Odd Overheat Issue 1995 WS

Hey, new member here! Locks like a great forum!

Here is my issue:

today, on my way to work, my heat quite working, it started blowing out cold air. I turned it off, and as I was getting on the interstate, I notice my temp gauge rising, and as soon as it hit the "H", I turned the motor off, coasted to the shoulder. I opened the hood expecting to see a busted hose or something, but there was not one, nor did I smell antifreeze. I got back in started it back up, and the gauge went back to just below normal, and the heater was working. So I continued on my way to work. And again, the neat went out, and the temp gauge was rising to high normal, and going up and down from just below where it normally reads to the high part of the normal range. I made it to work though.

On my lunch I went to eat, and after a little bit, the heater goes out again, and the temp gauge was going up and down again. On the way back from lunch I did not run the heat, and the temp gauge read as it normally does!

Can a failing heater coil cause something like this. I have never had a heater coil fail on me before, but I have owned an escort that the heat did not work when I bought it, and I never fixed it, I sold it that way, so I never had to do anything to do with replacing or having one go out on me.

TIA

Chris

sounds like a bad water pump. check your belt with the heat on see if its slipping

Sorry to ask the obvious, but, is your coolant level normal? While it is cool, check the recovery tank and the radiator level. I just worked with a friend's van where the recovery tank was full and the radiator nearly dry due to a failed radiator cap.

I am wondering if your situation is tracking the thermostat operation. If you are not driving too far, and you are in a winter climate, I wonder if your coolant is low but the thermostat is closed and you get good heat flow. Then, the thermo. opens, and now the system is well short of coolant overall causing the loss of the heat flow, and the hot engine.

Just speculating.

Another thing to check is the coolant level.
If it is fine.....WITH THE ENGINE COOL....remove the radiator cap and verify that the coolant in the radiator is up to the cap.
Low coolant is a very likely cause of the problem you are having.

If the coolant level is dropping, then you will want to find out where the coolant is going.

A search in this forum will show you that the front cover aka "timing cover" is a common source of coolant leak.....into and / or outside the engine.

Lower intake manifold gaskets can also leak.....even leaking coolant into the cylinders.......

The '95 3.8L, unfortunately is known for head gasket leaks as well.

I would suspect the thermostat......except that you mention that your heat goes out as the temperature increases......which makes me suspect that it is not the thermostat.
Reason..... The coolant that is flowing through the heater core.....is bypassing the thermostat.....so a hotter engine should result in hotter heat.
Which brings me back to thinking air in the system.......or as mentioned, something with the water pump.

thanks guys for you responces. i check the coolant level last night, and it was low, i added anitfreeze, and all is good now. i will also get me some leak stop to try to control the leak.

i do have one question though. does the water go through the heater coil all the time, or only when the heat is on. wiswind mentionted something about the water bypassing the heater coil.

i figured out on my way home, that if i did not run the heat, the temp was normal, and if the water does not go through the heater coil with the heat off, then all this makes sence that it was the water level.

thanks for all your responces!

Spoogy

I would use Bar's stop leak....it worked for me in sealing up the front cover leak.....but I caught that when it was just a slight seapage.
The Bar's product in the silver bottle was easier to use than the original pelleted....but both work.

The coolant flows through the heater core all the time when the engine is running.
The coolant flowing through the heater core is bypassing the thermostat.....and stays in the engine loop.
The water pump circulates the coolant through the engine and heater core when ever the engine is running.
The thermostat only controls coolant flow through the radiator......permitting flow through the radiator when the engine is up to a specific temperature......

thank you wiswind. that anwsered what i was looking for. here is an update. sat morning i check thed water level, and it was LOW very low, so i added antifreeze, and i ran it for a while, let it work up and it never over heated. a buddy in my neighborhood took it to take off trash and a few other things, and not once did it over heat. sunday i check it again, since it had been ran, and it was still low. i went and got some of the sealant stuff, the pebble kind. and i ran it for a little while, not driving, just reveing up the motor, ran heat, and it never went above normal.

