digital temp gauge and cooling system
smantas
11-25-2016, 10:01 PM
I have a 2001 grand marquis with a digital dash. After letting the car idle in 40 degree outside temps with the hood up the cooling fan kicks on after about 25 minutes ...meanwhile the digital temp gauge never gets off the 3 bar mark...when the fan kicks on it knocks it back down to 2 bars and continues this cycle...is this normal?..
also the antifreeze is a brownish color, no oil in it, no white smoke and the oil looks clean...
I just bought this car and it was maintained by the dealer since new from some old man original owner...
Every ford I have ever owned the temp gauge always stays in the middle...both analog and digital...
havent driven the car yet except for the 3 mile drive home since I bought it. is this something that needs to be driven to get it to the 4 bar mark?...obviously it's up to operating temp if the fan is kicking on and off and the upper radiator hose is hot so I know the thermostat is open...also hose is not rock hard so I have eliminated a bad head...thoughts?
also the antifreeze is a brownish color, no oil in it, no white smoke and the oil looks clean...
I just bought this car and it was maintained by the dealer since new from some old man original owner...
Every ford I have ever owned the temp gauge always stays in the middle...both analog and digital...
havent driven the car yet except for the 3 mile drive home since I bought it. is this something that needs to be driven to get it to the 4 bar mark?...obviously it's up to operating temp if the fan is kicking on and off and the upper radiator hose is hot so I know the thermostat is open...also hose is not rock hard so I have eliminated a bad head...thoughts?
MikeCStig
11-28-2016, 06:23 PM
The way you've described the way your cooling system is behaving doesn't raise any red flags, that all sounds close enough to normal that you don't have reason to worry about your water pump, thermostat, or the cooling fans right now.
The one thing you mentioned that I find a bit alarming is the fact that your coolant is brown. I've never seen that before, but my instinct tells me that the brownish color is a sign of something that could become quite sinister if you don't address it right away. I would say get that nasty brownish coolant out of there and replace it with the recommended coolant mixture. Also, being in Michigan I'll take a wild guess that winter over there gets pretty damn cold. I live in Maine, so I know a thing or two about brutal cold winters make sure you have a 50/50 mix of water and whatever antifreeze is recommended for your car.
Other than the brown coolant issue, I think you're going to be OK. Just get that nasty liquid out of your cooling system before it completely f*cks your water pump.
The one thing you mentioned that I find a bit alarming is the fact that your coolant is brown. I've never seen that before, but my instinct tells me that the brownish color is a sign of something that could become quite sinister if you don't address it right away. I would say get that nasty brownish coolant out of there and replace it with the recommended coolant mixture. Also, being in Michigan I'll take a wild guess that winter over there gets pretty damn cold. I live in Maine, so I know a thing or two about brutal cold winters make sure you have a 50/50 mix of water and whatever antifreeze is recommended for your car.
Other than the brown coolant issue, I think you're going to be OK. Just get that nasty liquid out of your cooling system before it completely f*cks your water pump.
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