Tempreture gauge going high - ford escort

Does the radiator get hot & does the radiator switch (which is what controls the fan) work?

sounds like an air lock, but it may be caused by a failed head gasket, leaving the cap off or even just loose will allow the air out more easily.

(I have, in the past, known people drive for years with the cap loose just because of this condition)

Mrcheerful

I presume the radiator is getting hot if the care is running for some time.

Tosh

If it was a failed head gasket would I not have oil seep somewhere?

Tosh

If the car is working correctly then sure. Since it isn't, that's a rather dangerous assumption to make. Especially since you suspect it's the thermostat. If the radiator gets hot the thermostat is not causing the overheating. Otherwise, it probably is.

The fan motors tend to stick and pop the fuse. Mine did the same.

No, the leak is usually between the compression bit and the water system, so effectively the engine running blows into the water system, in extreme cases the engine may reverse fill the combustion chamber with water, then the engine runs badly at first start up until it blows the water out, again, in extreme cases the engine may not even turn over if enough water gets into one or more cylinders. Either way the first signs of head gasket failure are usually overheating and or air locks.

mrcheerful

Is the temperature sender also the switch for the fan? A temperature sender is just that - it is connected to the guage to show a temperature. For operation of the fan you will need a switch and it sounds like that has gone. No idea where it is located on that particular model. You could always try the thermostat as that would make sense if the radiator was not getting hot - it could explain why the controller for the fan isn't switching it.

It was the thermostat, thanks for all the help.

Tosh