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Thermostat location Duratec 3.0L?

32K views 30 replies 8 participants last post by  sheila 
#1 · (Edited)
Overheating Duratec V6 3.0L

First of all, hello to everybody!

I got here looking for a solution to my problem. My 1996 V6 Sable overheated tonight and leaked lots of coolant... I was with my child in the car, so I drove it home with the heat gauge to the max. I did add some water on the way from a gast station. Expansion tank was spewing coolant. No strage noises from the engine thou...

Looks like is coming from the bottom, passanger side engine bay. Reading on the net I found out that that where T-Stat is located? And is an expensive hose that breaks off there?
Is night now, cannot work, does anybody have some pictures of that area? Is that for real, the Ford engineers put the T-Stat on the bottom of the engine block???
 
#2 · (Edited)
Yes, you have to remove the black plastic splash guard and access the stat from down below pass. front area. If its the $160 rubber/metal by-pass hose from the bottom of the water pump to t-stat thats leaking, you can hacksaw old pipe in half to remove and replace with a 1.5in. diameter 22in. long flex hose and zip tie away from the belt.
 
#4 ·
Like 10-15 minutes. I had the child with me in the car, I thought the the T-stat was closed and the coolant is boiling over (that I thought explain the pool of coolant under the car when I stopped). The gauge was at the maximum limit of the "normal" zone, not on red, so I thought that is OK.
Now, after reading the thread about corroding metal pipe that connects the T-Stat to radiator, I think that the gauge was measuring just steam.
So yes, I might have also some blown gaskets now. At the best :(
 
#6 ·
First of all, hello to everybody!

I got here looking for a sollution to my problem. My 1996 V6 Sable overheated tonight and leaked lots of coolant... I was with my child in the car, so I drove it home with the heat gauge to the max. I did add some water on the way from a gast station. Expansion tank was spewing coolant. No strage noises from the engine thou...

Looks like is coming from the bottom, passanger side engine bay. Reading on the net I found out that that where T-Stat is located? And is an expensive hose that breaks off there?
Is night now, cannot work, does anybody have some pictures of that area? Is that for real, the Ford engineers put the T-Stat on the bottom of the engine block???
It would have been wiser to pull over, I would highly recommend it next time, it could mean the difference between a working engine and a ruined one. If you rely on this car as your main transportation, it might have cost you the ability to drive your child to school, etc... Not a good idea. You'll be lucky if it didn't ruin your car. Sometimes people need to ask themselves "Is it worth the few hundred for a tow or $1000 to replace the engine, or even more to replace the entire car", the sane choice is obvious. Everyone thinks they can get home, why do people think they can gamble with a cooling gauge? Your engine cannot function without cooling, if there is no cooling then you need to stop driving it.
 
#7 ·
Yep, I know. I didn't think that the gauge will not be indicating right (wasn't on red yet), but now I know more.
Luckly I have another mean of transportation so... it is what it is. I will get under it this weekend if nothing else comes by.
 
#9 ·
Hopefully she'll work just fine afterwards. I don't know much about what happens when a Duratec overheats, but if you had a Vulcan you would need a new set of heads. Was there any signs of a blown head gasket? Missing? Sweet Exhaust? Watery oil/oily water? Combustion gases entering the cooling system? I haven't heard anything in the thread that would make me worry about the heads yet.
 
#10 ·
I got a hose from AAP to replace the pipe - it is the 1.5"x22" radiator hose used in some Jeeps/Dodges. Has a sping inside so it won't collapse when I route it.
I hope that when I start her, won't see white smoke... on exhaust :(
 
#11 · (Edited)
Pearl drummer, good to know said lower by-pass hose assy. is available aftermarket now. Originally, it was dealer-only at $160-180 a pop. Thanks. A couple years ago i bought an upper radiator hose assy. for the drivers side which had a plastic tee and 2-3 hoses attached for $25-30 at adv. auto. Its been fine. I believe the brand name was Drive-Rite.
 
