Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Branches Eastern Canada Cooling Sytem Problems: Fan and WP

Hi all.
My rad fan is dead, yet the temp never goes above the N-O on the gauge, despite the engine feeling hot. So, time to open a vein and spend some more cash on my money pit. (At the rate I'm going, it might be cheaper to have bought a new Ford 500- I think I've spent about that much! )

All the indications seem to be (from searching a LOT in many forums) that my WP is fading. So I need a new one. Even if its not failing, its not bad preventive maintenance. I'll also replace the t-stat and flush the system if its open anyway. Oh, and fix the fan.

But, where do I get a pump with the right impeller in this region relatively cheaply? I believe its just the impeller part I need to replace, but Ford will only sell the full pump, for about $160+ tax.

Also, anything else I should swap out while I'm in there?

Cheers,
T

Don't be suprised by the Temp guage only reading @ N or O. This is pretty normal on the Duratec. The Zetec on the other hand is known for reading much higher. Rob and I tested mine with the OBDII and found that the fan came on around 215f. As for the fan being dead. I thought for sure there was a recall pertaining to this. May be worth a little investigative work. Sorry to hear your having problems still. Hope you can get them resolved.

Thanks, Mark.
Not my finest week. That mysterious stalling came back last weekend. I WD40'd everything and after a while, it started. Well, it did it again on Tuesday morning, but the WD40 didn't work. So, Helen and I had a fun time at 7am pushing it out ogf the drive to get her car out so I could go to work. (I had to frisk her for a lighter, in case she made good on her promise to set fire to it! It is now back in its 'spot' in front of the carport.

I think the stalling might very well be the crankshaft sensor, and at 40 bucks, its an easy fix, and if not, well, its only 40 bucks. I'm even gonna do it myself (gulp).

Anyhoo, the rad fan is a problem (who's the electrical expert again?), and without that, I would imagine it should be running a little hotter than normal, even in the cool weather. The hoses all get hot though, so I think there is a reasonable circulation, but I'm not sure if its enough. Hence the concern. Its not an urgent thing, but I would feel happier if it was done. So, where do I get a good pump cheap? (fnaar fnarr oo...err sounds a bit rude!)

BTW, whats the 411 on your emissions issue?

I think Mark is correct about a recall and if I remember correctly it was for the wiring and stuff. You should look into that and maybe save yourself some money. As for the WP I think you can get them at UAP but it was my understanding that WP's don't slowly go bad, they either work or they don't. I would look into the wiring thing before doing anything else. Why fix something that isn't broke but thats just me and what do I know.

You are right the pump can "sort of fail". A fin or 2 or more can break down and not move the normal volume of coolant. This is more uncommon though compared to the usual catastrophic failure most of us have had. As for your list it sounds like you are well on your way to solving the problem yourself. Rob aka SVTCANUK is the wiring expert. He may be able to assist you better with your questions.

As for the Emmisions. My vehicle is plated and that is all that counts right now despite the whole curb incident outlined in my "I pulled a Keioth post." I am still running rich and have some work ahead to solving that problem. Asap.

Yeah, that was my thought. It may be fine, but its Russian Roulette, and for a hundred or so bucks, good insurance against a blown engine. I just spent 4000 on a busted tranny (dont ask!), so I cant afford another big ticket.

Lets call it 'aggressive preventative maintenance', eh?

Good luck in solving all thees problems. Sometimes they just endless. There are a lot of good knowledgeable people here that are always willing to lend a hand.