Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Overheating again !!!

I took the contour for a ride this weekend and after I passed a truck it started overheating. The fan did turn on, the coolant was not bubbling, the heater worked and I used it to cool things down a bit. It blew hot air indeed. However I was not able to move the car for more than 6 kms without it almost touching the red line so I panicked about messing it up and let it at a friends house and took a bus back
I read the FAQ and it says it can be the pump or the thermostat. It is a 1997 Duratec V6 and the band was changed 25000 kms ago. Any ideas??

Almost certainly the pump is missing a few blades or the thermostat is not opening. Theres a section on overhauling the cooling system on my web page

If youve done more than 50k miles change both

Check the cooling fins on the bottom front of your radiator. I had similar problems and had the radiator replaced. The mech said most of the fins on the bottom of the radiator were folded over - blocking 1/3 of the radiator. The only thing I can think of is I used to take it to a detail shop and they used high pressure sprayers....

If the water pump fails, the heater would not work.

The most likely cause of your problem is a stuck thermostat, but it could be any of several things that can cause a restriction in either the coolant flow or the air flow over the radiator. I would start by checking the thermostat.

The tensioner on the belt is 'mickey mouse'. I have had the tensioner 'stuck' in one position, so that the water pump did not turn and thusly the engine ran hot. I now check the tensioner in the spring to be sure it holds its tension on the belt. (on a 2.5) It did not overheat and it was delivering heat through the heater probably by convection.