Hi all, newbie here and i need some help,

I have reciently inherited my uncles 1996 ford escort ghia 1.6 with 40k on the clock, it had been standing doing nothing for a few months after he passed away and on the way back from the trip to collect it the temp gage shot up and the fan kicked in, now i need to know 2 thigs, shall i change the thermostat as a precaution and 2 could this be a airlock and if so how do i clear it?

Cheers

[quote name='1996ghia1.6' date='26 April 2010 - 07:49 AM' timestamp='1272263996' post='79383']
Hi all, newbie here and i need some help,

I have reciently inherited my uncles 1996 ford escort ghia 1.6 with 40k on the clock, it had been standing doing nothing for a few months after he passed away and on the way back from the trip to collect it the temp gage shot up and the fan kicked in, now i need to know 2 thigs, shall i change the thermostat as a precaution and 2 could this be a airlock and if so how do i clear it?

Cheers
[/quote]

given the age of the car an all that, i personally would drain the coolant, give the system a good flushing through and then replace the thermostat too.

[quote name='stef123' date='26 April 2010 - 10:37 AM' timestamp='1272274029' post='79396']
given the age of the car an all that, i personally would drain the coolant, give the system a good flushing through and then replace the thermostat too.
[/quote]
I second that the same happened to me but but my radiator burst so had to replace that but yes i would drain it flush it all through and fit a new thermostat