ok, ive done some searching and havent seen to much about the issue i am not having on the 96 contour i just purchased.

so here is the run down....


bought car for cheap, guy said it overheats.

turns out it was just the temp gauge sensor. tried to replace it and the tstat housing decided that it wanted to crack off at one of the lower hose nipples. no biggie, went to the dealer picked up a new one and picked up a 180* tstat on the way home along with a new ECT sensor.

put those in, tried to bleed the system, but for some odd reason, i see no way in order to bleed the air from the coolant lines. unlike the other cars i have worked on, there are bleeder screws that allow the air to escape. nope not on this one.

so i do my best by toping it off, filling it up, topping off, etc... you get the point.

so went for a drive, cruising its just fine, sits right on the M on the \NORMAL/ temp dash gauge. if i drive a little hard it would get into the A. if i came to a stop it would go well into the L and inbetween the L and the / but never go over the /.

so with me being a little worried, i opted to hit up the local shop for a radiator flush and fill with some new coolant since the old stuff didnt look "that" good.

after i left, it immediately did the same things as before. M while driving, A if get on the gas a lot, and L if im sitting at a light or just at idle.

so i come home, and listen and watch for the fans to kick on, which the kick on when the needle hits the left edge of the L and shuts off as it cools off in the A range.


so there is my story, now my questions...

what temp does the radiator fans kick on, or what temp are they supposed to kick on at?

is it normal for the temp gauge to have that much movement during normal driving?

should i be worried that the temp needle is getting into the L of \NORMAL/?

is the temp gauge all that accurate in comparison to the ECT sensor? i know the computer uses the ECT for its timing and fuel tables so im not worried to much if the gauge needle is "off".

are the 2.0 zetecs known for any type of gasket issues like crappy head gaskets? i was thinking that the combustion chamber gas is leaking into the coolant, but its not burning off or showing signs of coolant on the plugs, which i have replaced.

thanks ahead of time for those that take the time to read and help out!

jeremy