Coolant won't circulate - 1999 Ford Explorer

how u know coolant not circulation....if not circulate then change water body i mean water pump...

It does not circulate until the engine is warm. At that point the thermostat(cooling valve) opens allowing the coolant , from the radiator ,to circulate into the engine. Before that point only the coolant already in the engine circulates, inside the engine alone. .

Yes it would overheat without circulation, but the coolant doesn't circulate through the overflow tank. That reservoir only gets coolant into it when the coolant gets hot and expands and pushes the radiator cap seal up to let coolant into the reservoir. When the vehicle cools down, the coolant contracts and the lower level in the radiator will siphon the coolant out of the reservoir back into the radiator. Coolant circulation is from the engine to the radiator and back into the engine...and also through the heater core.
You may have an air block in the heater core. Check by taking off the outlet hose at the firewall or at the engine and see if you have a slow steady stream of coolant, with the engine running and heater controls on high heat. If it was an air block, a steady stream should quickly start. If you get little or no flow, the core may be plugged and need flushing backward or replaced.

If coolant is not circulating there is either a blockage in the line somewhere or most likely you will have to replace the thermostat.

If you just drained it & are refilling,then yes,the engine
should run & warm up until the thermostat opens & you
keep adding.

If it isn't hot & circulating thru the entire system, you won't
get it close to full with the rad cap off

I would by checking coolant level. If your too low u won't have enough to circulate. after that u r looking at a thermostat or water pump.i would pull the thermostat and then put it back together and run it. now remember without it the coolant should circulate all the time so u will want to replace it so your fluid will reach the optimum temperature, but if u get a little heat with it out u know that was the problem. if thats not it u will want to run vehicle with radiator cap off . u will be able to see if fluid is moving. make sure u have thermostat out or u really dont know which one it is

Hello jmuse3...If the coolant reservior is damaged or cracked causing the leak it will need to be replaced. If it is from the overflow due to the overheating, it won't need to be. There are several componets that make up the cooling system on your Lincoln, they all need to work together to keep your engine from overheating. Thermostat sticking, or not fully opening. Radiator clogged, preventing circulation of the coolant. Electric cooling fans not working. Defective water pump.
These are things that need to be checked. If you need more assistance, reply back.
I hope this helps.

There are a couple of things you can check.

1. Check to see if your cooling fans are coming on when the car is starting to overheat. If the fans do not come on, first check to see if the fuse is bad. If the fuse is bad, replace it. If the fuse is good, your coolant temperature sensor is bad and you should replace that. The coolant temperature sensor threads into the back of the radiator and is very easy to replace.
2. If your fans are working fine, you should have your water pump checked. If your water pump has seized, it won't be circulating your coolant through your engine resulting in an overheating condition.

Good Luck!
~Brandon

old school is right, i remember doing that but with the new crossflow it does not apply, if its not getting hot the coolant is circulating

First, make sure that there is hot coolant circulating through the heater core. You can do this by feeling the heater hoses where they connect to the core. Both hoses should be hot. If there is hot coolant circulating through the core, then your next task is to find out why there is no airflow through the heater core. Check the doors, particularly the blend door, to make sure that they open and close as they should. If there is hot coolant in the core, and airflow through it, then you will have heat.