Overheating (Engines)

If your car has cooling fans, make sure they are working correctly. Make sure the radiator isn't leaking and not restricted either on the inside or in front on the outside. Caution: Always disconnect the negative battery cable before putting you hands into a vehicles engine compartment. Caution: When the engine is hot be very careful not to touch hot engine parts. If your not sure what your doing get help from a pro. First when the engine is cold check the radiator and make sure it is topped off with coolant. Reply: This could be caused from a number of reasons and it is helpful to give more information about the car like make model and year. Let me explain there are at least two ways of cooling the radiator. Some cars have an electric fan that is controlled by a thermostatic switch normally located near the bottom of the rad when the car gets to a certain temp the fan will come on and cool the radiator and when cool shut off. Other cars have a fan driven by a belt from the engine in the center of this fan there is a thermostatically controlled clutch which detects the air being drawn thru the rad when the air is to hot the clutch will cause the fan to turn more drawing more cool air thru the rad. When the air coming thru the rad is cool enough the clutch will allow the fan to slip or free wheel. If either type of thermostatically controlled switch goes bad the car will overheat at idle. The car cools down while driving because the cool air is forced thru the rad. Please do not confuse this thermostatic switch with the heater/engines thermostat. I personally would check or take the car to someone qualified to check for a bad electrically controlled thermostatic type of switch on cars with electric cooling fans. On cars that are driven by a belt I would check the fan belt for slippage and the fan clutch it self when engine is cold for oil leakage or when rocked for excessive bearing play and spin the fan by hand to make sure it turns freely then start the engine and allow it to run until the heater is putting out hot air next turn the engine off and spin the fan again the fan should be harder to turn as if there is a drag on it if not I would replace the fan clutch. Electrically operated fans: Parts to check fuses, electric fan motor or thermostatic switch, or an electrical problem. Fan Belt Driven fans: bad broken or slipping belts, thermostatically controlled fan clutch, and cracked or broken fan blades. Check both type systems for a blockage in the radiator core such as bugs dirt leaves. Last but not least if the core if self is clogged internally you might need to flush the system and or have the system pressure checked including the cap. PS Many people on accident put the heater/engine thermostat in backwards this will cause many problems This thermostat is like a one way valve and must be installed in the correct direction.

have your radiator cleaned and replace your thermostate, clogged radiators and sticky thermostats can cause your engine to overheat under load.

Because the engine is still running while in neutral. Your problem is probably your radiator or lack of antifreeze. Antifreeze serves as what it's name implies and as as a coolant. Additionally since the automobile is not moving forward the radiator is not receiving ventilation provided by the incoming air.

I do not have a Grand Marquis so my engine does not overheat! Fords and Ford products tend to overheat and always have! Let's check a few things. How long has it been since you changed the thermostat and the coolant? Those two things are the most likely culprits. What is the condition of the hoses? Have those been changed in the last several years? If you have changed the hoses, the thermostat, and the coolant, and it still overheats, then it is time to take it to a radiator shop and have the radiator rodded out.

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I have been driving Ford models for over 40 years and have never had an

engine overheat . Don't forget the basics , engine cooling system level

etcetera . Check for a fan clutch problem , a problem with the water pump

not circulating . Ford also states that if you exceed 60% antifreeze in the

distilled water / antifreeze mix that it could overheat in hot weather

I'm not a mechanic / technician but I can think of several things :

In no particular order :

- low engine coolant level , or no engine coolant because of a leak

- engine thermostat sticking closed

- restricted ( dirty ) radiator

- water pump not circulating the engine coolant because of an impeller or belt problem

- a problem with the engine cooling fan not running so air flows through the radiator

any body else have any ideas ?

yes...fisrst you need to check if the temp sensor is working. If this has an electric fan, check the relay and the fan motors.

or

when my 97 4.6 v8 was overheating, it was leaking coolant from the head gaskets.

