Please help if you can. I don't know much about cars and I am worried about mine. Just had it towed to my local dealer for overheating. I need some help to be able to work with getting it fixed.
98 Contour SE w/ V-6 engine. Outstanding recalls for brake pressure control (00S03), heater/blower/resistor switch (01S22) and front spring (01S23). I'm including a lot about what happened, but my questions are at the end, after the asterisks, if you just want to scroll down to that.
Current symptoms as follows:
A/C has only worked on Max for awhile, but it did work fine at that setting. Sunday AM it started blowing lukewarm air on my way home from work, car hesitated a bit at intersection. It was running on fumes, so I turned off A/C and continued to gas station. (Wasn't yet hot enough outside for flapper to keep me from filling up). Took car home & parked it.
4 hours later, drove 25 miles at interstate speed to meet my parents and pick up my son. A/C blew warm the whole time, but I let it run & aimed it out the moonroof. Reached destination to see that indicator was at top end of red zone. Parked car & put the hood up. Could see coolant splattered in engine compartment near reservoir.
After lunch w/ parents, we checked car. Coolant reservoir was low and we filled it up. I did see one or two bits of a dark, flaky looking material swirl up from the tube at the bottom of the reservoir while my dad poured. Started car, A/C blew cold! Started driving and noticed that indicator was red & above. When we hit interstate after 0.5 mile, I thought fan would have better chance to cool engine. It stayed hot & A/C starting warming up again. Seemed to get muggy (coolant mist?) in car, almost felt like it was tough to get a deep breath. About 10 miles into the return trip I got worried and called a friend who told me to PARK IT. I did, and opened the hood again. I could see coolant boiling in reservoir. Left car outside and went indoors to call wrecker.
After about 1/2 hour, wrecker arrived. Coolant had quit boiling and was at about the same level we'd reached when we topped it off. Wrecker operator had me start car to get it out of parking space so he could grab it. Went from cold to overheat immediately. Moved car & shut it down. He towed it 15 miles to home. It had cooled down again by then. He dropped it in the street in front of my house and had me start it and pull it into the driveway. Hot again.
This morning I had it towed to Ford. Had to start it again to get it out of driveway for next wrecker trip. Went from cold to overheat immediately.
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From reading here and from friends, sounds like it could be thermostat or water pump that started the problem. Is there anything else? Is there any chance that I have an engine left after all this? Is there any recall or defect that would cover damage if it is more extensive than a thermostat or something? If I've done damage to engine, what is likely to be "hurt" and how much is it likely to cost to fix it?
Please help. The dealer is supposed to look at it tomorrow and I don't want to be completely ignorant when they call and start telling me all the things they want to fix $$$. Also, it sounds like some people here have been successful in negotiating with their local dealers when problems have been flaws in car - do I have anything like that and if so, how do I get them to work with me?
Thank you a bunch.
