2002 taurus..next to no heat,start in cold weather,let run 10-15 min. temp gage stays cold,run down the road 3/4 mile gage comes up with minimum cabin heat, had system flushed and new fluid put in,thermostat worked as it should when flushed...possible air pocket ? it does not over heat winter with heat or summer with air.

natural for engine temp to rise in Traffic - Until Themostat opens ) cooling fan sensor kicks on fan . But Antifreeze is not just a Cold weather item . Coolant is Absolutely Necessary for Hot Days . You must be full to recovery bottle setting of cold when checked prior to start up . Coolant for your make / model is Reddish - Pink colour and should have a reading of -25 thats negative 25 degrees the Lower the Better even - 50 .. Why ?? - 50 is 50 %% antifreeze / Coolant Concentrate MIX Gives Hot weather cooling Ability or very cold weather starting / winter HEAT .

If you checked properly and coolant/rad isn't getting hot, coolant is up to proper level, then I'd replace thermostat.

change the thermostat, sounds like it could stuck open and wont allow the engine reach operating temp, also test the constant control relay module located to the right of the battery as your facing the front of the car, also test coolant temp switch it might be defective and producing a high voltage that would cause the fans to constantly operate no matter the temp. Hope this helps

check the radiator censor making sure that the wires for this have not come off is there any fluid on the road when its been left for a few hours normally a car loses water any way may be half a pint a month or so this is normall check hoses for splits before forking out for a new water pump

either one of two things ,1/ you are low on coolant which is a high possibility or the 2/ is the impeller on the water pump drive shaft is plastic and its slipping on the metal drive shaft of the water pump quite a common fault on modern cars

Usually the symptom you posted means that the thermostat is stuck in the open position or has been removed.
Not only will that give you a no or low heat condition but also will really put a hurt on fuel mileage.
The engine management system thinks the engine is always cold and continues to send an overly rich signal to the fuel system instead of the normal warm engine signal it should have.


replace the thermostat with one rated at 195 degrees (f) and it should be fine.

I`m positive you have a bad head gasket.I just did one for a friend of mine that had the same problem on his Buick Rondevous.Same motor.These are good motors but they have a tendency to blow the head gaskets.It is usually the back one for the #1 cylinder.Hope this helps.Good luck.

ch thermostat sounds like it's sticking..

Just finished fixing my daughters 1999 taurus heat. It would blow warm only when running down the road. At idle it blew cold. I started with replacing thermostat, and water pump because they are the easier fix. Still did not help. Then I replaced the heater core. A daunting job but not that hard to move the dash slighly out of the way to replace. There is a good write up at tarusclub.com. After that, heat was better but at idle, it would still blow cool sometimes. Researched and found answer. Park car on the steepest hill you can find with front of car up. Start car and take off reservoir cap. Let car warm up and keep rpms about 1500. After a while the fluid will come running out of the car and all over the place but it will bring air bubbles with it. Reduce rpm, add more fluid and repeat about 3 times. It will make a mess but after that, the heater works perfectly. We get heat long before the temp gage indicates any and it never blows cold unless you lower the temp.

1. Check the level you filled the coolant to...If you overfilled it this will happen. 2.  Did you add the correctly diluted antifreeze? 3. Check to be sure the radiator is unobstructed