Question: 93 ford escort running hot after water pump and t-stat change?

(Posted by: Mr LP on 2010-07-29 15:26:53)

1993 ford escort 1.9 engine with manual trans and 158k miles. i just recently replaced the head gasket, water pump, starter and thermostat with a 180degree t- stat. I also have the haynes manual, anyway I filled da radiator with 50- 50 mix and filled the reserve tank properly, checkd the nex day and the coolant lvl was still full. Aftr a 15min drive, the temp gauge needle goes to the "A " in the word "normal ". There are no leaks, the coolant lvl hasnt changed, the top radiator hose gets hot likes its suppose to, the heat and ac works, the fan works although i believe it should b coming on alittle sooner 2 remedy the problem. I replaced the fan fuse yesterday and stil hav the same problem. What else could i be missing because the engine isnt suppose to get that hot?

Posted by: cookinkvn on 2010-08-01, 13:11:36

After doing all the work that you did, it can take a while to work out all the air in the cooling system that is left after you refill it. But, in this case, I think that the temperature increase that you are experiencing is too severe to attribute to stray air bubbles in the cooling system. I would be looking at the thermostat. I have found that after I replace a thermostat, the engine runs at a slightly different temperature. Even though you installed a new thermostat, there is a chance that it is defective. You may want to consider replacing it with another one and see what happens. If the engine stays this hot while you are driving over 45 mph, it is probably not a fan issue. If the gauge rises at a seemingly normal rate and then stays at the same reading, that would lead me to suspect a thermostat issue. If it only rises when the car is stopped, then I would suspect a fan temperature sensor issue. If it only rises this high at speed, then I would suspect an issue with the head gasket that you installed. If you think this might be the case, this can easily be verified by a mechanic, using a sensor to detect exhaust emissions in the coolant.