Car got HOT tonight

[todras]

Have 151k on it. Done a lot of work to it. It started running hot tonight. Never seen the needle hit the N before!! I panicked and pulled over & waited 25 minutes and drove her home. Stayed cool the 8 minutes to get home. I've replaced the thermostat, upper and lower rad. hoses and raditor since I've owned it. Coolant level was fine Wonder if the t-stat I put in a couple years ago is bad or the fans aren't kicking on. I've never replaced the WP. They are metal correct? So they shouldn't be a problem unless they begin leaking. Could the non-Ford t-stat be garbage already? How do I check to see if the fans are kicking in? Wait until the engine gets hot and look? LOL! How high in the gauge before there is damage? Car seems fine. Can I just get a new fan motor and put it in? It is original. Do that and the t-stat and watch it?

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

If this hasnt been an ongoing, progressive thing, then I would have to say that either you fans took a dump, or you ECT did.

Try a search on the forum, lots of ECT and cooling fan info/troubleshooting

 

[Huntervf]

Touching the N in the normal range isn't technically hot, so don't worry Todd, you didn't hurt the engine.

The factory gauge is horribly inaccurate... when I had Darth the actual indicated coolant temp was around 215-218 degrees, but in just that little bit of fluctuation I'd see the factory gauge go as high as the bottom end of the N and drop back to the R.

Can you say anymore about the conditions in which the car got warm? Were you high speed on the e-way, or slower speeds in town? Was the temp issue a gradual thing or did it go WHOA and shoot up?

When I had similar problems on the 89, the problem was the ECT sensor. It controls the fan operation, and mine was working intermittently. Sometimes it would kick on normally & run until it dropped the temp back down, other times it would kick on and only run for a few seconds, and finally it stopped kicking on altogether. The result was that the car would heat up slowly in city traffic, but if I could maintain a good airflow the temp would stay down.

Here's an easy check: Start the car and turn on the A/C. Even if your system is empty, the electric fan should kick on at the same time.

Even if this test works, the ECT could still be your problem. Let the car warm up and stay local... see if the fan is kicking on and if it's running as long as it should be. An ECT sensor is a very easy job, but you'll need a large, deep well socket for it (can't remember the size offhand). Also, there are a couple different kinds of ECT sensors for our cars. One kind has a brass end, the other is all plastic. Get the brass one, it will last MUCH longer. Hopefully someone here will chime in on where to get the brass ones, because I can't remember. I want to say AZ or Napa, but I could be wrong.

 

[Denny]

The consensus is that the the Ford Tstat is the only one to use. And to be a little biased...yeah you should replace the garbage one with a Ford Genuine Part

 

[SW SHO]

ECT part number is Wells SU201. Autozone carries this for like $18. It's the brass type

You need a 1" deep well 1/2 drive socket. It's easier to remove the throttle linkage bracket when doing this. Be mindfull of the clips holding the wire harness to the sensor.

 

[todras]

Thanks guys. I replaced the ECT this winter when diagnosing my idle issue. Wonder if it was a crap part as well. The car was heating up when sitting in heavy traffic by the way. When I let it cool down and drove it home it stayed low.

 

[todras]

Update: Fans are not turning on. Could it be the motors? I had that happen with my Mustang. Fan motor just took a dump. Replaced and good as new. So now is it just a Taurus part or SHO specific.

 

[SHO green like$]

The Fan Relay is worth testing, the contacts get bad w/age.

 

[Ishodu]

Put power to the fan from the battery and see if it runs. This will tell you if its the fan itself or a prob with power getting there.

 

[RAYJAY]

where is the fan relay located

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

The fan relay is mocated under the emmisions panel right, on the right side. It is enclosed in a case with a bunch of other relays.

I agree in the method of testing the fan. Just run a jumper straight from the battery to the fan.

I recently had the fan die on my '89 Titanium. Lasted ONLY 16 years and 120k miles. Turns out that 2 of the 4 brushes had worn down to nothing. Found some brushes that fit good enough, and were similar hardness to the stock brushes, and the fan is good as new.

 

[todras]

It was the ECT! Replaced with a Wells part. Not sure what it was before but it was different. I replaced it like 6-7 months ago. Just goes to SHOw you never know. Found out the SHO fan motor is specific. The one I picked up from Napa was not CORRECT! Ford's price is $201! I'm sure you can get the Ford one cheaper online. Live and learn.

 

[Markus]

The factory gauge is horribly inaccurate... when I had Darth the actual indicated coolant temp was around 215-218 degrees, but in just that little bit of fluctuation I'd see the factory gauge go as high as the bottom end of the N and drop back to the R.

That is an interesting finding. It explains the variation I see on my gauge and the variation that so many others see. I suspect it's something that gets "worse" over time. When my SHO was new there was never a large variation in temp gauge between thermostat opening temp and fan operating temp (with a/c off). Now there is a large variation despite all the new parts I have thrown at the system. The only part I have not replaced is the gauge itself. Thanks for the info.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

FYI, last winter I went thru 3 ECT's before I found one that worked.

Quality control right there!

 

[todras]

That's great. I guess I'll just stare at me temp. gauge instead of the road.