Replaced water pump and thermostat at 120k miles Appox cost $600 USD.
Replaced Intake Manifold actuator? at 130k
Appox cost $500 USD.
Car still has continuous overheating problems when the temps exceed 90f 32c.
Lights/display on radio - HVAC system blink off and on above 70f.
Overall, still not a bad car just hates warm weather.
I'm not complaining too much as I bought it used with high mileage. The engine has tons of power to lug the large body around.
Handling.. it's a FWD wagon, not nimble, but predictable and easy to control.
Overall comfortable, nice for large items, but has it's little issues.
I had a similar overheating problem which was difficult to diagnose. Turned out to be very simple to fix; there was debris on the front of the rad such as leaves and bugs which needed to be cleaned off.
Yes, using pressurized air to blow the chaff, bugs, and road dirt out of the radiator's cooling fins and from the AC condenser can be really effective. Also, have you run a bottle of Prestone Superflush through the cooling system and had the system flushed out? Did your overheating issue start after you replaced the water pump and thermostat? It's possible that the thermostat was the wrong temperature, or that perhaps some Permatex got loose and clogged something. Also, these late 1990s Fords seem to have an issue with the cooling system with things getting clogged up, and it can take 3 or 4 pressure flushes to get it cleaned out.
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