.) Some of these Fords have issues with aftermarket t-stats. Are you sure that the t-stat is doing it's job?

Are you getting heat at idle? Simple enough to check the system. No heat at idle, air pocket. Why? Then you can take it from there as in leak, head gaskets, whatever.

If you determine that the system's fine, then you can check out the fans.
Click to expand...
What is the name of that gizmo? When we had it running, I could see water run in the tube thing, but it would eventually fill, and puke on the belt.
I will check the thermostat when we look at it. They are reporting that it takes an hour and a half of intown driving before it gets hot. I haven't talk to them in a couple days, we may have to go look at it over the weekend, as he is military, and out stationed for the week.
 
RedFish said:
A lady friend had a Taurus that would run hot when it took a notion. Her sons had tryed about everything. So when she asked me to look at it, I turned the a/c to max and cycled the ignition switch a dozen times or more before finally , the fan failed to start. I walked around to the front and give the fan blade a nudge and it took off. Dead spot in motors armeture. New fan motor fixed it. Here's tip too. Those electric motors should coast fairly easy. If it runs noisey and doesn't coast to a stop, it may overheat and fail too.

One more tip... coolant on the belt. Get a fat stick of sidewalk chaulk. Stick it too a running belt. It will soak up the coolant and throw off.
Click to expand...

That may explain why it didn't get hot on us, but is for them? We will check both fans, high and low settings, etc.
 
Backtobasics said:
What is the name of that gizmo? When we had it running, I could see water run in the tube thing, but it would eventually fill, and puke on the belt.
I will check the thermostat when we look at it. They are reporting that it takes an hour and a half of intown driving before it gets hot. I haven't talk to them in a couple days, we may have to go look at it over the weekend, as he is military, and out stationed for the week.
Click to expand...


It's a bleed funnel. You can find these at a lot of parts houses. Gets the coolant level above everything else in the system. Fill it half way with coolant of choice, turn the heat on, and just keep an eye on it. When the t-stat opens it pulls the coolant from the funnel and pushes the air pocket out. The little t-handle shaped thing is a plug. When you're done you put that in and dump what's left in the funnel back into the jug.

It's the best way to make sure there's no air in the system. Also a good way to check if the t-stat is operating correctly. Once the t-stat opens, there's no doubt about it. Plus, you can keep an eye on the system while you're at it. If it bubbles excessively with pressure behind it you have a good idea to check head gaskets. If it wants to boil over then it'll puke. You can also make sure the w/p is circulating this way. Eliminates some of the guess work out of checking previous repairs, like the car you're dealing with, and you know you have it bled this way.
 
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