overflowing coolant

i have a 1998 tarus wagon 3 litre vulcan its overflowing coolant but is not overheating on the gauge. changed the pressure cap and had it pressure tested it check out ok but still doing it perodically

Didn't give us much to go on and it would help to know exactly how often it does it, exactly when it overheats and under what conditions. Sitting idling in traffic, driving 80 MPH on the Interstate, engine at operating temp for some time or soon after you start it up?

Check the coolant EVERY morning and make sure it is full because a little leak and the coolant evaporates as soon as it comes out and you'll never know you have a leak unless you check the coolant level EVERY morning. If it is a leak, Bars Leak could be the simple fix. Anyway, I'll take a few long shots for ya'.

The thermostat is eight years old and could be sticking intermittently. Think how many times that puppy has opened and closed and, like all things mechanical, they 'DO' wear out. You want the piston type, not the butterfly.

Overheating is the number one cause of blown headgaskets, so I'd have that checked. Several ways to check that and some shops have a kit and can analyze the coolant and detect combustion chamber gases in it. Could be you have a small leak and gas bubble builds up in the engine block cooling system and you get a 'hot spot' where there's no coolant. That spot gets 'real' hot and when the coolant does reach it there's a sudden surge of steam so it overflows the coolant.

Is the radiator clean on the outside and the cooling fins air flow not blocked? How about the coolant, is it clean and 50% anti freeze 50% water. Could be over eight years some sort of blockage has built up and might be worth a shot to get the cooling system *pressure* flushed. Most radiator shops could do that for you, just make sure it's a *pressure* flush so it will blow any crud out and not the normal drain and flush where they don't use pressure. When you overheat engine oil it loses some of it's lubricating properties so best get the oil and filter changed pronto.

'Bout all I can think of at the moment, so give us some more info to go on and we'll all pitch in and see what we can come up with. Meantime, change the thermostat and get it check for a blown headgasket.

"its overflowing coolant but is not overheating on the gauge." What did the technician that pressure tested it have to say? Have you asked your Ford dealer service dept what they think, and how about asking a good indepent shop for their opinion. If it isn't overfilled with coolant then I know nothing to cause it to overflow but overheating. The temp gauge has a temp sensor in the engine coolant and maybe it's showing you an erroneous gauge reading, but if it's overflowing I'd bet my combat boots and mess kit it's overheating.

A word to the wise: Be very careful about driving it overheating because a simple, inexpensive repair could turn into an expensive blown headgasket repair. :frown: There's a way to determine which head and which cylinder is leaking, so we can help you isolate that. Parts stores carry head gasket repair kit in a bottle, sometimes it works, sometimes not. (I call it acken-puckey snake oil.) :screwy: Before we go there, please get it checked and report back. Thank you and have a superb week end.

i have a 1998 tarus wagon 3 litre vulcan its overflowing coolant but is not overheating on the gauge. changed the pressure cap and had it pressure tested it check out ok but still doing it perodically

it only does it after driving it for awhile and not all the time is it maybe a crack overflow tank and i am taking it in on tuesday. the gauge never goes past half way.they said the pressure test turned out ok

". . .overflowing coolant but is not overheating on the gauge." Is there any indication of steam or can you physically feel the engine is way to hot or hear it sizzling and cracking and popping because if so your temp gauge is malfunctioning.

We have an 03 Vulcan and when its hot outside the temp gauge is about half way on the solid line, never saw it go higher and we live in SC where it was 90F yesterday.

I'm kind'a confused here 'cause when the man pressure tested it a crack in the reservior should have revealed itself. ? ? If you're convinced the tank is leaking and you can't find the leak, remove the tank and take it to a shop that fixes radiators and they can probably pressure test it for you. Or, take it by the Ford place and ask a technician to look at it and he can probably spot a leak in a skinny minute.

AGAIN: Very simple test, EVERY morning when the engine is cold, check the coolant level in the reservior and see if the level goes down and if it does then we're looking for a leak. If it's just a crack in the reservior, . . . give thanks it's not a blown headgasket. Reservior tanks $30.00 so no financial disaster. http://www.1aauto.com/1A/RadiatorOverflowBottles/Ford/

Thanks for your help it did turn out to be that plastic tank:smile:

"Thanks for your help it did turn out to be that plastic tank:smile:"
Good deal Brick, sure glad that's *all* it was. Those boogers can develop the tiniest leak and what with the coolant under 16 lbs of pressure, it doesn't take long to drop into the low coolant danger zone. Be sure and keep an eye on the rubber gasket in the cap because it gets a groove in it and hardens from age and heat and won't hold 16 lbs of pressure. They're pretty cheap and general rule of thumb I replace ours every four years. :wink:

You didn't say how many miles on it, but don't forget to flush the tranny every 60K miles and replace the fluid 'cause it's a WHOLE LOT less expensive than a tranny rebuild. Flush is like $150. and a rebuild $1,500.00 pepperonis, and, er, . .ah, . . . dat ain't rocket science dere. :naughty: