2000 taurus wagon(vulcan) disappearing coolant

[raybuick]

Hi all, I had this problem awhile back when my heat would not work too good when idling.Level was good but went low. Anyways coolant bottle looked rusty so I flushed system which blew a leak in that octopus of heater hose lines. Replaced that, filled up system and coolant level seemed fine but a few weeks later it was empty again. The temperature gauge never goes past the middle. I was always hearing a thunk and then the heater fan kicking on too much even in the colder weather. There are no visible signs of leakage, no coolant in oil, no wet floor, or visible white exhaust smoke. Heater has been working xcellent since flush but.....where is coolant going. I will take a closer look for leaks but does anybody have any other idea or similiar xperiences. thanx

[shorod]

Maybe you need to find a friend with a cooling system pressure tester or a parts store that will loan you one and pressurize your system to the rated pressure (usually printed on the cooling system pressure cap). If you feel like spending $80 and buying yourself a holiday present early, you can pick up a tester from Sears as well. If there's a leak, the pressure tester will likely indicate such by not holding pressure. You could also go the UV leak detection route and look for a glowing stream of dye.

There's always the chance that you don't actually have a leak, just a large air pocket from when you flushed the system and as the air pocket purges from the system, the coolant from the recovery tank is taking the space of the air.

-Rod

[raybuick]

Thanks again Rod for your input, I tend to brush off the purge theory because it was happening before the flush. I'm gonna top up and try and look around the water pump area and hoses when revving up the engine as I see nothing at idle. Hopefully it is external so I don't have a slow head leak or something like that. Its puzzling as there is no drips at all on pavement. I was hoping there might have been a small leak in the heater hose lines causing this but I replaced that. I'VE ALSO READ LOTS OF POSTS ABOUT IMPELLLER BLADES RUSTED OFF but that would affect circulation and overheating and no heat. Thanks again and will post result raydayyyy

[shorod]

It could be leaking onto a hot part like the exhaust manifold and evaporating rather than dripping. I'd expect a sensitive nose would smell that, similar to being able to smell it if it were a leaking heater core. A leaking heater core would usually leave a film on the windshield too.

You could pull the spark plugs and look for evidence of a plug or two burning the coolant. A pressure tester could answer a lot of your questions quickly too....

-Rod

[raybuick]

I believe i've found the culprit. I seen a little steam coming from the overflow coolant tank and it would slowly drip down onto the rail or frame but never make it to the ground. There seems to be a slight split underneath tank which will not let it hold too much pressure. This seems to be a common problem as various online parts sites claim to sell redesigned tanks that eliminates the design flaw from Ford. ...powered by you. yeah right. Get it right when you design plastic crap , longterm! Will definately not buy one from the dealer. Have applied a resin repair, for now. Thanks for the ideas . raydayyy

[Colt Hero]

I had the same problem with my '97 wagon. I bought the replacement from the dealer because I couldn't find one elsewhere. Much to my surprise, it only cost me less than $30 and it's been in there for about 5 years now without incident. My Dad's '97 subsequently had the same problem in another state. When I called the dealer there, he gave me a price of around $40, but when I told him I had just bought one for $20-something bucks, he agreed to match that price.

[raybuick]

Wow, i probably could't get one from the salvage yard for that price. I was quoted $150 Cdn from the dealer. You are refering to a pressurized one not the old style reservoirs that had no pressure and the cap was on the radiator and there was never any problems with them. Also, dumbfounded why this part is cheaper on the 24 valve engine.

[Doug Tatham]

This is a bit of a deviation from the other posts. Whenever I had coolant loss, but couldn't see any leaking, it was the water pump. The seals go out before the bearing and once enough grease is washed out, the bearing starts squealing. Next it will rapidly wear and destroy the seal. After this the water gushes out and there is no mistaking the source. I've learned to check the seep holes on the water pump when I start noticing lost coolant. It saves a towing fee or having to have someone else do the work.

[Colt Hero]

raybuick:

Yes, it's the pressurized plastic tank with the pressurized cap. I was surprised at the low price, too! I thought for sure they'd whack me for at least $60. And I was even more shocked that the dealer up in New England matched the price back home because I'm sure the two areas have vastly different cost scales.

When my tank cracked it split along the underside (hairline). I tried patching it first with one of those 'miracle' mud mixes (JB Weld??), but that failed so I had to buy the new tank. Had I known the price was going to be that reasonable, I never would've bothered trying to fix the original tank.

[DonWontheLibra]

Sounds like the water pump isn't working fully and that will cause small amounts of coolant to leak out of the seeping valve found on the under side of the water pump

[raybuick]

Okay, Made it thru the winter and spring, but now seems similiar problem is arrising. I had the AC cranked one hot day and upon arriving at my destination, I heard some gurgling and popped the hood and seen coolant bottle filling up to full. Temperture gauge is always normal but still hear fans going on way too often. I'm thinking waterpump blades have deteriorated, but Is it possible for car not to overheat with this problem YET...... and provide heating and AC fairly well. Seems like the time to do it, but looks like you have to remove a lot of stuff out of the way to get the pump out.

[Colt Hero]

Raybuick,

I had the same problem on my '97 GL wagon with my fan coming on at stoplights (but never any indication that there was a temperature problem - needle was ALWAYS at mid-scale). Replaced the pump and it's much better now. Improved my heat too (although not as much as i thought it would - probably due to that stupid H-hose heater bypass kludge Ford installed to save them problems with clogged heater cores). The vanes on my pump LOOKED intact, however, upon closer inspection every one had rusted-though slit-like holes the length of each vane (which probably reduced flow somewhat).

Pump removal isn't TOO hard, but it's harder than it should be. My '02 Impala was a breeze, with the pump high up above everything (30-40 minute job). With the Taurus, I think I ended up removing the pulley(s) above because I just didn't have the clearance I wanted (needed?) to get all the bolts (and studs) out around the pump (something like 12 or 13). Maybe a pro can get it out with only removing the serpentine belt...