98 Taurus running very hot

Last year I was experiencing problems with my 98 Taurus. After reading this forum my problem was solved. I replaced the water pump. Now on to a new problem.
My temp gauge is running very high. The car doesnt actually overheat and boil over. I normally turn on the the heat to aleviate the pressure.
I took it in and replaced the thermostat. Flushed system, checked fans. Still runs hot. The mechanic is thinking the rad needs to be changed.

Any ideas out there?

Take a look at the bottom front of your radiator. Are the fins nice and straight or are a bunch of them bent over from rocks, road salt or whatever happens to fly up and hit it. Every spring I get down on the ground and use a radiator comb or a tiny screw driver to straighten them out again. Not only does being bent not let air flow, it also will trap dirt. The first time I did this when the car was five years old and I finished it off by taking a hose to it, I couldn't believe all the dirt that was sprayed out now that it wasn't trapped any more. It is very important that you be careful in moving the fins or you might poke a hole in the radiator and have to replace it anyway.
That is my first suggestion. If it still runs hot, re-post and I or someone else can probably mention something else to try.

Run your car until the engine is good and hot and then. with the engine idling, look in the top of the coolant overflow tank. If you see a thin stream of bubbles rising through the coolant you have a leaking head gasket ... that's the most likely cause of overheating.

"I normally turn on the the heat to aleviate the pressure." Hmmm . . . Explain please. Do you mean when the gauge is high you turn on the heat and the gause goes down to normal. OR, you turn on the heat to aleviate the pressure in the reservior tank? I have a reason for asking. Sorry I didn't see this sooner but it slipped by.

Sorry for any confusion. I turn on the heater when the needle hits "H" to lower temp. Needle will drop down some. Won't go to normal but it does lower it some to take the worry off.

Sorry it took so long to get back to you, been pretty busy. Your homework assignment is to read through these threads. We have just been through the mill with overheating problems, why's, wherefores, fixes and tests and you will find several things to look for.
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=733129
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=735828
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=736576
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=718988

"My temp gauge is running very high. The car doesn't actually overheat and boil over." I wonder how hot it is actually running because if it's not boiling over then it couldn't be that much hotter than the normal operating temp which is around 190F.

"The mechanic is thinking the rad needs to be changed." If it is rusty then it can be cleaned with cleaner available at parts stores and it would have to be really stopped up bad before it had to be replaced. When you replaced the thermostat, water pump and flushed the system, was it rusty water or fairly clean & green? If it was clean then I have a problem with replacing the radiator. Read through the threads and see if anything strikes a nerve and get back with us please. Try Garys test and look for bubbles but don't take the cap off when it's hot. Take the cap off cold then idle it until it warms up and look for bubbles. Do you know if it ever ran hot enough to boil over? If so it may have blown a head gasket and you need to test the coolant for exhaust gases. It's in the threads somewhere. :wink:
EDIT: Just remembered, . . . if you can find a radiator repair shop they can use the Zoo Gun and blow out the radiator on the car. That's a funny looking gun we used years agao with water and compressed air going to it, stick it in the hose and fill it with water then pull the trigger slow then wide open andit woooshes throught the radiator or cooling system and blows everything out. You should have seen some the crud we flushed out, some of it had been there so long it looked back at us. :(