Chronic Overheating

[randipanda]

1991
Ford Festiva
Unsure of Designation, probably Base
2 Door
5-speed


I don't know much about cars, but I do love my little Festiva and have been driving her for 8 years and probably nearly 150,000 miles. Poor thing is up at 226,000 now. However over the past year she has been running warm. It used to be manageable if I turned the heater on occasionally, and in the winter she is fine of course. I did get the radiator flushed last year and I thought that worked, but it was probably actually just that it was Fall and getting cooler. Unfortunately, lately she is running a little rougher, and definitely hotter. I notice as well that if I do turn the heater on it won't blow actual heat all of the time, alot of times it is just air. And today, it just got hotter and hotter and hotter and the heater wouldn't ever blow hot air and it just overheated and died. We tried to let it cool for awhile and drive the 3 miles home and we had to stop again before we got there. Any ideas on what this might be? I am so worried I'm going to lose my little car. I wouldn't worry so much if I thought I could find another, but the market doesn't seem to be teeming with them. Any help?

[mattswabb]

Possibly a water pump problem. The impeller could have broke off or rusted way. Or the thermostat could be stuck? There's not much else in the festiva cooling system to go bad.

With the mileage you have it wouldn't hurt to change them both.

[mechanicaldj]

during that time of ownership
how many times did you change your antifreeze?
if it wasn't til recently, most likely you have a corroded radiator and heater core
the other possibility is that you have head gasket problems

[freshtiva]

Is it blowing antifreeze out the overflow reservoir? Does antifreeze blow out the rad. if the car is cool and the rad. cap off?

[packrat427]

How about bubbles in the radiator when the engine is cold or hot ,while you have the cap off and engine running.
Has the oil ever been milky looking ,or milky inside the valve cover

[randipanda]

chronic overheatin

Bad news. Took it to the repair shop and they said that yes, indeed the thermostat will need to be replaced, but that the head gasket has cracked.....So they said they need to replace those but we also need to get a machinist to check to see if it is warped and etc. I'm very sad.

[mattswabb]

Take it to someone else for a second opinion. I hate it when a shop finds 2 things wrong. I'm always leery of that. They find the problem and they find something else profitable to do. Yes your thermostat could be bad and it could have blown your head gasket.

A thermostat is $5 and 30 minutes to change and flush the coolant. A head gasket will run you another $500. And quotes are free.

[randipanda]

chronic overheating

They are quoting me nearly 200 dollars just to change the thermostat, and I suppose to flush the coolant too....does that sound right?

[gdawgs]

RUN AWAY!! If they are charging $200 to change a thermostat, they are rippoff artists.

Just do it yourself

[mattswabb]

Re: chronic overheating

They are quoting me nearly 200 dollars just to change the thermostat, and I suppose to flush the coolant too....does that sound right?

They are $5-10 at the parts store + $.99 for the gasket and if they charge more than 1/2 hour labor they are ripping you off. Hourly shop labor will be in the $60-70/hr range.

Take it somewhere else and do not tell the next place that the previous said a head gasket. Let them diagnose it.