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[aberdeenSHO]

ok, i thought my water pump was bad, but i had just found out that the thermostat that i had replaced was a 192, needing to be a 180. So here are my symptoms and just tell me if you think it's my thermostat...

the car will slowly fluctuate from from in the middle to near the hot side(without leaving the normal range) with the a/c off. When the a/c is on, and if it is over 85-90 degrees out, the car will over heat when not on the highway. I have also noticed a light whine that i can't really hear all that well unless i'm under the hood. there is also a very light tapping(which speeds up as i rev the car) both noises are light and i can really only hear them when the hood is up. I keep on haveing to refill my overflow bottle too every once in a while(maybe once a month) also.

On top of all this, my car has lost A LOT of power from when i had first bought it. it seems to be slow when starting out and then starts picking up as the rpms move up. sometimes it runs fast and sometimes it doesnt. I don't know what this could be.... except a long time ago my idiot father tried to spray down my engine with the hose. the car wouldnt even run because water was down in the spark plug holes. So i had to get it dried out and replace the plugs. I know my cats are bad so i was wondering if that could be my lag problem, but i don't know, i don't know much about all this stuff. Thanks for taking the time to read all this, i know it's a lot....

oh yeah.... i heard if i'm using castrol synthetic blend, you don't need to change every 3000. is that true, and what are the reprocusions of just adding oil over changing every 3000?

 

[Aaron]

About the tapping: does the car have to be under load in order for it to tap? I recently overheated my car, now it taps. You may want to take it into an auto shop and have them check your harmonizer bolt, as it will cause a rattling if it's loose.

Mine still makes a slight metallic tapping when I drive it, which my mechanic told me was valve-train related, so have a knowlegeable mechanic look at your engine. (If he says anything about a PCV Valve, take it elsewhere...we don't have em' )

Good luck,
-Aaron

 

[Huntervf]

Some light tapping isn't uncommon for our cars, being DOHC with bucket tappets. Espically if you have higher mileage 120k+ with no 60k service being done.

Bad cats can DEFINITELY cause problems. If your exhaust can't get out of the engine then the engine will not go. Not sure if that would cause an overheating problem...seems to me if the cats were THAT bad the car wouldn't run at all.

Your AC puts quite an extra load on the engine, seeing slightly higher temps with it on is not uncommon, but you still shouldn't be overheating. If you need to add coolant to your overflow bottle every month then you have a leak somewhere. Could be a bad radiator...that's a common problem on the Taurus in general. A bad radiator will also reduce your cooling capacity, not just because it leaks coolant, but because it doesn't transfer heat as efficiently. And too your water pump could be leaking...my 95 MTX had a leaking water pump but I never saw it because it would drip down onto the cats. A leaking water pump will not necessarily cause an overheating problem unless it stops working, but if you have a whine in that general region I would suggest further investigation.

What ever you do, don't overheat your engine. The aluminum heads will warp quickly, then you're in real trouble eek!

My advice: change your cats, and inspect your radiator. If it looks bad, and espically if you find some leaks, then replace it.

 

[jcostantino]

Make sure that you have burped all the air from the cooling system. Take the radiator cap off, start the car, and make sure that the thermostat opens up. Also, while doing that, grab the top coolant hose and squeeze it a couple times to shove air out.

Jeff

 

[BeatDaSHO]

first off....if you have the MTX, then get the 180 degree thermostat. If you don't find any coolant drips on the ground or anything, then it might be your water pump leaking. I had to fill my over flow bottle up once in a while and thought nothing was leaking. I inspected my old water pump and it was truly leaking so i replaced it. Clogged cats will cause a lot of power loss and overheating of the engine. There is probably way too much backpressure in there. Replace those cats, get a 180 degree thermostat if you have the MTX and go from there. Run the codes on your SHO as well.

Greg