I drive a 1998 Mercury Villager. March 10th it overheated. I did not know the coolant was low. I added more antifreeze the next morning, It seemed to drive well, but 5 days later I had to add antifreeze again, & then again 4 more days after that. It seemed to obviously be leaking coolant. Sometimes there would be terrible smells upon starting the van for the first several minutes, but not always. Sometimes it smelled strongly of gas, other times it smelled like something burning. I haven't noticed much leaking coolant or bad smells since around March 19th or 20th. Now the Check Engine Light is on, & the codes are P0325 AND P0400. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks!
Google search the codes. Could be a hose.water pump.radiator. heater core leaking.
SOURCE: 1997 mercury villager mini van
I proceed with cauation when advising the owner to repair when they have never repaired before. Yes, your problem may very well be a thermostat, but it could also be a blown head gasket.
With the engine running, check the tail pipe to see if there are any water dropplets coming out. if there is, it is A good sign of a blown head gasket.
Replacing a thermostat is not a simple as one would think. Even before changing a thermostat or anything for that matter, you need to have a pressure test done on the cooling system. This is a small pump that one attaches to the radiator and applies pressure to the cooling system to see if there are any leaks.
I would recommend this. Take you van to an independent repair shop and talk to the manager and tell him that you want a correct diagnosis first, even if you have to pay for it. Many shops will diagnosis the problem and charge you a standard fee. It is then up to you to decide what you want to do from there.
Remember, the correct approach to any problem is a correct diagnosis.
Do not tell the shop owner what you think is the problem or what you think should be changed. Just tell them how it acts and then let them earn their money, but above all, emphazise the fact that all you want is a diagnosis.
Bill
SOURCE: 98 mercury villager OBD I code P0135
This code refers to the front oxygen sensor on Bank
1. The heated circuit in the oxygen sensor decreases time needed to enter
closed loop. As the O2 heater reaches operating temperature, the oxygen sensor
responds by switching according to oxygen content of the exhaust surrounding
it. The ECM tracks how long it takes for the oxygen sensor to begin switching.
It the ECM determines (based on coolant temp) that too much time elapsed before
the oxygen sensor began operating properly, it will set P0135.
Repair short or open or high resistance in wiring harness or harness connectors.
Since you have already changed out your O2 sensor (as long as you used to OEM replacement and not the "Universal" replacement) you should not have to replace it again. You might check your thermostat to part of the time it takes for the O2 sensor to start switching being based on coolant temp, if your thermostat is not operating properly, it could cause the coolant temp to take longer than what is considered by the ECM to be normal.
SOURCE: Car running rough when raining
check the spark plug wires, put water in a spray bottle and spray along the wires,especially by the coil,if the car starts to run bad or you see sparks, the wires are no good, hope this helps, Ray
SOURCE: two codes p0400 and p0325
could be leak around throttlebody gasket or lose hose or cracked. take carb cleaner and spray around the throttle body to intake manifold and see if the engine variates in idle. if so you have a leak.
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