The check gauges light should come on if your temperature gauge indicates that your engine is overheating - so that's no problem. The real question is probably 'why is your engine overheating?' Turn off the truck and let it cool down; then fill it with water. Watch for leaks especially around the water pump and radiator. If it holds water, start it up and let the cooling system build pressure and check your hoses and connections. If you don't have (or see) any obvious leaks anywhere, your radiator may need flushed (or replaced), your water pump replaced, your thermostat may be stuck, or you may be losing water through steam escaping from a leaky head gasket (this was my problem!). One other thing that could happen (this happened to me too) is that a seal on the bottom of your engine could be leaking coolant. That can get complicated if it's one that is blocked by the transmission case. Replacing the thermostat will take you 1/2 an hour tops and $10.00 worth of parts. That's a good place to start. If you've never wrenched on your truck yourself, the thermostat is a fairly easy job and a good 'confidence builder'.

Yes

Could be defective thermostat, bad fan clutch, insufficient fan shroud, plugged or inadequate radiator, or underperforming water pump.

I'm guessing it starts boiling over when you shut it off. it is normal for temperatures to rise when the water stops flowing through the engine, but sound like car is running too hot to begin with. i would check the coolant level when the engine is cold, if that's okay change your thermostat. if it's still running hot and boiling over your radiator is probably clogged and needs replacing. not too familiar with these but if it has electric and not a motor driven cooling fan check that it is operating. good luck

If the engine is overheating, it is most likely one of three things: 1. It could be that the coolant pump is not working 2. There may be a leak or obstruction somewhere in the radiator, heater core, engine coolant channels, or one of the various tubes connecting them 3. after a while, the thermostat that controls the flow of coolant to the engine may give out and need to be replaced. This is the least costly repair to make and should be checked fore first.

Yes.

It can be many things. First make sure the cooling fan is running anytime the A/C is on. the cooling fan should run continuously with the A/C turned on. If not, either the fan motor or relay is bad. If that is not the problem, you need to service the cooling system, and see if the problem disappears. Start by cleaning the front of the radiator of all debris. Now drain the cooling system, flush the system with heater set to hot, and replace the thermostat with an exact match. Pour in a 50/50 mix of the correct Anti-Freeze and bleed all air from the system.

Bad sensor? There is a coolant temp. sensor that goes bad. Mine been on for over a yr doesnt mean it is low....just bad sensor.

There could be many reasons. Not enough coolant or bad flow, faulty thermostat, low oil. If the coolant freezes then it will overheat. If your car continues to overheat then you should have the coolant flushed and thermostat replaced.

Generally, if your car overheats with the proper level of antifreeze, either your water pump has gone bad (not circulating fluid), the thermostat is stuck, or your radiator is clogged up inside.

-NAPAman

No, but a lot more oil can cause other damage.

try hooking up the hose to he jetski

Different engines run at different temperatures. It would be best to consult your owner's manual.

First, check the coolant in the radiator. Second, crank the engine and turn on the AC. the electric fan(s) should come on. If they don't you have an electrical problem, possibly a fuse, relay or a bad electric fan. If they do, you've probably have a faulty thermostat in the engine. If the car is consistantly low in coolant without an external leak or it steams, you may have a bad cylinder head or gasket.

Was it summer when it happened?If it was,then that must be the reason.

Try replacing radiator cap Is cooling fan working? Make sure radiator is not plugged or dirty Check coolant level

water pump

Because the coolant is flowing too rapidly for transference of heat. That is why it is not a good idea to run without a thermostat. Water can circulate too rapidly to do any cooling.

During repair and testing it would be wasteful and very expensive to use anti-freeze/coolant. Water is suitable until repair is complete.

I'm no expert, but I have a'96 cavalier Z24 with a similar problem. I have found out that when air conditioner is running normally the rad fan is on. My air conditionong is not working.(compressor not coming on.) So instead of the temp. staying around 90degs it goes up to next increment (105?) before the fan kicks on. This only happens in stop and go and has not got into the red on the temp. gauge. Also if air conditioning is not working and is the car is overheating check the belt.