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97 taurus running hot

I bought this 97 Taurus in good shape with a blown head gasket. put another 3.0L Vulcan in it. It starts and runs fine, BUT it runs over 3/4 the way + to the end line on the heat gauge. I flushed the transplant motor before installation. Put a new water pump on it. New thermostat with giggle valve.

Now, what i did not do was change the radiator. After car is warm, top radiator hose is almost too hot to touch. The lower hose is way cooler. seems almost too cool. Is this a sign the radiator is probably plugged up?

I can get it cored for $50, or replaced for about $150. My labor, and it guess its a bitch to remove from the bottom.

any tips are ideas on this? does the AC coil have to come out to get the radiator out? How far in the air does the car need to be to get the radiator out the bottom? Can i do this with jack stands?

Also, any tips or tools to break loose the third O2 sensor that faces up under the car? i cannot seem to get any leverage on it to break it loose.

bob

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Reply to
bob urz
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check you heater core first!

Steve R.

Reply to
Steve R.

Except the heater core will not cause overheating. I would, however, verify the temp guage is reasonably accurate. If it runs 3/4 up all the time there is not necessarily anything wrong. If it keeps climbing, you have a problem.

Does the heater make heat? If not you COULD have an air bubble. Some engines are really picky that way - don't know about the 3.8 Taurus

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Reply to
clare at snyder dot ontario dot canada

"Kenneth Zinger" wrote

You're a moron.

Reply to
MasterBlaster

you might try draining the radiator and running the motor with no coolant for about 30 minutes. This should unplug the radiator and allow you to flush, then refill it with fresh Prestone. The temperature should run normal after this procedure.

Reply to
Kenneth Zinger

When does the radiator cooling fan run (at half gauge, 3/4, ?) If the fan runs and assuming the coolant is full without any trapped air pockets, then I'd flush the radiator or re-place it. Good luck!

Bob

PS Maybe you found the cause for the blown head gasket?

Reply to
Bob Shuman

Somewhere in the timeframe of that model year Ford added a heater core bypass. Make sure your car has it.

Reply to
Steve Austin

firstly, DON'T!!!! RUN IT WITHOUT COOLANT! Did you change the coolant temp. sending unit or use the one that came in the transplant? Is it really overheating or just showing hot. Does the cooling fan come on? Possibly a different sensor rating there too.

ch

Reply to
golden oldie

If you have a temp gun you can aim at different spots on the rad to see if it is partially clogged. You have bled all the air out and checked for proper fan operation, right? BTW, $50 for a core and a few hours of labor is awfully cheap insurance..... HTH, Ben

Reply to
ben91932

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