Hi,
I have a 95 EF Fairmont wagon (4L six on petrol) which was running along ok until the head gasket popped about three weeks ago. Have received the car back and although the car seems to be running fine, it's running much hotter then it was previously.

eg. on a normal trip this afternoon the temperature was sitting higher on the guage then it ever had previously : sitting on the 'R' of the 'Normal' on the gauge when it only used to sit on the 'M', and going up a steep ascent I have to take to get home the overheat warning came on when previously it had only ever gotten as high as the 'R'.

Also when I got home and parked the car, after about 10 minutes with the ignition off it dropped a bit of coolant from the passenger side of the engine bay (the leak seemed to start and stop like it was an overflow, but I can't find any specs or schematics of the EF coolant system to be sure of this).

I'm just wondering if it's normal for an EF to run hot after the head gasket is changed and some work is carried out on the head ?
(work = valve grind, weld four holes, pressure test, etc)

Also, what is the 'standard' range on the temperature gauge that an EF should be sitting on ?

Any ideas or help would be greatly appreciated.

sounds like air in the cooling system,,its getting air trapped in the thermostat cover.

with the engine running squeezing the top radiator hose with the exspansion tank cap off and listen for air bubbles,if theres air in the system you should hear it gurgle a bit,,raise the revs to about 2000 rpm and see how it runs after.

oh and check the water level several times.

have you checked your water pump ? they can dry out when doing a head change

Thermostats are commonly known to die when heads go too

depends on how it goes,,if it boils then yeah the thermostat can get done in as well..

but if its just a leak between cylinders or a leak out the exhaust side then the thermo should be ok.

i had problems with the temp in the ea going up to three quarters when going up hills,,i replaced the thermostat and now it barely moves at all..

Cheers for your quick responses guys, really appreciate it.

Turns out the radiator was busted on the right side.
(a reservoir on the right side was busted ??)

Getting it replaced with a new one was only a little more then repairing the old one, so I opted for that.
Since then the car has been running very frosty (even in the crazy 43'C days we've had recently).
Took your (and the mechanics) advice and had the thermo-stat replaced at the same time.

I'm a little concerned that the temperature sensor might be on the way out as well though as now and then the temperate seems to go backwards. Sometimes, after the car has been running for a while and would be up to the right temperature, the temp gauge needle heads back down and hovers below the 'normal' indicator.

I'm not sure if this is anything to worry about though, as the car seems to be running quite well with the recent head work and new radiator.
Any ideas ?

check for any loose connections or grounding issues. check there isnt any air in the system again.

the guys that put the new system in didnt install a 77 or 83 thermo did they? that will definately cause your issue. it will also make the fuel consumption increase a little and the computer will drop in and out of closed loop mode. just ring them up to check, they all seem to think the falcons run too hot with the stock thermo's

i tend to think if ford designed it that way, so be it. if your worried about overheating still, fit a lower pressure cap.

ford only used a 92 degree thermostat too meet emissions. They had too get head combustion temps very high too burn off nitrogen oxide. Running a 82 degree thermostat will not cause the ECU to switch between closed/open loop.

isnt closed mode come in at 77? 82 is awful close