overheating ford taurus


  #1  
Old 05-14-04, 12:57 PM
leomer
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overheating ford taurus

i got a ford taurus station wagon with 3.8 engine 6 valve. i had the engine rebuilt after 120,000 miles. when i started drivng it from the shop i notice an irregularity ( getting hot 90 % in the gauge ) in engines temperature but it runs good. my mechanic change the termostats and it still the same. we decided to replace the radiator and he change the heat sensor that triggers the radiator fan to work and it turn out better. but my problem is when i have a long drive, the engine went to 95% ( often ) on the gauge, and again and the fun is working. after that i could hear a crunk noise. but when i let the engine cools down it went back to normal. i was thinking why the fan cannot maintain the heat level in the middle of the gauge in the engine temperature. i just need a second opinion because my mechanic told me to have the catalyst converter , the fan motor and the relay of the fan checked which they don't do in their shop but to the electrician. are we going in the right direction? thanks for your time and i'll wait for you reply before i have to undergo this kind of check ups. does it takes time for the computer to adjust to the new engine? do i need to use a specific grade of engine oil in my rebuilt engine? thanks for your time and more power!
 
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Old 05-14-04, 01:33 PM
Bugalou
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Are you sure the fan is coming on?...should come on when your temp gauge goes a bit above normal..How old is the water pump on the rebuilt engine?...a clogged or partially clogged catalytic converter can cause overheating too but you would have had a overheating problem in the car before you rebuilt the engine..did you have this problem before you rebuilt it?

Bug
 
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Old 05-14-04, 01:48 PM
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first off you should install an aftermarket mechanical temperature guage so you know what temp the engine is as they are alot more accurate and then you will know if the engine is actually running to hot or if your factory guage is not reading correctly engine temp shouldnt really go above 230 degrees.
you do not have to leave the mechanical guage installed permanently if you do not whish to, but long enough to find out whether the engine is actually running hot.
if the engine cylinders was bored out during the rebuild it will usually cause the engine to run somewhat hotter than if it was at standard bore.
 
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Old 05-14-04, 02:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Bugalou
How old is the water pump on the rebuilt engine?...a clogged or partially clogged catalytic converter can cause overheating too Bug
Oh wow, some more stupid and wrong advice. I wonder where that came from.
No, a clogged converter will not cause overheating.

Question for the poster. Is the fan eventually cycling off or does it just continue to run without bringing the temp back down? I don't know what year Taurus you have but you may be able to access data in the computer and see what temp the computer is seeing and what temps the fan is cycling.
 
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Old 05-14-04, 06:58 PM
Bugalou
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A plugged cat WILL cause engine overheating....enough said..

Bug
 
  #6  
Old 05-14-04, 08:52 PM
mike from nj
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a clogged cat will overheat the exhaust, but not usually the engine, at least on all the clogged ones i've replaced, the engine never overheated or ran hot. some i've had so clogged, they broke my pressure gauge.


any shop that can rebuild an engine, or replace it, but can't check exhaust backpressure with a gauge sounds like a shady outfit. time for a second opinion, now, especially since the thermostat should have been replaced when the engine was rebuilt.

also, cheap radiators, like $99 specials from large peppy style stores aren't very efficient. their capacity to cool an engine is limited at best.

a fan "on" at highway speed has absolutely no affect, the air coming in the grill at 55mph is more than any fan could make, and any car should run it's coolest(right at the thermostat's temp, like 195F) at highway speed.

reread my second paragraph, my guess is there's a hairline crack somewhere or a head is warped and causing the problem. the main clue is it was never 'right' after the engine was installed. insist on that shop performing a combustion check of the coolant, if they look at you funny, i'm sorry you spent money there. maybe they're actually hoping you leave and don't come back, by giving you this run-around.


let us know what you find
 
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Old 05-15-04, 05:43 AM
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I would be interested in a few more details on the "rebuild", too.

