2001 Mercury Sable Wagon Cooling system diagram

I have not had car on a lift yet, that will happen Tuesday. Unfortunately mechanic has already ordered a water pump which I now believe I won't need as the leak is on the opposite side of the engine below the battery tray and centered just above the crankshaft on the opposite end from the harmonic balancer. I'm fearing rusted frost plugs, or a blown head gasket. However, no bubbles in the coolant tank. Engine is Duratec 3.0 and has 90000 miles owned for five years. Driven daily.

Kevin,

what did you find the problem to be. I am having the same problem with my mercury sable. I just replaced the thermostat housing but it is now leaking in the area you describe.

Problem with my mercury turned out to be the radiator hose. This hose has a small 3/4- 5/8 inch Tee built into the top of the rubber hose and the vibration of the engine has made the Tee break loose from the 2+ inch trunk line of the main hose. The leak was occurring right where the two hoses are joined together. (Brace yourself), The new Hose listed OEM for more than two hundred dollars!
We took a few days and between a swimming pool contractor, and the local plumbing store, made a new serviceable replacement by attaching with hose clamps, a piece of the original Trunk line hose to each end of a galvanized tee that was threaded to take a smaller pipe.( I forget if it was half inch, 3/4 or 5/8) nevertheless we threaded in a small nipple and hose clamped a new hose to the nipple which attached to the system where the original small hose was installed.
The only warning I can communicate is one must watch out for maintaining ( as close to the original as possible) the height of the replacement so that it lays roughly in the same area as the Original Radiator Hose. This insures that the coolant flows correctly and doesn't interfere with flow by trapped air.
Cost of the galvanized Tee, nipple, clamps etc. About $18.00.
Only problem I have now is the "low Coolant light". Turns out by emptying the system the censor in the bottom of the overflow/reservoir tank is stuck consequently sending a message to the "brain" that the car is low on coolant. Not so. We have put a couple thousand miles on car since repair with no trouble and no leaks. Kevin.

Ps if you look at the picture sent on this site and notice the small hose with the "arrow". This picture and arrow are in fact pointing to the correct hose, However, The leak on my sable was at the opposite end of the same hose that the arrow points to. (Where it connects with the main hose). Kevin.