98 sable heat/temp issue

we recently bought a 98 sable 3.0. i actually checked the heater but it was a hot day so it was working great, (lol... not!)
so far i have changed the t-stat, heater core and radiator cap, the temp gage never goes above "c" but all the hoses seem to be hot.
it blows hot for a few seconds as mentioned in earlier posts, but then "room temp".
the blend door seems to be working, i can hear it open and close.
i have flushed the cooling system several times and everything seems to be clear and circulating fine.
friday my wife was driving it when all of a sudden it decides to pour out its coolant on the ground, (about a gallon of it) i checked it and found no leaks anywhere.
i refilled the coolant and drove it home 30 miles with no problem.
it still has no heat and the temp reading is still at "c" or less.
if im not mistaken, it has two sensors for detecting heat. one for the cluster temp gage, and one for the computer.
could changing one or both be the problem?
i hate to ask a question that has been addressed already but i have tried solutions mentioned in old posts with no luck at all.

i was hoping that perhaps someone may have had a similar problem and may have a solution.


either way,
thanks in advance.

I have a 93 Sable and while I do not have a problem with the heat blowing warm It does run cool. Or it did until the teenager ran it out of water and over heated it and cracked a head. Different story. It sounds as though it must be sucking air from somewhere else. Like maybe the vent door isnt closed on it. I mean if the hose is hot the heater core must be getting hot. If it isnt the blower then it has to be getting cooler air from somewhere. Check into that. It does have two sensors on it and that is a plausible idea you presented, but it does work at first then cools off.

Make sure you had installed the thermostat on the right position,do you have white smoke coming out of your exaust pipe?Your best bet is to let the car idle for at least 20 minutes and check for leaks or hot steam.Just be careful when doing so!

thermost is definatly correct, no smoke or steam.

i read in one of the older posts that old antifreeze can cause a chemical reaction which can erode the fins on the water pump and a guy at advanced auto mentioned that the water pump from the 3.8 will fit the 3.0 but wont work properly.
i guess removing the pump is my next step when the rain stops...

BTW, i took it to moore ford lincoln mercury, my local dealor (williamson, wv).
their professional $80 oppinion... WE DONT KNOW!!!
they "litterally" repeated what i told them and charged 80 bucks to give my car back.
no refund either...

i plan to contact ford motors on that one.

If you change the water pump i don't think it will do any good with your problem.If the pump wasn't circulating the coolant it would had overheated long time ago.Try this test let the car idle for 20 minutes or until you hear the radiator fan on,touch and press the upper radiator hose,try to feel for pressure and heat.If you don't feel anything your radiator could be faulty.

got the little devil, the fins on the water pump were totaly gone. it looked like a small rusty saw blade, i honestly have no idea why it didnt overheat more than just the one time.
you would think ford or mercury in this case would do something about that coolant building a elec charge thing, from what i have read on the internet the taurus/sable seem to be very bad for it. they have to know about it...
seems like a simple ground, additive to the coolant or using some other material for the pump would cure it.

the interesting part is that several reputable shops (including ford factory authorized service) had no idea, it took the internet and people just like ourselves (shade tree mechanics) to figure it out :screwy:

ps... YES, i filed a better business complaint on moore ford, they said they will be contacting them this week.

my sincere thanks to all...