i thought for sure i has figured out it was a leak, and that i hoped the sealant would help seal it. well, on my way to work this morning (monday) i was of course running the heat, and i noticed the temp gauge rising again. i turned off the motor and the heater, coasted as far as i could, restarted motor, and i di dnot turn the heat back on, and it did not go above normal again.

i decided to take to to the ford dealership. they told me that i have oil mixed in with my coolant, told me that the head gasket was leaking, but it did not apear to have blown, yet. they want 1750 to repair. i told them i couild not do that right now.

my question is, how well does the head gasket leak sealants work? do you think that will help out, for a temop solution at least?

tia, again!

Have you identified the leak? Using stop leak products can clog the heater core. If possible, it is better to fix the leak.

i have already put the lak stop in it, i am asking about the head gasket sealant, you normally put that is with the oil, correct?

thanks

Chris

Head gasket sealer is also put into the coolant....but give the instructions a very good read......the ones that I have seen tell you to drain all the coolant out.....add water and the sealant......run.....drain....wait a long time....and then refill.
I don't know how well head gasket seal products work.

I would tend to lean toward a repair if the stop leak does not work.
Again, stop leak is great for small seapage type leaks.....big leaks tend to come back.

If you have the head gasket replaced.....make SURE that they replace the lower intake manifold gaskets with new ones.
That is part of the head gasket job as per FORD.....as FORD states that the lower intake manifold gaskets are NOT re-usable.

Hopefully the shop did not notice the dark Bar's stop leak product....and think that it was oil

I have advised Bar's brand, as they are not known for clogging the heater core.
Also, as the coolant flows through the heater core all the time.....you don't have a big still place there for the stop leak to settle out.

here is an update. 3 days ago i took the van to ford dealership. i check the water today, and it was not full to the cap, so i added some, but it was VERY little i had to add and it was topped off again. i am guessing the sealant i put in is working somewhat now. but i have another question.

when i took the cap off the radiator, i smelled the radiator, and it does have a strong oil odor, so i pulled out eh dip stick for hte oil, and the oil level is fine, and i was expecting to be able to smell antifreeze on the dip stick, but i did not smell it. my question is, if the head is leaking and there is oil in the radiator, but no antifreeze in the oil, why am i losing atnifreeze and not oil.

makes no sence to me!:confused:

i do have a guy that is going to check it out for me and try to pinpoint the leak and if the head does need to be replaced, it will cost me about $600, much better that the $1750 for ford to do it:iceslolan

TIA

Chris

You may have internal leak. The engine burn the coolant.

The way to know if there is coolant in the oil is to take an oil sample and send it in for testing.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
This site will give you all the information you need.....
I have used them to monitor coolant issues in my engine oil.
Mine was very slight....caused by the lower intake manifold gaskets....which can (and did) leak coolant into the oil and into the intake.....into the cylinders....

Head gaskets rarely fail on POST 1995 windstars.
The coolant will cause serious damage long before you can see in in the oil.

I find it really hard to tell much by smelling my fluids.....I have alergies which have my nose messed up most of the time....and most all of the fluids smell pretty nasty....even new...right out of the bottle.

hey, again, thanks for the replies. i would like to get opions from any of you. today i found a 1998 windstar lx for sell, transmission just rebiutl with 6 month 6000 warrenty on it still. the motor has 178,000 miles on it though. theey are asking $3500 for it.

i can get mine fixed for about $600. but i am concerned that after another 70,000 miles of having this problem again, if this motor also has the flaw!

if this was you, what would you considering doing.

just to let you know, my current windstar is a gl, this one i found has all the options but the digital dash. leather interior, the works! but that is alot of miles. kbb says it is worth about $4140. kbb also says that the average miles that should be on a van this ago should be 83,000. so there is ALOT of mile s on it!

tia for you suggestions!