Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting 95 Contour overheating

I was driving on the highway yesterday when I noticed the temp. guage on my 1995 2.5L Contour (100000 miles) was all the way to the right on Hot. The strange thing was that the check engine light didn't come on and I also noticed that it was starting to get cold inside - the fan was blowing cold air. I pulled into a gas station as soon I could. When I opened the hood I was expecting to see the coolent tank empty but it was just the opposite - it was overflowing. The gas station attendant said that it's probably a stuck thermostat. I had the car towed to a shop and they will get back to me today on what the problem is.

I just wanted to ask the experts on this group what they think the problem might be.

Thanks,
Martin

waterpump

Thanks for the reply. If it is the waterpump, does it make sense to replace anything else while they're doing the pump? Nothing has been changed on that car except oil and brake pads.

Martin

The thermostat should also probably be replaced. However, the real issue is that the Ford waterpump for the Duratec is prone to failure by design of its plastic insides.

I strongly suggest you consider buying a different waterpump from somewhere like SP Motorsports and maybe even doing the work yourself. Most people claim the work can be done in a couple hours without any major problems. Its not much harder than changing spark plugs from what some have said. However, since you've already overheated, its probably best for a mechanic to check it over and make sure nothing was damaged as a result. If the shop is a Ford dealer, they will only give you the Ford (plastic) replacement. An independant shop might be able to get a metal pump. Mine can, but the labor is just way too much.

Yeah, do it yourself and save some cash. It is a very, very easy job that you could complete in an hour.

Here are some relevant links from the FAQ:
Waterpump failures

Waterpump replacement howto

-Lance

Thanks everyone for your help. Since my car overheated about 25 miles from my house I had it towed to a shop near where I stopped. I didn't know it was the waterpump until I asked here. If it was closer to my house I would have tried to do it myself.

The shop changed the thermostat, waterpump and flushed the system and it seems to be running fine now. The total came to $600 including the towing. I asked for the old waterpump to see what it looked like and the plastic inside had all broken off. Hopefully the new one doesn't die out soon. And if it does, I'll know what to do.

Thanks again,
Martin

you got majorily ripped off. The pump, tow and parts & labor should be no more than $350 TOPS.
I changed mine for $30.

dont wanna rub it in, but ...yeah $600 is steep - ish

glad u got your car fixed and welcome to the site...one thing u'll notice here is that people love to tell u how bad u got ripped on a repair...dont really seem to take into account the fact that your car may be miles from home and it may inconvenient for u to do the work yourself or get lower cost repairs