1999 Mercury Grand Marqui. 1st overheating issue was in the engine, it blew coolant all over the engine tray. That was a big fix, but a pipe leak was also found.
Got the car back, overheated. Mechanic noticed the coolant wasn’t leaking this time and noticed the fan was running odd so he replaced the fan. Got it back today, drove around for about 30 in, seemed fine but the heat gauge went high just as I was getting home.
After the first leak I did put sealant in so I’m wondering if a radiator flush is needed. He checked the pressure and I would think the thermostat? So back to the garage, 3rd time, am losing my mind.
In the daylight I’ll check the coolant levels. Today when I got the car back it was full. But this time it’s not seeming to be an actual leak.
Also as I was 2 min from home the heat gauge went to 100% but usually when that happens there is steam and the car shakes a bit. That didn’t happen and there was no steam/smoke when I shut it off.
You can only overheat an engine so many times before damage is done, possible blown head gasket or worse…
Turn your heater on full hot, with the engine at normal operating temp, if the air coming out of the vents is not hot, or very hot, you probably have an air pocket, if it is very hot, hard to hold your hand against the vent very long, then probably not an air pocket…
That was probably the original problem but overlooked on the first visit. The coolant pipe or hose was the weak link and ruptured when the engine overheated. Repairing the leak didn’t solve the main problem, how many miles did the mechanic road test the vehicle?
If an engine is allowed to get so hot that it begins to misfire, head gasket and cylinder head damage can occur. Repeated visits to the shop to refill the cooling system won’t solve that problem.