1. What was the original problem? The 3.8 is very problem-prone, but normally fixable with routine repairs, i.e. head gaskets, water pump, etc. unless there was a major failure/melt-down.

2. Who did the rebuild and what items exactly do they claim to have checked/replaced during the rebuild?

3. How much was the bill for the job?

Like Mike, I'm not impressed with a shop that can "rebuild" an engine (or install a rebuilt unit), but can't do simple troubleshooting.
 
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Old 05-15-04, 01:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Bugalou
A plugged cat WILL cause engine overheating....enough said..

Bug
No it will not. It will reduce the vacuum to the point that there is no air intake and in turn no RPM. If the engine won't rev, then it won't get hot either. the cat and exhaust pipe will though.
 
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Old 05-15-04, 11:37 PM
leomer
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overheating ford taurus reply

Thanks for your reply guys! i already went to the cat converter shop and they did not found anything wrong with the cat. i use the car today for an hour long drive the temperature is just right. i notice though that my coolant reservior is not is the hot fill line even when i drive like an hour and the engine is already hot ( which is usually rising up from cold fill to hot fill. is it normal? if the fan is working but it does not lowered it in the right temperature and stop, what is the cause of the problem ( is it the relay )? when the temperature hits above the middle part of the gauge i could hear some engine noise and disappear when it cools down by the fan, what does it cause?i think the problem is in the fan that's not working properly most of the time to normalize the temp. what kind of checking that i need to do?

Originally Posted by mike from nj
a clogged cat will overheat the exhaust, but not usually the engine, at least on all the clogged ones i've replaced, the engine never overheated or ran hot. some i've had so clogged, they broke my pressure gauge.


any shop that can rebuild an engine, or replace it, but can't check exhaust backpressure with a gauge sounds like a shady outfit. time for a second opinion, now, especially since the thermostat should have been replaced when the engine was rebuilt.

also, cheap radiators, like $99 specials from large peppy style stores aren't very efficient. their capacity to cool an engine is limited at best.

a fan "on" at highway speed has absolutely no affect, the air coming in the grill at 55mph is more than any fan could make, and any car should run it's coolest(right at the thermostat's temp, like 195F) at highway speed.

reread my second paragraph, my guess is there's a hairline crack somewhere or a head is warped and causing the problem. the main clue is it was never 'right' after the engine was installed. insist on that shop performing a combustion check of the coolant, if they look at you funny, i'm sorry you spent money there. maybe they're actually hoping you leave and don't come back, by giving you this run-around.


let us know what you find
 
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Old 05-16-04, 04:18 AM
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Well, first verify that the fan is actually spinning fast enough to pull sufficient air. I doubt that's the issue because it still overheats at cruise speed. I'm a little concerned as to what the noise is that develops when the engine gets just a little warm. My first suspician here would be a radiator but there are other possibilities such as the boring ideas previously mentioned. A higher capacity or more efficient radiator would still help overcome somerthing like that.
Another real possibility is that the wrong head gasket was used. You could have a restricted coolant passage because of something like that.
 
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Old 05-16-04, 10:15 AM
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I'm going to second (or third) the thought on a head problem here. The symptoms fit, and it's not uncommon at all on these engines. Desi and Mike were both correct that the fan would have little or no effect at cruise speed. The noise, if coming from the radiator/fan area, could possibly be exhaust gasses bubbling in the radiator. Has a block test been done on it?
 
  #12  
Old 05-16-04, 10:16 PM
leomer
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thanks for your reply again! i'm glad that my temperature is starting to improve. if it's rising, i just turn on my aircon because my fan is permanently working while it is on. the temperature is also low when i'm running in the cruise speed even if my aircon is off. the only thing that i'm not sure of is my coolant reservoir which stays at the same level no matter what the temperature of the engine. is it normal because i have a new radiator?
thanks again guys and let you update if there is something going bad! more power to all of you!!
 
 

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