3.8 running warm

[haymaker503]

I notice that my temp guage in over half way. the coolant fan seems to not be coming on until 3/4 of the way up the guage. when running the a/c that helps cool it down. i thought i saw somw white steam on the drivers side but could not track it down. can someone please tell me if i need a new sensor or relay and where are they located. tks

[cougarman]

It's normal for the temp gauge to be 3/4 way up. Lots of them are . As long as the guage is in the "Normal" range ,then it is normal. You could spend lot's of time changing things to fix something that's not broken.

As for the steam/ or white smoke , yes you should try to pinpoint the cause .

Have a Great Day !

[Vchat20]

although not related to your situation too much, a couple years ago we were out doing errands on the weekend, nothing special. all of a sudden while going down the road at around 40mph the thing decided to overheat. sad thing was, it was in the dead of winter. . stopped at a local gas/garage (bp or sunoco iirc) which was right around the corner. flushed and filled the radiator and all was fine afterwards. hasnt overheated since. i cant remember much beyond that like if anything was odd about the coolant, but just something to check if you are looking for all available options.

[CoachKarl]

I agree with you cougarman, however, this Windstar beast cannot be allowed to overheat (ever). The consequences are HEAD GASKET FAILURE (ALWAYS). I am diligent about oil, coolant, brake fluid. My fatal flaw was the coolant hoses. I had a spare top and bottom hose stuffed into the cavity where the jack resides. My Windstar was mortally wounded in the 10 minutes that the bypass hose from the waterpump to the thermostat failed last summer. If you're Winny has more than 80K. Replace ALL hoses that carry antifreeze. (Period)

This car will serve you for many years if you never ever let it overheat.

[cougarman]

Originally Posted by CoachKarl

I agree with you cougarman, however, this Windstar beast cannot be allowed to overheat (ever). The consequences are HEAD GASKET FAILURE (ALWAYS). I am diligent about oil, coolant, brake fluid. My fatal flaw was the coolant hoses. I had a spare top and bottom hose stuffed into the cavity where the jack resides. My Windstar was mortally wounded in the 10 minutes that the bypass hose from the waterpump to the thermostat failed last summer. If you're Winny has more than 80K. Replace ALL hoses that carry antifreeze. (Period)

This car will serve you for many years if you never ever let it overheat.

Excellent Preventative Maint. Advice Coach Karl

Cougarman

[patdunbarton]

I have changed my coolant in my 3.8 each summer because it is so inexpensive to do. The temperature guage takes a noticeable drop after a change.

As far as yours running warm, make sure you have enough coolant. I have noticed that after I change my coolant, it takes a little time to work all the air out of the system. I check it daily for about a week...then no problems. If you have air in the system, it will run warm. The air will not open or close the thermostat, only liquid.

I would also check and make sure the thermostat is not stuck. While it is a pain to change, I changed mine when I did my last coolant change. Again, preventative is cheaper than broken and then repair.