Good car except for an overheating problem. The car has had no heat for the past 2 years. Took it to Ford dealer and spent close to $4000 and that was a total waste of money. I just pulled the water pump myself and found the impellers had disintegrated.
So, no coolant was moving through the engine whatsoever. The engine overheated last week when the temperature hit 96 degrees. Ford dealer replaced the heater core, thermostat, heater hoses, flushed the system etc. and still no heat. I installed a new water pump and the engine runs as good as new. I took pictures of the worn impellers vs the new water pump I installed. If you find yourself reading this review and want a picture of what I found, email me at
rebos15@yahoo.com BEFORE you replace the heater core, the thermostat, the heater hoses etc. It was a $75 fix and about 5 hours time to R&R the water pump.
This has been an issue free car since my wife has owned it. High miles now and it still is a good running car. It should make 300,000 with ease!
I just fixed an overheating problem on my 1996 Mercury Sable wagon. The mechanic that I took the car to first thought it was a stuck thermostat. When the car still overheated after the thermostat and the coolant had been replaced, he said it was either the radiator or the water pump. Since it is much easier on that car to replace the water pump rather than the radiator (you have to remove the front bumper, headlights etc.) he worked on the pump, and he found that the plastic(!!) blades were shattered. The replacement pump has metal blades, and so far works fine; the overheating problem is gone. Repair cost: $450 + tax.
My automatic parking light won't turn off, anyone else have this problem? I had the dome light problem too, but just took out the bulb. Very frustrating; I have to disconnect the battery when I get out of the car...
Tonya
shutterboo@hotmail.com
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