more cooling system problems

[JJL]

So my temp guage doesn't work, so what, I can handle that.

But when the car starts overheating and you don't know about it until it's parked and fluid is pouring all over the driveway, well then, that is a problem.

Drove for a short distance yesterday, about 25kms, and when i got home I heard a bubbling noise from under the hood. popped the hood and saw the the coolant was boiling over through the coolant reservoir, not the rad.

New thermostat installed a few weeks ago, no visible leaks elsewhere in the system.

what am I looking at here?

Thanks,
John

[SeanMatteson]

A couple of things to consider:

First, the gauge is hooked up to a sensor located near the thermostat. It's the small sensor that sells for about $13 from Ford with one wire going onto it. Check the electrical connection first, and make sure to trace that wire back a little ways just to be sure you didn't pinch it or that it hasn't chaffed through the insulation and is shorting out somewhere.

Next, see if your fan is coming on at all. If not, maybe you've also lost the coolant temperature sensor that is located over on the passenger side of the engine, atop the fitting that threads into the top of the lower intake manifold. This is the sensor that sends signal to the EEC, which in turn tells the IRCM (Integrated Relay Control Module) to turn the cooling fan on low speed, and/or high speed.

If you can confirm that the ECT (Engine Coolant Temp) sensor is good, then maybe it's the IRCM that has failed.

Now, there have been cases where SC's aren't really overheating, and yet they're bubbling over the coolant reservoir. This has been indicative of blown HG's for some people in the past. In this situation, it's combustion pressure that is being bled into the cooling system, forcing its way past the rad cap into the overflow reservoir that does this. I don't want to scare you, but this has been observed by people in the past, and this may be the problem you're having.

Take a deep breath, and go and check your oil. If you see any milkiness in the oil, or bad frothing on the dipstick, then you've probably been had by the HG monster! Don't jump off a bridge or anything. Many of us have experienced this.

If you find that you have not yet blown the head gaskets, then check to make sure that you are in fact overheating. This may require installing an aftermarket temp gauge somewhere for you to get accurate measurements of temperature. The bad news is that these motors really don't take overheating well. The cast iron block, aluminum cylinder head combination means that overheating will often result in warped or cracked cylinder heads. You're going to want to look that car over really good if you've cooked it that bad.

Where are you located, John?

Best regards,

Sean