Locating and replacing coolant system hoses on 196

You have to discon the battery cable before you start. Remove the coolant expansion tank. Remove the drivebelt and alternator if you have an OHV V6. Raise the vehicle on jack stands. Place a drain pan below the pump. From below, remove the splash shield and discon any brackets or ties that hold the hose to the body. After draining, you may have to replace the pwr steering fluid filter, located in the fluid line, then replace the fluid. A crows-foot wrench may be necessary to remove some hose fittings. This is a job for a mechanic with a power lift to be honest. Whatever you do, be careful not to contaminate the power steering fluid. Bleed the system after replacing the hose. The pressure hose is held in place by threads and not a clamp as the other hose has. Get yourself the Haynes repair manual 36075 '96 thru 2005 Ford Taurus & Merc Sable. It has a detailed step by step description of this procedure. Good Luck

There is no way of guessing which one is leaking but the best thing to do is replace both as if one has failed the other one won't be far behind. the other thing to think about is did they tighten the clamps properly when the fitted the heater core? I would suggest new stainless steel hose clamps also to replace the factory items.,

Just follow the upper radiator hose from the radiator to the engine, where is connects to the engine remove the hose and the cover under it to expose the T-Stat. Drain about 1/2 gallon of coolant out before you start work. Bleed the air from the cooling system (refer to service manual for this year and engine type) after the T-Stat is replaced to prevent poss overheating.

Under the hood find radiator at front of the car on either left or right side of radiator is a fat hose that will be connected to the radiator. Follow that hose to the engine and it connects to the thermostat cover that is connected to the top of the engine with two bolts holding it on. Remove both bolts, Remove thermostat cover replace with new thermostat, Scrap off old gasket on both connecting sides place in new gasket (using a gasket sealer with the gasket wouldn't hurt to) replace both bolts only SNUG tight if using sealer let sit for a hour or two. your done!!

this is a difficult one..
check for vacuum leaks by possibly a visual inspection and then spraying starting fluid around hoses , intake and so on..if any change, you might have found a vacuum leak/bad gasket.
otherwise, DO clean the Idle Air Control Valve 1st.
then check and clean EGR valve next..

I'm not sure if you can buy just that piece, it's recomended that you replace the entire heater hose assembly.
For reference the NAPA p/n is BK 8155114 go to thier web site and verify this is the part you're needing to replace.
You should flush and replace the coolant if it old.
Hope this help you with your problem.

Since your blower is working and it is a heat issue,thats where we'll start,First thing is have you checked the coolant level in the radiator when engine is cold,make sure it is filled to top,next verify you have coolant in reserve ,Start your van and get it up to normal operation temperature,If your heat gauge on the dash works correctly it should be 190 degrees,Now lift the hood and locate the two heater hoses going into the heater assembly at the fire wall,Both hoses should be hot to hold on to,if both are hot and no heat inside your problem will be the blend air door in heater assembly.
if neither hose is that hot you need to replace the thermostat in the engine to get it up to 195 degrees.
if one hose is hot and one is luke warm then the heater core is blocked and to blame. hope this helps you.

it is in the housing from the top rad hose to the intake manifold,remove the top hose,after draining the coolant,and the thermostat will be under the the peice it fastens to on the engine.

need to replace that cap

I had a problem like that in an old Mercury Sable I owned. I had to periodically add a bit of coolant because it was disappearing and not dripping anywhere. I found out what was causing the problem on a cold winter day, a short (6") hose going from the water pump to the engine burst. Don't wait until a hose bursts.

Likely the coolant is going one of a few places. It's escaping from a pinhole in a hose somewhere, going into the engine's cylinders (blown/leaking head gasket), going into the crankcase and mixing with the oil, etc. Probably the best way to start diagnosis is to add special dye to the cooling system and use a black light to see if there's an external leak in the system. If not you can pull the spark plugs and check them to see if coolant is going into the cylinders (coolant does a good job of cleaning carbon off the inside of the combustion chamber). Well that should be good for starters. Good luck!