98 windstar. Cuts out and engine smokes.

Asked by Kyndig Dec 19, 2013 at 03:24 PM about the 1998 Ford Windstar 3 Dr STD Passenger Van

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Hello all.  My father has a 1998 ford windstar.  He is having a problem with the van shutting off, while driving the engine will quit and smoke(possibly overheating though the temp gauge does not move and the antifreeze is cool to the touch).  The coolant resivoir overflows when stopped after driving(I assume it does it while driving too).  However it does not overflow when idling.  He had me replace the water pump, but it does the same thing, also antifreeze is brown.

1 Answer

mmmkay, replace the thermostat with a new 195 degree one...drain the brown coolant...flush and fill with 50/50 glycol and de-ionized water mix~ check the efficiency of the radiator with a thermo-spot gun (about fifteen bucks)~ to find the plugged areas...be prepared to buy a new radiator if flow is NOT good~

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