My 1995 Mercury Sable started overheating, and I thought it might be the thermostat. I replaced the thermostat and gasket, making sure to clean all of the old gasket from the housing and the head, I Permatexed the gasket to the housing, followed the Permatex instructions, snugged everything up, and I took it for a test drive. It started over-heating around a quarter mile up the road, so I brought it home and checked it. There was water leaking from the bottom of the housing(or so it seems). I removed everything again, checked the housing for cracks and repeated, this time, Permatexing the thermostat to the housing, to keep it dead center, where it's supposed to be. I took it for another test drive, this time it did not overheat for almost 2 miles, but it overheated. I got it home, and water had still been leaking from the housing(like I said, or so it seems). Also, in Park, when I accelerate past 4000RPM, it begins to sputter and ****.

The Idle Air Control cleaning is probably the fix that is needed. also clean the Throttle Body and MAF.

https://www.google.com/search?q=1993+Mercury+Sable+3.8.+It+won%27t+idle+when+warm.

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this is usually an indication that there is air in the system and or possibly the engine is overheating causing the coolant to boil. try changing the thermostat and have the system checked for a bad head gasket.

could have a bad thermostat or it could have been put in upsidedown

compression test maybe head gasket or cracked ?????ps check water pipes also ??

follow the upper hose from the radiator to the motor it is under the housing on 3.0 L motor take out 3 bolts to remove.
for a 3.8 L motor remove upper radiator hose and remove the water outlet connection bolts and lift water outlet clear of engine.
remove thermostat by rotating it counterclockwise in the water outlet connection until the thermostat becomes free to remove.

to install make sure water outlet pocket and mating surfaces are clean.
install the thermostat into the water connection by rotating it clockwise until the engaging ramps on the thermostat are secure.

install the water outlet connection on the intake manifold with a new gasket and tighten the mounting bolts to 15-22 ft. lbs.

put top hose back on radiator and tighten clamp

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thanks

Check all wires running to battery. Check the battery ground(black) cable for sure. Make sure it is getting a good ground. If necessary unbolt the ground and clean up with a wire brush or wheel.

First replace your Thermostat, and then have your Electric cooling fan checked.

Try getting a scan at Autozone, Advance, or Oreillys autoparts. They will do it for free. Or if you just want to buy a few parts, observe if the cooling fan even comes on. There are 2 temperature sensors on most Ford's and one makes the dash gauge work and the other makes the Electric cooling fan work. Just have the car a little warm and when you get the dash gauge to move, disconnect the temp sensors one at a time until you find the one that controls the gauge. The remaining sensor controls the cooling fan. Remember, the gauges only work when the engine is running.

If your cooling fan still does not work, ask the parts guys how many speeds your vehicle is suppose to have on its fan. Usually, when the A/C is turned on, high speed kicks in; for sure when you have overheating, it should be on high speed. The Electric cooling fan has a Relay that can be bad. The fan motor can also be bad.

The loss of Antifreeze in the system can be from boil over. As long as the car runs decent, there is no reason to expect a blown head gasket. With the Radiator cap off, you may be able to see bubbles on the surface of the radiator if a head gasket is allowing compression to get into the cooling system.

Just start with the easiest things like a Thermostat, then go to the next solution and work your way through the possibilities. I hope my comments are useful to you.

this is a good place to start for an overheating problem, follow the top radiator hose to the engine, at the end of this hose is the waterneck, the thermostat is located in this housing, usually secured to the intake manifold with two bolts, remove the bolts an gently pry the waterneck off, there you will find the thermostat, note which way it is installed,(should be spring side down) set the new thermostat in place, be sure to use a new waterneck gasket during reinstallation

Check the thermostat. The temperature sender is to the right of the thermostat and if the thermostat doesn't open the hot coolant from the block won't be flowing to the sender/gauge showing it is overheating. The thermostat is at the end of the top radiator hose where it enters the engine. Check the wires to the sender to make sure they are connected. Flush the coolant and heater core at the firewall connections as it may become clogged.

My Sable started making a clunking noise while idling. It sounds as thought the the rattling sound comes from the drivers side of the motor.. any ideas'