Ford Repair: 1993 Taurus 3.8L Engine Running Hot, blown head gasket, crankshaft pulley

Question
Hi Sam,
I am having trouble figuring out why this vehicle keeps running hot.  I have spent hours on this vehicle plugging up the leaks.  New intake manifold gaskets, thermostat, hoses.  However, I have not been able to solve the problem of the vehicle running hot.  The "Check Engine" light is only coming on at speed, and not at idle.  I am burning coolant as it is heating up and spills over into the reservoir.  When the engine cools down, I have to unbolt the plastic reservoir, and dump the coolant back into the radiator to fill it up again.  Also, I noticed after about 10-15 minutes at idle that coolant was burning from the exhaust pipe just beyond where the catalytic converter is found.  My suspicion is that I have a blown head gasket, but don't know for sure.  I am unable to do a compression check or check for timing because of the location of the rear spark plugs, and crankshaft pulley.  As you can tell I have pretty much exhausted myself in the troubleshooting dept.  Can you help me to get a handle on this ongoing problem of overheating?

Thanks in Advance,

Tom

Answer
Tom,

Goto a local AutoZone (free service) and have them read the engine code.  There is a check valve that open and close at engine start-up.  This check valve will open when the car get warm.  I don't remember the location of the valve, but leaking coolant near the cat coverter is a clue of the location.  The reservoir back-up is due to fluid backing up/over heating as it circulate through the engine.  Good luck.