Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting cooling system problem(s) (long)

Ok, this is a strange one. Was driving home yesterday in my Mystique. I glance down at the temperature gauge and it was right on the M in normal, a little higher than it normally is (usually right between O and R). Well, I go about a half mile further and the belts start squeeling and theres coolant spraying all over my windsheild. Glance down and the temp gauge is pegged red. So I kill the engine and coast as far as I can. Get out and the coolant was coming from the resivior cap. So I check everything I can think of top radiator hose is cool to the touch (alot cooler than it should have been on an 80 degree day using the AC for half th trip). I figured It's a bad thermostat. Go get parts go back to car have it back on the road in a little more than 2 hours.

I barely get the car up to 65 before the temperature gauge just climbs right up to the L in normal. I shut it down and coast a little closer to home. Well this was my bad, I checked the coolant before I took off and it looked fine but I forgot that once the car runs for a little bit the coolant level will drop a ways as the rest of the sysytem fills. So once I'm stopped again I top it off and head for home. But the cooling system still wasn't acting right.

I get it home, let it sit for an hour and start trying to diagnose what else it could be. The temperature gauge won't climb to the n in normal now but the radiator fans kick on every once in a while. I tried turning on the heater and even after 10 minutes of idling the heater isn't kicking out any warm air. There is a slight noise from the waterpump area but everytime I turn it off and pull a hose there is fresh coolant that comes out. I've pulled the upper radiator hose once and the thermostat hose like 3 times.

So does anybody have any ideas?

water pump.

I really don't think It's the pump though, I pulled off the top radiator hose again this afternoon and there was about 1/3 of a gallon that came out of the hose and radiator. Could that much coolant make it there without somthing pumping it? Would expansion get the coolant up there? Also this afternoon the temp gauge started working again. It climbed normally for a couple minutes and stopped at the R for a couple minutes. Then all of the sudden the temp gauge started rising again and within a minute the fan was on and the gauge was at A. In another minute it was past the L again and the radiator fan was on high. The only thing I could think of is air bubbles but wouldn't they just get worked around the system back to the resivoir?

You were right it was the pump, I pulled it this morning because I figured I had already checked pretty much everything else and things still weren't acting right, when I pulled it apart the impeller fell into 3 pieces. so, after 10 hours misdiagnosing things and less than 3 hrs this morning it was fixed and that is with a cross town drive to pick up parts.

"Well, I go about a half mile further and the belts start squeeling and theres coolant spraying all over my windsheild." - Water Pump

Temp not going to N in normal is normally the temp guage sender.

This is a problem that seems somewhat unique to our cars. It is uncommon for others to have an impeller that breaks apart. Your key was that there was no heat from the heater.

This is well documented and you would have found loads of info here with a search.