96 Overheating Problem

[RickwithaTbird]

The car has had a replaced water pump, replaced thermostat, temp sending unit, the fan does blow as it is hard wired to the ignition. The car creates a vacuum, as well as build pressure in the resevoir, to where water spews out of the top. Timing belt has been replaced, all pulleys on the H2O pump have been replaced. It goes from M to L, then drops from the L back towards normal again, and then shoot straight up to the red. This is the regular routine that it does. Once it hits red, the car must be turned off, it will not cool back down. On the highway the car will still overheat. I have heard that there are many many contours with overheating problems, does anybody have any experience with this same situation? I know there is a recall on the transmission, does anybody know of any cooling system recalls? Thank you in advance... Rick

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I had a 95 contour with the 2.0 Zetec motor. I had a similar overheating problem that caused wierd gauge readings, no heat, and high pressure inthe recovery/fill tank to cause the coolant to completely fill it when hot. It caused the head gasket to blow. Anyway, it turns out the heater core was plugged with stop leak I had put in it about a month earlier. The heater core is part of the bypass circulation of the cooling system until the thermostat opens. If the heater core is plugged, you will get all kinds of wierd cooling system problems inlcluding all you have described. All I did to fix it was to extend the coolant hoses out from the heater core at two convienient locations near the motor and hold a garden hose on one end and allow the other to go in a bucket. Then rverse the garden hose to the other hose. It should require very little effort to hold the garden hose to the heater core hose, if not, the core is plugged and the water pressure should flush it out. Once it is flushed, the water will run freely both directions through the heater core. Hope this helps.