noticed my car has been running a little hot lately, so i popped the hood and i could hear the coolant cooking in the tube , now i got three questions...
1, i guess my thermostat is the cause, right?
2, does it matter that the coolant was cooking ? like leaving lime residue ow something?
3, anyone knows how much a new one would run?

This post has been edited by Predator: Apr 21, 2006 - 10:38 AM

Well, there is a couple better diagnostics you could do. Such as,When your engine is stone cold, get a coolant tester and make sure your coolant is good. Then when you think the car is over-heating, turn your heat on full blast. If it doesn't seem to be getting very hot, then take a hammer and tap the thermostat housing. Then go check agian. If that didn't get your heat going, try tapping and checking a couple more times. After that, it may be either a very stuck thermostat (replace it obviously), or your water pump is just F***ed.

Good luck, let me know.

nah the heat is going strong, but i just took it for a ride and i noticed it's got fluctuations in the temperature, so it seems it's still working but it first opens too little and when it gets hot enough it opens too much and keeps on going back and forth like that

This post has been edited by Predator: Apr 21, 2006 - 3:19 PM

so the engine is overheating and then cooling and then overheating again? it could be a head gasket issue. it sounds JUST like my dads old 3.8L taurus.

A thermostat is only 6-9 dollars. Thats always the first thing I replace when having overheating problems.

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yes, so i'll go check the oil the sparkplugs and look for white smoke and smell when i start it up, any other ideas how to check if that's the cause?

ok, i checked the exhausts and the oil, no signs of coolant, i've yet to check the sparkplugs but it seems so far so good
i guess i can remove the thermostat altogether and see if it still is doing the same

i hope it's not the head that is warped or cracked or i'll cry

he never burned coolant, oil, or had any mix. it just kept overheating. get a test kit that tests for combustion gasses dissolved in your coolant. it could be a warp leak or a hot pressure leak where it only leaks out into the coolant from a cylinder into a water jacket on the power stroke when the engine is hot. heat causes things to expand and warp.

are you sure your not just low? make sure to burp the system too....

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no it's filled to the top,

well if worst comes to worst and i have to remove the head, maybe a port and polish wouldn't be a bad idea

woohoo! i just replaced the thermostat, it was really simple, took like an hour and it's working like a charm!
while i was at it i gave her a new set of Denso platinum sparkplugs too, running a bit smoother actually, the old ones was in very bad condition

i'm so happy

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Nice. Just an hour and five maintenance parts and all those worries are history.

Yellow94Gt