93 Taurus Coolant Leak, Temp Gauge Question

[Rog]

Hello. I've read the horror stories of the 3.8L Taurus engine.

Mine is a 93 3.8L with 81K miles. I am the second owner (bought it
with 23K on it). So far no major engine/tranny problems; oil/filter
change every 3K, tranny fluid/filter every 30K. By the posts I've been
reading it seems like I might be on borrowed time.

1. I now have a small coolant leak at the timing chain case. Right now
(according to the tech), it appears to be an external leak only. Very
small leak (add a bit of coolant every couple months). My
question...should I be concerned, given the nature of this engine?

2. Temp Gauge Question. When driving in stop/go traffic, the engine
heats up enough for the fan to run. It comes on when the temp gauge is
at about the "A" in "NORMAL" and the fan runs until the gauge is down
to between the R and the M. On the highway it typically runs between
the O and the R. Is this amount of fluctuation common? The car has
never overheated, but wanted to know if other 3.8L owners experience a
similar range. Given the problems with this engine, would a thermostat
opening at lower temperature make sense?

TIA,
Roger

[db...@sprynet.com]

i have a 93 taurus with the 3.0 engine, few years ago the water pump
went out, replaced it, then the seals on the side of the radiator were
leaking by the rubber gaskets, boughjt new rad. $115 probably got a
wholesale price as places like auto zone and pep boys wanted $165 for
one. it would run hot and make alot of noises inside the engine, hot
coolant spitting around in there????? had air in line, just kept playing
with it and finally got all the air out, runs in the N-O in NORMAL.
the fan runs fine, i got some coolant running down the timing chain
cover and then falling down on the exhaust making smoke. it also had a
radiator cap that needed replacement, it would only hold about 2 lbs of
pressure, put on new cap and it stopped some of the coolant loss that
was flowing out of the cap back into the overflow and then running out
of the overflow. Now i still have a minor leak via the timing chain
cover, been like this for 1 hear, no coolant in the oil. car looks
great, runs great, i will wait and see and it probably will outlast me.

[John Hess]

"Rog" <grind...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:7d6a7111.01080...@posting.google.com...

> Hello. I've read the horror stories of the 3.8L Taurus engine.

> 1. I now have a small coolant leak at the timing chain case. Right now
> (according to the tech), it appears to be an external leak only. Very
> small leak (add a bit of coolant every couple months). My
> question...should I be concerned, given the nature of this engine?

Is the coolant leaking "from" the timing chain case, or near it? What component is
actually leaking, an attachment to the block, a hose, what? (Don't think there is coolant
running "through" the timing chain case.)

> 2. Temp Gauge Question. When driving in stop/go traffic, the engine
> heats up enough for the fan to run. It comes on when the temp gauge is
> at about the "A" in "NORMAL" and the fan runs until the gauge is down
> to between the R and the M. On the highway it typically runs between
> the O and the R. Is this amount of fluctuation common? The car has
> never overheated, but wanted to know if other 3.8L owners experience a
> similar range. Given the problems with this engine, would a thermostat
> opening at lower temperature make sense?

This seems normal. Don't install a lower temp thermostat, the OE (original equipment) is
designed to keep your engine running at the proper temp. If you have an overheating
problem like a plugged radiator, fix that that problem. Thermostats do go bad (stuck
closed, open, in-between, etc.), so it is proper to change them every few years, or when
they fail (diagnosis can be tough).

John
--
imc...@imcool.com
Learn about automotive coolants and refrigerants at:
http://www.imcool.com/

[sl]

I was asking myself the same question. From where is the coolant leaking?

"John Hess" <imc...@imcool.com> wrote in message
news:bZac7.41590$Kd7.25...@news1.rdc1.sfba.home.com...

> "Rog" <grind...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

> Is the coolant leaking "from" the timing chain case, or near it? What

[The Weavers]

My '92 Taurus wagon (3.8) did something nearly the same... it turned out to
be the by-pass and/or heater hose where they connect above the pump. I'm a
do-it-yourselfer so my fix action was to replace every hose (and the clamps)
under the hood along with the therm. to prevent it from happening again for
a few years.

Good luck...

--

"Rog" <grind...@yahoo.com> wrote in message

news:7d6a7111.01080...@posting.google.com...