99 Ford Taurus - Overheating

[Willyum]

Use distilled water.

[Silver Bullet]

My 99 tauras did the same thing. it had around 110,000 on it. My regular machanic said that it is very common. Mine was overheating due to road dirt and crud that had gotten stuck in the radiator. Their is not much room under there and after all the miles I put on, it had become really dirty and the car was overheating. My machanic fixed it by taking it to the quarter car wash and blasting it with water. He said he had to pull something off in order to get a good shot at it. Since being cleaned the car runs great. Hope this helps!

[danterio]

I had a problem with smelling antifreeze on occasion. I added a little water here and there, nothing to worry about. One day the car overheated when parked. A mechanic friend told me to remove the water reservoir and check for a crack on the bottom. Common to that car. It must have been small at first, then when the water ran low, it over heated and cracked big time. Tough to diagnose without actually removing the reservoir (two screws)

[NewsLynne]

Just had this solved...the timing cover gasket had to be replaced on mine. I still need to get the coolant temp sensor. My mechanic pressure checked it and pinpointed the problem.

[Ramon666]

Hello I have a similar problem,
I have a 98 Ford Taurus SE. My problem first started when a month after I have the coolant system flushed at Jiffy Lube, I noticed what smelled like anti-freeze coming out of the air conditioning vents and whenever I cutoff the engine a few minutes later after the fan stop circulating hot water force it self out of the coolant reservoir. The temperature gage shows normal temperature not overheating. After this happen I try to re start the car but it hesitate like the battery its low but after checking the battery I found that its fully charge and after 15 minutes it cranked right up. I don’t know what else to do other than take it to shop and let hem figured it out.

Thanks
Ramon

[rhandwor]

I think the heater core is leaking. Go to Auto Zone and get a loaner pressure tester. Put pressure on the system and watch the drain for the heater core.
Under the passenger side small rubber tube.

[Fordhcw]

Your cooling system needs to be flushed, so that the coolant passes freely through the radiator. A plugged up radiator may result in over heating.
Beware of over using radiator sealants, as these are only for minor leaks and they may only provide a temporary fix. Too much and the radiator or heater core may get permanently plugged.
Do you have water coming out of the tail pipes?
You need to get your car repaired before freezing weather comes, so that you don't get a cracked engine block.
Antifreeze fumes are poisonous, so you should disconnect or replace the leaking heater core.
Unfortunately, a proper repair becomes more costly the longer this problem is ignored.
You may need a new thermostat, a new heater core, a new radiator, a new water pump, new head gaskets, new coolant, or more.
Add labor and the cost escalates.
Check the radiator behind the A/C condenser coil for debris covering the cooling fins, as this is a commonly missed cause for overheating.

[wafrederick]

Do not do a cooling system flush,sends all the dirt and crap back into the cooling system.I know a lady that had it done by an oil change place and it does not heat up very good anymore.There might be air pockets in the cooling system still.Which Engine,the 3.0 vulcan or the duratec?The vulcans do have head gasket problems once in a while,by a miss only.I have heard of one shop that has seen this.

[Fordhcw]

Those instant oil change places are known to drain the transmission pan instead of the oil pan on certain foreign cars. So, they may also may not know how to properly flush a cooling system. Some cars require special coolant, which can not be mixed with that supplied by an instant oil establishment.
Also, any flush chemicals must be completely flushed out of the cooling system with water before adding antifreeze. Distilled water also is better than tap water, since it will not cause calcium deposits inside the engine.