I am sitting here watching my car spit up all of its coolant onto the ground. I know you have had this happen to you before as well and it is an aggravating time, especially if you have somewhere to be. So the question that comes to my mind is why is my Ford Taurus overheating? This is what I found through my research on the subject, so let’s look through it and see if we can solve this problem.
The 3 most common things that could cause your Ford Taurus to overheat are a coolant leak, a failed thermostat, or a malfunctioning water pump. There are always other options that could cause your vehicle to overheat but
these are the most common.
A vehicle overheats because the engine core temperature is rising above the operating temperature.
In the situation that this happens your engine will start overheating and go into a safety mode. When it is in the safety mode your engine will start to shut down to try to protect the engine from damaging itself.
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This can happen from the coolant to water ratio being off, The water pump is no longer working correctly, the thermostat could be stop closed, or one of your coolant hoses has a leak and is leaking all of your coolant out of your system before it can assist in cooling your engine down.
I picked up a Ford Taurus that is leaking coolant out of the freeze plugs because the engine was filled with water. So when the water expanded it dislodged all of the freeze plugs out of the engine. This doesn’t always happen so do not let me scare you with what your problem could be.
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What would cause my Ford Taurus to overheat?
To find the problem it takes a little troubleshooting. First, check your coolant reservoir so you can check to see if there is any coolant in the system. If there is then that is good it means we do not have a leak in our system.
If there is no coolant in the coolant reservoir that means that we do have a leak and we need to find out where that leak is located.
A great way there I use to track a leak is to fill up a bottle of water and pour it in your coolant reservoir.
It will start to leak out wherever this leak is located. That is why I use water instead of coolant because it is going to leak out and I’d rather not waste something that cost money.
One to find out where the leak is coming from then you can replace that part that is causing the leak to happen. Now if there was still coolant in the coolant reservoir then you need to see why your engine is still overheating.
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A great step to go to next is to start your vehicle and let the car warm up to its operating temperature. Once the car gets to operating temperature which if you are looking at your engine temperature sensor gauge.
Once it gets to the middle of the gauge with the needle you are close to the normal operating temperature that the thermostat is going to open up.
In the case that the temperature continues to rise, you need to go to the engine and feel your coolant hoses.
If the upper radiator hose is warm, but none of the other hoses are hot to the touch, then your thermostat is seized shut and needs to be replaced.
If all of that is good, but your vehicle is still overheating, then you need to look towards the water pump. The water pump creates a flow in your engine circulating the coolant/antifreeze through the engine and back to the radiator so it can cool back down.
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In the case that your water pump has failed, there are a few things that will indicate that the water pump has gone bad. One of those things is a coolant leak in the center of the engine.
The leak should be located at the front of your engine, but all vehicles are different. A great way to tell where your water pump is located is to follow the upper radiator hose to the engine.
Where the upper radiator hose meets, the engine will be where the thermostat is located. But the pulley closest to that hose that is connected to a bracket with a pulley on it.
This is where your water pump is located. If you see any leaks around that pully as in a mineral build-up, or an active coolant leak then the water pump is bad and needs to be replaced.
The water pump can also make a whine if the impeller blade inside is loose. If you do not feel comfortable troubleshooting and repairing your vehicle, I suggest you contact your mechanic so your car can be fixed.
An overheating engine can be a high-cost repair bill if not caught in time and repaired.
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When would my Ford Taurus overheat?
Your vehicle’s engine overheats when the engine lacks coolant in the cooling system. One of the parts of the cooling system must have failed. That is what is causing the engine to overheat.
When your vehicle’s core temperature rises past the normal operating temperature, your car will start to overheat. You will begin to notice your vehicle is making hissing sounds, and steam is coming from your engine.
When this happens, you need to pull over immediately and open your hood. 
Whatever you do DO NOT OPEN THE RADIATOR CAP! Doing this is very dangerous, and you can be harmed by doing this.
Your cooling system has a small bit of pressure in it, but when you open the radiator cap, this pressure can spray hot steam and boiling coolant all over you. So please do not do that and save yourself the pain.
You need to let your vehicle cool down, but if you need to add coolant to your system do so by adding it through your coolant reservoir.
This part of the cooling system is not pressurized in most vehicles so you will be safe opening that lid. If there is any pressure on an engine part, it will be noted by a decal stating that pressure exists by the manufacturer.
Where would my Ford Taurus overheat?
Your Ford Taurus can overheat anywhere it decides to. It all depends on the workload that you are putting your car under at that time. A great example would be if you are going up-and-down hills and mountains.
That is why in most mountain ranges you will see a sign on the incline refraining the use of air conditioning units. It is because this puts your engine under a higher workload and can cause your vehicle to overheat faster.
Is overheating bad for my Ford Taurus?
Overheating happens to all of us, but multiple occurrences of overheating with your vehicle are terrible. An engine that is overheating can cause a crack to your block and damage to the engine’s internal parts. You need to refrain from all causes of letting your vehicle overheat.
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Overheating your engine can be prevented by having a maintenance interval schedule set up for your vehicle. Just like any repairs that are needed to a car if they are found early enough, the repair can be low in cost. But in the case that you let a repair go unreported, then the repair bill can be substantial.
A great example would be to replace a thermostat instead of a more expensive repair that will cost you more for the repair. If you do not make this repair early enough, you can go to a bigger problem like a water pump failing. To replace a water pump, it will cost you $650 to $750 at an automotive repair shop.
That is a substantial jump and one that could have been prevented if the repair was made early on. So make sure you keep your vehicle on a set maintenance schedule so you can save yourself money in repairs.
How do I prevent overheating my Ford Taurus in the future?
How do you prevent Overheating in your Ford Taurus in the future? The answer is simple, by adding the maintenance interval schedule that I will consistently speak about in all of my blog posts.
I believe wholeheartedly if you set a maintenance interval schedule in motion for your vehicle. You will be able to catch 99% of the big problems when they are small problems.
With the maintenance interval schedule in motion, this does not stop at just preventing overheating problems. But this can help in preventing a catastrophic engine failure altogether in your vehicle and making sure that you have a reliable vehicle for days, weeks, and years to come.
Keeping records of your vehicle’s health per se will decrease the money spent on repairs. By doing this, you will have more money for other things in your life.
Keep a close eye on your coolant reservoir level when you are checking your oil and windshield washer fluid. By making it second nature to check your fluids when you are fueling up your vehicle. You will put a strong ritual into motion, and your car will thank you for it!
I hope this article helped you in finding out why your Ford Taurus is overheating. I hope you check out my next article!
