98 Ford Taurus loosing coolant & heat

[toto1234]

Suddenly problem with my 1998 Ford Taurus. Yesterday I noticed the coolant gauge went up to the H but didn't hit the red. This morning I checked the coolant resovoir, saw it empty & filled it with anti freeze. Today I was working, driving, I saw the coolant gauge looked normal but over the hour the coolant gauge went right up to the H & but didn't hit the red, but close. Tried to turn on the heat on as I've heard that might help. The heat worked the other day but today it didn't. So problem with keeping the coolant in the resovoir & the heat no longer works. Help Please. What are the possible issues I'll have to fix/replace. I'm afraid I might have to replace the radiator. What are the other possibilities? And why the loosing the coolant & heat doesn't work all at the same time.
Help PLEASE & thanks in advance.

[Ruley73]

Originally Posted by toto1234

Suddenly problem with my 1998 Ford Taurus. Yesterday I noticed the coolant gauge went up to the H but didn't hit the red. This morning I checked the coolant resovoir, saw it empty & filled it with anti freeze. Today I was working, driving, I saw the coolant gauge looked normal but over the hour the coolant gauge went right up to the H & but didn't hit the red, but close. Tried to turn on the heat on as I've heard that might help. The heat worked the other day but today it didn't. So problem with keeping the coolant in the resovoir & the heat no longer works. Help Please. What are the possible issues I'll have to fix/replace. I'm afraid I might have to replace the radiator. What are the other possibilities? And why the loosing the coolant & heat doesn't work all at the same time.
Help PLEASE & thanks in advance.

The first thing I'd check is the coolant reservoir. This is a very well known problem with the 1996+ Taurus/Sable. They crack at the bottom allowing coolant to leak out very rapidly, but you won't notice it unless you really look for it. The location of the leak is on the underside of reservoir and not easily visible. No coolant flowing through heater core = no heat.

I had to replace one on a 2002 Taurus and found that removing the right headlamp makes this a much easier process. However, this may not hold true for yours since it is the older body style. I would strongly suggest getting one from the Ford stealership rather than the Dorman replacement sold at auto parts stores since the Ford part is a revised design and seems to be much better quality.

[toto1234]

Thanks Ruley73, I'm sick to my stomach about this. Thanks for your response. And going to reread the forums today & thought I read I can
put water in the radiatorand triying to push the water to clean out the air possible in my car sysytems & try to put in coolant so I can drive 3 miles to the mechanic. Was up til' 2 am reading, here , all I could learn all I could. Thanks again. Will check on getting a new radiator cap as well. Thanks again.

[jmas]

Had a similar problem on a 97 3.0 2v engine. Water pump fins were rusted away and was not pumping any coolant. No water into heater core and of course Engine Block flow poor.....

[Colt Hero]

Funny you mention this, but my '97 GL Wagon (3.0) just spiked up on the temp gauge like yours did a couple of weeks ago for the first time ever (I bought the car new in '98 and it has almost 187,000 miles on it now). I've had coolant-related issues with this vehicle since about 2-3 years after purchase, but I've NEVER seen the gauge spike like that and it really alarmed me. Fortunately, I was fairly close to home when I noticed it and managed to make it home without having to stop. I also had the plastic tank crack on me (like Ruley73 mentioned). On the '98, replacement does not require removing the headlamp. It's just two nuts and two small hoses. You can change it in 30 minutes, easy. But if THAT'S your problem, you'll see rust-colored staining all over the inside fender and A/C pipes running underneath the plastic tank (known as the "degas bottle") in the engine compartment. My replacement tank sold for $35 at the dealer (a bargain, for a dealer item, I thought). I even replaced the same tank in my Dad's '97 a few years later for the same price (in Taxachusetts). So, for whatever reason, the dealer doesn't seem to kill you on this item.

With my car, I'm fairly certain it's now in the gasket-failure stage. The coolant is slipping into the engine and being blown out the exhaust. This might also be your problem if you don't see any obvious leaks on the ground or inside the engine compartment. But sometimes, a hose can develop a small leak and the coolant can mist out and land on something hot which vaporizes is. Take a look at that elbow hose that connects to the water pump near the degas bottle. It's part of the famous "H" hose "kludge fix" that Ford implemented to make sure that coolant would always continue to flow - even when the heater core blocked up (which they KNEW would be ALL THE TIME). This elbow developed a bulge in it's sidewall on my '97 and started leaking. Had to replace the entire "H" hose. Fortunately, I had a spare from a donor car, so I didn't have to pay the ransom at the dealer.

You had said you had no heat, so you're heater core is likely blocked (from sediment floating around inside your cooling system). To fix this, pull off the section of that "H" hose that connects into the rigid metal tube near the top of the firewall on the passenger side. There's a spring clip there (I've replaced mine with a hose clamp because they're easier to remove and I've had to remove it EVERY SEASON for the past 7 years or so to blow out the heater core to get some heat). Then, on the other side of the engine (driver's side), find the black plastic "T" hose coupling and remove the hose that heads back toward the firewall (another spring clip, but I also replaced with a hose clamp). What you will be doing is hooking up a garden hose to blast water into each of these two disconnected hoses (because the heater core is buried in the firewall). By blowing water through each hose, the stream will dislodge the sediment inside the heater core and you'll get heat again (it's just really fine rust/dirt particles that come out, but it's enough to block flow inside the core).

But how do you connect the garden hose to the disconnected hoses in the engine compartment? Well, I made a couple of "remnant" hoses (two 6' hose sections cut from discarded hoses). Each remnant still has the female factory-molded end on it (so it can still be screwed onto the hose running to the house water spigot). On the other end (the cut end), I inserted a brass hose coupling (which has a serrated-like end on it), then added a 6" length of engine-grade coolant hose onto the end of that. This allows connection to the passenger-side firewall pipe just like the existing "H" engine hose does. On the driver side, I think you just need the brass coupling on the end of the remnant garden hose (no 6" coolant hose). This is because on this side you're connecting to a rubber coolant hose, not a metal pipe, so just shove the brass coupling from the garden hose into it. Once the two hoses are connected, just alternate connecting the hose coming from the spigot into each of your "remnant" hoses (thereby forcing water through the heater core and pushing out the crud). I discharge the water into a bright yellow container so I can see the crud come out each time. I stop when the water runs clear (maybe 3 or 4 flushes each direction).

But look for signs of coolant leaks in your engine compartment. Check the black hood noise baffle too - you might see staining on it indicating a leak while you're driving. On my Chevy, the water pump is mounted high on the engine (the Ford is mounted low). With the high mount, the pump would leak down onto the serpentine belt which would then shoot the coolant against the black hood baffle - creating a straightline stain. Never seen this on my Ford, but it MIGHT be possible. a straight line embossed on it which lines up with the serpentine belt.

But I wouldn't be surprised if your engine is starting to eat coolant. A '98 is old enough to be doing this and you've probably got over 150,000 miles on it, right??? If this is the case, it's time for "open-heart surgery" to replace the gaskets. This is where I am (and have been for a couple of years now) with my Taurus. Just haven't got around to doing it yet. Eventually, if you let it go long enough, the engine could be permanently damaged if coolant is mixing with oil (and compromising lubrication)... I think mine is just slipping into the cylinders and being burned out, which is a chronic condition (I think). Just have to keep an eye on that temperature gauge (and make sure the gauge is working OK)...

[danielsatur]

Because of Age + mileage -
Flush radiator, back flush heater core, replace water pump, thermostat, and coolant.
Don't forget to power wash, and clean both the air condenser core & radiator from leaves + bugs.
Make sure cooling fans are working proper too!

[yost.josh]

try the heater core