Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Possible Thermostat Failure?

So I just finished changing the water pump on my recently aquired '98 Contour V6 SE Sport. When I pulled the old water pump off, the impeller wheel fell onto the ground in two separate pieces, which I thought was pretty neat. Needless to say, the car overheated pretty badly. I also had to change the coolant temperature sensor because it shorted out. Upon reinstalling the new sensor and water pump, I started the engine up and filled the coolant reservoir with orange coolant (dextron). To my surprise, the coolant never left the reservior. The car heated up to the normal operating temperature and the coolant still stayed in the reservoir. While the engine was running and after it had reached the "Normal" area on the temperature gauge, I felt the temperature of the two radiator hoses beside the battery. The upper hose was hot and the lower hose was still very cold. I drove the car around for a minute or two and the temp gauge didn't pass the middle of the gauge.

Do you think the thermostat is jammed shut?

To be sure & safe I'd change it out. You got all the impeller pieces didn't you?

After you drove, and the car cooled off, was the reservoir any lower?

Tell us you flushed the cooling system after you found that your water pump broke.
Either way you might have chunks of the impellar stuck in the system.
The only way to find out is to remove the thermostat and look/feel around.

I found all the pieces of the impeller, and the cooling system had been flushed a few weeks ago when a new radiator was installed.

I hate working on this car's cooling system. Everything in the engine bay is SOOOOO cramped. I knew there was a reason I never bought a newer car.

Sounds like you have an air bubble in the system. Squeeze and kned the hoses, if that doesn't work, drain the system and refill it very slowly.

I say just change the thermostat. While your at it fill the system as much as you can through the upper rad hose.