Still overheating

Tiny
OLDESTDINOSAUR
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  • FORD TAURUS
1999 Ford taurus lx- Mileage: 80,000 miles. The car was checked for no heat. Finally water pump, drive belt, thermostat& gasket, belt tensioner and bypass hose below were replaced. The next day after the fix it overheated after running about 60 miles. Late perform head gasket test negative. Flush radiator and presure test the cooling system holds pressure. The car overheated again after driving about 40 miles on the highway. Why is it doing this? Your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Monday, March 12th, 2007 AT 8:36 PM

21 Replies

Tiny
CHEVY22
  • MECHANIC
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Are the cooling fans coming on at operating temp?

Jim
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Monday, March 12th, 2007 AT 8:41 PM
Tiny
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I think the cooling fans work well at operating temp.
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Monday, March 12th, 2007 AT 8:49 PM
Tiny
CHEVY22
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I would check and make sure, youve had alot of work done and their isnt much left
JIm
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Monday, March 12th, 2007 AT 9:01 PM
Tiny
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My car was fixed twice at the same local autoshop. According to your experty, what could be the possible remainning problems? I would fax you the invoices next morning if it is helpful.
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Monday, March 12th, 2007 AT 9:28 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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My 2cts

Tell them to sniff out the radiator for hydrocarbons if its present your dealing with a crack head/blowngasket/block

The bloc check changes color when HC is present and the pressure test will make it violently fluctuate
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Monday, March 12th, 2007 AT 10:08 PM
Tiny
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Sounds like you assume head gasket is blown or cracked, which can be confirmed by block check instead of pressure test. I wonder if I undersant correctly your expert advice. I am a layman.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 6:43 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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Well, you're not leaking/No air in it/no slipping belt/radiator not clogged/Fan clutch good/Radiator cap checks out and all those stuffs were changed. Makes me believe on what I've mentioned.

Could also be a problem with:
Bad new thermostat
Improper coolant mixed
Clogged exhaust system
Retarded or advance Ignition timing
Dragging brakes ( Caliper sticking and parking brake not releasing)

These two tests bloc chek and pressure test are use to ID an internal leak causing overheating problems.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 8:42 AM
Tiny
MIKE H R
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You had complained about no heat, does it have heat now? If not flush the heater core, if you do it would sound like the head gasket.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 9:25 AM
Tiny
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I don't remeber the radiator cap was checked. Do you think a fail raidiator cap can cause the problem? I great appreciate you.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 9:33 AM
Tiny
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The heat works well after the heater core was flushed. If the head gasket is the chief offender, I feel puzzled why it happed because no overheating at all before the cooling system was replaced.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 9:57 AM
Tiny
MIKE H R
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Ok lets get back to basics. It could be the thermastat, ihave known new thermastats be bad, just because they are new does not mean the work everytime. To check start the engine let it warm up
feel the top return line from the engine to the radiator. You should be able to feel when the thermastat opens the hose will get warm, at that time check the temp guage. Some thermastats even new ones sometimes don't open all the way limiting the circulation.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 10:27 AM
Tiny
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Thank you so much for your advice. I will check it and let you know as soon as it is done.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 10:56 AM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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You need to go back and tell them local boys to restudy the causes of overheating and finish the job or go somewhere else.

In todays auto repair it cost an arm and leg-here we need donation to keep this website going-Money Money/Money!

Good Luck!
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 4:07 PM
Tiny
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The mechanic told me the radiator is clogged by rusted pieces and should be replaced. Do you think it is worth to do it? I still don't understand why the raiator was ok before water pump was replaced.
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Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 AT 8:47 PM
Tiny
RASMATAZ
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Who knows maybe there's nothing wrong with the pump to begin with-got misdiagnosed. Radiator might as well replace it get the problem over with.
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 AT 1:42 AM
Tiny
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Do you think if it is possible the head gasket will need to be changed following the radiator?I was charged an arm and leg.
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 AT 5:40 AM
Tiny
MIKE H R
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Would take it back to where you had the radiator flushed the first time, and see what they say?
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 AT 6:53 PM
Tiny
NOS
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Well isn't this a puzzle. I really wouldn't suspect a head gasket unless you got the car extremly hot like to the point of (red peg) has any one put a pressure test on the cooling system to see if it is looseing water somewhere?
It sounds to me like there is an airlock in the system or maybe someone installed the wrong water pump this didn't start till this work was done maybe the impler on the water pump was the wrong one from the rebuilder and it is pushing the water the wrong way?
Also have you been looseing water and how much? I wouldn't replace the radiator till I was real certian that there wasn't a worse problem. Seems to me like the radiator was working ok before the pump job. 8) NOS
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 AT 7:21 PM
Tiny
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All things were done by same shop from begin to now.
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 AT 7:26 PM
Tiny
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Thank you so much. Several cooling system pressure tests are ok without loosing water. Do you have any method to know if the new water pump works well or not? How toconfirm a radiator is clogged or not?
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Wednesday, March 14th, 2007 AT 7:42 PM

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