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?
