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Temp help

dubt

New CEG'er
Joined
Sep 1, 2007
Messages
13
Is there anything I can do besides replacing the water pump to get the temp down. It runs almost at the "L" in NORMAL on the temp gauge. Thanks.
 
Welcome :) .

I presume you have a 4 cylinder (Zetec). "L" is still in the normal zone. If you are still concerned, you may drain and refill the radiator with fresh coolant.

If you have a 6 cylinder (Duratec), change the waterpump to be safe.

Always post your engine, tranny and mileage when requesting help in the General Troubleshooting Forum.
 
also, if it is a zetec then i suggest you change the coolant temp sending unit. most of the time that solves your high temp "problem".
 
also, if it is a zetec then i suggest you change the coolant temp sending unit. most of the time that solves your high temp "problem".

exactly what striker said.

from the factory the sending unit was overly sensitive, it would move from "N" to "L" over the change of a meesley 20 degrees. Usually, when the needle hits that "L" the low speed cooling fan will kick on, then that needle should move down closer to the "M" region.

My pre98 did the same thing, and what I did to combat this, was drain my cooling system, changed the Thermostat to a low temp t-stat, refilled the cooling system, and added about 1/4 of a bottle of "Water wetter." after that, the only times my cooling fans ever had to come on, was when I was at a dead stop at a traffic light, otherwise air cooling kept the system perfectly cool. But during the winter I had an issue with the car never warming up, I ended up swapping my t-stat between summer and winter to keep the cooling system within spec.
 
Thanks guys. Sorry for the lack of information. It is a 98 SVTC. I purchased a t-stat and an ELECTRIC water pump to see if that helps. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the help.
 
... I purchased a t-stat and an ELECTRIC water pump to see if that helps.

Why an electric pump?

Also make sure the fans are coming on. Low speeds kick in around 210, the high speeds around 226 degrees. Both fans run at the two different speeds. If you keep running the engine at that high temps you can blow the headgaskets.
The water pump is a known bad design. Plastic impellor cracks and slips on the shaft resulting in no cooling.

http://www.contour.org/FAQ/FAQ.php?s=probs&displayid=9
 
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