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how hot does your pre 98 tour run?

You guys are looking at this in totally the wrong way. All this discussion of letters doesn't mean anything, as those guages are horribly inaccurate. What matters is this:

1. The guage reading is consistent, ie, it didn't used to read lower and now it's higher.

and 2. Your actual water temperature, as measured by your Coolant Temp Sensor (not guage sender) is reasonable.

If the actual water temp is 200 degrees F, and your guage reads at the O or the L or whatever, you're fine. You're not fine, however, if sometime down the road it goes up higher. Look for a change, not the usual position.

If you're really concerned, you can always install another water temperature sending unit that goes to a more accurate guage. But if I were you, I would just run it up to operating temperature, check the ECT output and make sure the actual readout is in the normal range, and note the dash guage position. From then on, you can consider that spot on the guage to be "Normal."

I hope this clears things up for the people who are worried. People think the zetecs just run hot by their nature or something, which isnt true. You may have an overheating problem, but dont judge that by your dash guage alone.
 
mcgarvey said:
You guys are looking at this in totally the wrong way. All this discussion of letters doesn't mean anything, as those guages are horribly inaccurate. What matters is this:

1. The guage reading is consistent, ie, it didn't used to read lower and now it's higher.

and 2. Your actual water temperature, as measured by your Coolant Temp Sensor (not guage sender) is reasonable.

If the actual water temp is 200 degrees F, and your guage reads at the O or the L or whatever, you're fine. You're not fine, however, if sometime down the road it goes up higher. Look for a change, not the usual position.

If you're really concerned, you can always install another water temperature sending unit that goes to a more accurate guage. But if I were you, I would just run it up to operating temperature, check the ECT output and make sure the actual readout is in the normal range, and note the dash guage position. From then on, you can consider that spot on the guage to be "Normal."

I hope this clears things up for the people who are worried. People think the zetecs just run hot by their nature or something, which isnt true. You may have an overheating problem, but dont judge that by your dash guage alone.
Click to expand...
For me it's aesthetics, I can't stand the way it looks having my temp gauge on the brink of red. but I do realize the temp is alright because how high it is the engine would be screwed by now. "giant inflatable flailing arm tube man" Family Guy (just thought I'd mention that.)
 
This topic has been covered numerious times here.

on the pre98 zetec the sending unit was set to be too sensitive. When the car OBD-2 port is plugged into a computer scanner, you will find that even when the gauge is pushing "A-L" on the normal scale the temperature is still in the 190's which isnt bad for an engine at all. Furthermore, I think the Ford Contour was the only car I had ever driven Where the temperature gauge actually moves around up and down in city driving. My corolla would get up to one temperature and the gauge would pretty much be set in stone. Same thing with my mom's grand prix, same thing with my friend's Honda Civic, same thing with my other friend's Corsica.

The Zetec's sending unit is overly sensitive. On the zetec contour, when the gauges go up to the top of the spectrum (right before the L on normal) the cooling fans should kick in, thats how you know the car is completely conscious of its temperature, and its not allowing anything dangerious to happen.
 
AliasJerk said:
This topic has been covered numerious times here.

on the pre98 zetec the sending unit was set to be too sensitive. When the car OBD-2 port is plugged into a computer scanner, you will find that even when the gauge is pushing "A-L" on the normal scale the temperature is still in the 190's which isnt bad for an engine at all. Furthermore, I think the Ford Contour was the only car I had ever driven Where the temperature gauge actually moves around up and down in city driving. My corolla would get up to one temperature and the gauge would pretty much be set in stone. Same thing with my mom's grand prix, same thing with my friend's Honda Civic, same thing with my other friend's Corsica.

The Zetec's sending unit is overly sensitive. On the zetec contour, when the gauges go up to the top of the spectrum (right before the L on normal) the cooling fans should kick in, thats how you know the car is completely conscious of its temperature, and its not allowing anything dangerious to happen.
Click to expand...

I guess the sensors are a bit sensitive, mine moves between M and L all the time when I drive, but that's not what bugging me the most. It's the fuel gauge that pisses me off. Sometime I have 1/4 full tank of gas and the needle jumps from 1/4 to none just like that. I don't have a choice other than pull in the nearest gas station and give 'er another 10 L (because you never know).
 
Lower Temps.

Lower Temps.

I installed a 180f thermostat.
Also my trans cooler helped as well. Mine use to really run hot.
The ATX on these cars are bad for burning up. Since the ATX is piped into the rad for cooloing, it also can affect the temp for the motor.
The aux cooler for the ATX has worked well.
 
striker2 said:
thats the design of the fuel tank. almost all FWD vehicles do that
Click to expand...

haha, no basically contours are the asterisk. I've driven 100's of fwd cars and the contour is the only one.
My 300whp FWD Eclipse where the gas is sloshing all around never varied once.

The contour isn't superior its inferior. If Ford designs a car to look like its overheating all the time I sure wouldn't buy it again.

I've hooked my car up to the obd2 scanner and I am aware its "NORMAL" temp. It just is a bad reflection on the manufacturer in the end.

I almost sold my contour to my friends mother but she was reluctant because the gauge didn't sit in the middle.
I explained it but she'd rather have better peace of mind in another car like an import.

The car has a coolant flush, water wetter, wired fans, new tstat, new hoses, new waterpump and it still sits at M-A
 
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