[natalia13]

Need some help,

I recently bought my first car an 87 escort from an old lady who took very good care of the car. But for the past month the car has been over heating and the temperature and fuel gauges would randomly rise to the very top making me believe that this was an electrical problem until one time the radiator coolant reservoir was gurgling and the engine was noticeably over heating when I pooped the hood. I checked to see if the fuse for the fan was broken but there wasnt even a fuse there! I added a fuse thinking that this would solve the problem but it hasnt. I noticed the last time the car overheated that the fan didnt even turn on. Dont know if this helps but the car tends to only over heat in traffic.

Any help would help me out since I will be working on the car myself to an extent and with some help.

Thanks a lot!

 

[pextor]

does the fan turn on when you turn the AC on?

 

[natalia13]

i have never heard the fan turn on once. but im driving to my school today which is a 30 min drive so ill turn the AC on and see what happens with the fan.

 

[EscorGo]

Hopefully you haven't warped the head yet. The PO wasn't taking good care of the car if the fan wasn't working i.e. the fuse was removed. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt - Maybe she only drove short distances and the engine never got a chance to warm up.

You need get a meter or test lamp and trace the power circuit back to the point of failure.

 

[natalia13]

So I just got back from school and I turned the AC on but since im driving on country roads the engine didnt get a chance to warm up so I dont know if the fan would turn on if the Ac is on. Like I mentioned before I never heard the fan turn on.

“hopefully you haven’t wrapped the head yet” I dont understand? I know that the PO did take good care of the car I have the records of it and plus she did only drive short distances… I bought the car with only 63,000k on it.

 

[natalia13]

In 2008 the PO had the Fan and Timing belt changed and the Water pump.
In 2007: Cooling system flush, Transmission fluid changed.
I have the receipts of repairs, these are the major changes that she had done besides the usual vehicle inspections.

 

[FordMan59]

My guess would be that the coolant temperature sensor that controls the fan operation has gone bad. Probably just a matter of replacing the sensor to repair the problem.

 

[EscorGo]

So I just got back from school and I turned the AC on but since im driving on country roads the engine didnt get a chance to warm up so I dont know if the fan would turn on if the Ac is on. Like I mentioned before I never heard the fan turn on.

"hopefully you haven't wrapped the head yet" I dont understand? I know that the PO did take good care of the car I have the records of it and plus she did only drive short distances… I bought the car with only 63,000k on it.

I said "warped" not "wrapped". If you overheat the engine you run the risk of ruining your head and maybe your block. Fix the fan ASAP.
I think the fan should come on automatically if you turn on the A/C. If so, your fan circuit is definitely bad. Why would someone remove a fuse unless it was blowing each time.

 

[natalia13]

So lasting I checked to see if the fan turns on when the AC is on and it does. Anyways I took the car today to the mechanics and they said the problem is that the electric fan belt switch needs to be changed so I gotta wait until tomorrow it pick up the car. But that switch doesnt explain why my fuel gauge raised to the very top also… do you guys think this might be from an electrical problem? Or is it from something else? The mechanic said there going to take it for a drive once they change the switch so they dont over heat the car to see why the gauge would rise like that.
i have pictures of the gauges raising up, i just dont know how to include them into this message. ill give it a shot: :?
C:\Users\~natalia~\Desktop\DSC04676.JPG
C:\Users\~natalia~\Desktop\DSC04677.JPG