Ok, first off, I spent all night the other nite using the search function. Here's my problem. The car is a 98 Mystique with the 2.0 Zetec and an auto. The car has always run a little hot, end of the "M" or so in "NORMAL". Its my wifes car, so I don't drive it every day. I got in it the other night and the guage was going into the red. ut-oh. So its like 8 pm, the only place open is Pep-Boys, I run and get a new thermostat(stock temp), and no change. I read on here to try a 180 degree thermostat, put that it, no change, still going into the red. Then I realize the cooling fans are not coming on. I unplug the top sensor and the fans do turn on. So the fans work. I figure that sensor must be bad. Oh I pull the wire and drove it around a bit with the fans on and it was still going into the red. So For the heck of it I change the sensor, the temp still goes into the red, but the fans are not turning on. Now all along I have been thinking(and dreading) water pump. But the heat does still blow very hot. Also even with the new sensor for the cooling fans, the fans are not turning on( but do if you unplug it). Could the sensor for the guage be faulty that it is making the temperature read hotter that the coolant really is? Or am I changing a water pump this weekend? All advise and comments greatly appreciated.
