Overheating Ford Probe

BAMA GIRL

MEMBER
FORD PROBE

1992 Ford Probe GL? 166,000 miles. My car is overheating at an alarming rate. I barely went a mile before the temperature gage skyrocketed. I had to pull over several times. During the ride, I didn't feel any heat coming out of the vents when usually it's like a rolling sauna. During one stop, smoke was coming from underneath where I put the oil and from the radiator. On another, the side hose for the raidiator popped off. A guy stopped and said it was probably my thermostat. From what I've been reading online, I think he may be right. My question(s) is, do you think it's my thermostat and if so, how long will it take to fix something like that? I have done some minor repairs myself, but am unsure if I should undertake this. Thank you in advance for your help. And please, continue to do what you're doing!

Monday, December 11th, 2006 AT 9:15 AM

2 Replies

BRUCE HUNT

MECHANIC
3,754 POSTS

Fixing the thermostat is a very easy repair important one. It is better to run without a thermostat than with a faulty one. A thermostat that sticks closed will cause issues similar to what you describe. Replace it, check for leaks on the entire cooling system, and make sure you get all the air out of the system. Monitor the repair by checking the coolant level rigorously.

A thermostat stuck open would be similar to not having one in and it would not allow the coolant to reach a very hot temperature and thus would poorly fill your requests for heat.

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Monday, December 11th, 2006 AT 10:27 AM

MATHIASO

MECHANIC
1,209 POSTS

If your engine immediately begins to overheat, the thermostat is probably stuck closed and coolant is not flowing through the engine. This mean the coolant will begain to boil after about 5 minutes of operation. The increase in coolant pressure pushes coolant out of the overflow or like you said(the side hose for the raidiator popped off).

Check your thermostat before buying a new one because it could be something causing overheating problem
- remove it from it the engine
- attach it to a peace of wire
-suspend it in a pot of water.(Do not let it rest on the bottom of the water, but allow the bottom of the thermostat to touch the bottom of the water)
-place a high -temperature thermometer in the water
-heat the water and observe the thermostat to see when it begins to open
-if it does not open at the rated temperaturethen you can replace it.

Good luck

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Monday, December 11th, 2006 AT 10:32 AM