#13 · (Edited)
OK, updates.

Good news (for me). The pipe that is usually rusting looks all right. I didn't loose the coolant after all thru there. I have lost lots of coolant thou - the expansion bottle is dry, upper hoses have air in them... Don't know if overheating from a stuck T-stat can do that?

Bad news... I still cannot see the location of the T-stat. I took a pic of the place where it was supposed to be and it doesn't look right to me (I see just a water pump outlet). Is the T-Stat in that water pump outlet???

I am attachimg pictures maybe someone smarter than me can point to right direction.


 
#16 · (Edited)
Thank everybody that cip in. I did replace the monster. Pic is below - looks like some of the wax came out. Lasted 17 years... I guess is not bad.
I will take a test drive now - for now I don't see/hear nothing worrysome at the engine/exhaust.



LE: I did test it. At the beginning it seemed that is acting right - temperature slowly rised, then the termostat opened and temperature gauge dropped a little bit (the original one didn't do that drop, this is a Stanton).
But then, after 5 minutes, it started to rise again towards the maximum. The radiator fans are working full blast. If I turn the heating in the cabin, I don't get nothing but cold air, even if the temperature is almost on red line.

Could it be the water pump? It sounds a little funny but I had coolant overflowing on the belt and water pump so I don't know if it is from that...
 
#18 · (Edited)
It would be a huge coincidence - heat was working just a couple days before.
I got a water pump from AAP tonight... I will remove the one from the engine maybe tommorow. Hope that I find the impeller trashed, because I am running out of ideas.
 
#19 ·
Tec impellers usually dont corrode away like vulcans, but they went through a stretch in the gen.3s where they would break off. Possibly a bad batch? Iirc, there was a tsb concerning the issue. Ive had it happen on 2. If the pump doesnt resolve your problem, next check would be for a clogged or partially clogged heater core. Ive also had a couple of those cause overheating probs. over the years. Remember, coolant is always flowing through them no matter what ac/heat setting is being used. There is no core by-pass hose on the tec.
 
#20 ·
Good to know. I was looking for that bypass valve and didn't see it.
Anyway, the heating issue I think is secondary if I cannot fix the overheating of the engine. I don't think a clogged heater would do that - the radiator should be able to work alone, no?
 
#23 ·
I did replace the belt hoping that was worn enough to slip. Nothing happen, still OH.
The hose connected to the water pump was cold, but when I press on it I can see water leve raising in the expansion tank. Is there a place to air out the circuit?

I am looking to remove the pump but it's a bear. Even the hoses won't budge from the inlets...

As for the heater core - I see that are 2 hoses from the water pump - one to radiator and another to inside the car to the core. So it is on the top too - it has a Y that splits the circulation. So I really doubt that the whole water from the engine circulates thru the heater core.

Thank you for the help!
 
#24 ·
Updates:
I got the pump nuts off, the top hose off, the braket for the AC compressor off, the clamps from the bottom two hoses are loose... the stupid hoses won't come off the inlets. Not to much space there, I am twisting, pulling... Like there are welded there. Is there a trick to loose them? Or just find stonger arms than mine?
 
#25 · (Edited)
Flat screwdriver tip run around the hose did the trick.
Image of the water pump below - it was cracked almost completly, when I just touch it, it split in two.


 
#27 · (Edited)
My thumbs are numb from wrestling with that stupid bottom hose. I didn't button it back yet, I am treating my wounds with some Bacardi. I have another vehicle to drive to work... it's a V8 5.0L thou, with this gas prices I was avoiding it :)
 
#28 ·
can you change the thermostat from the top or do you need to get underneath the car?thanks.I have a Australian taurus and still cant really see it from under the hood(top view).i smell a water/steam smell but thats all,car wasnt started for 16 months.heater works,the overflow bottle has gone down about 200ml but thats all.temp gauge goes to half then stays there.i want to check the voltage of radiator water but i dont know if my hand held ECS820B does it.
 
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