thermostats

What do you mean both overheating?

Have your radiator or cooling fan checked.

mike opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

Heat in the cabin only means you have some coolant and that the Thermostat isnt stuck open.. the heater takeoff is on the engine side of the thermostat.

I'm not a REAL cold weather denizen, but there's a good possibility that one or both are stuck shut if the cars both overheated in subzero weather and heater off

usual, still well within normal range

snipped-for-privacy@aol.com (mike) wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@posting.google.com:

What do you mean "overheating?" Overheating is water temps in excess of 230 (i.e. hot light is on.)

No, it isn't true. The coolant can get through the heater core at all times, but the radiator is thermostatically controlled.

Check here:

I've had a thermostat actually come apart inside the housing. I'm sure it was trying to work, but the crimp had failed and there was nothing for the active part to push itself against, causing the plate to stay closed 100% of the time. I had plenty of heat, and the water was boiling inside the block. You could hear and feel the big bubbles doing their thing. Thermostat was replaced after making sure all of the old unit was accounted for. Thankfully, no damage was done.

Engine still produces heat while running, thermostat still tries to function. Could be either.

What are the ambient temps up there in AK?

Well

the 98 ford escort had a hose disconnected-fixed now

the 86 ford escort- fan doesn't go on.

Looks like the thermostats are fine!