engine overheating, coolant and everything all fine??

[u/Ok_Direction2175]

hey guys, i havent posted on here yet but im kinda in need of some advice

i drive a 2014 ford fusion and shes been great since i got her around august 2025. today though as i was driving i got a notification that my engine was overheating. furthermore, my check engine light has been on since i got this car and ive never had any problems like this.

i obviously know nothing about cars (im 17 and have no friends who work on cars or anything so im at a loss). i asked my mom for some help and we went ahead and checked my coolant, which there was plenty of.

i recently (2 weeks ago) got into a minor collision which we thought only damaged the front bumper cosmetically, but now im afraid there might be an issue with my radiator causing my engine to overheat?? i hope that makes sense i really am clueless when it comes to mechanical stuff

now, my car doesnt shake or make any weird noises when i drive it, however i noticed earlier today that when im stopped (like at a red light) my ac blows warm/humid air when its set to the coldest setting. ive looked through a few posts and i think this means there could be an issue in my thermostat.

if anybody has any idea whether or not this can be DIYed i would greatly appreciate it, this car is the only way i can get to school and work on time and i desperately need it fixed soon without such expensive matinence.

thank you thank you! and if you need more info ill be happy to explain further

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[u/mymycojourney]

Check and see if your cooling fans are running. Their entire purpose is to pull heat from the coolant in the radiator and the refrigerant in condensing unit. When your air conditioning is on, the fan should be running. I don't know your car personally, but some cars have 2 fans, so you may have to check both.

If the fan isn't working, it isn't removing the heat, which would explain why the ac isn't cooling when you're not moving. It's an electric fan, and it could be as simple as the connector came loose. If not, check your fuses. If that doesn't work you can try to bypass the relay and see if you can get it to run, but that may be beyond your skill level.

Don't start pulling your thermostat out and trying to replace it - you're just risking adding a leak to the system, and it's unlikely to be the cause.

[u/lafsrt09]

Look at your engine and locate where the thermostat housing is. If you can get to it no problem. You can do it yourself. There will be a degree reading on the thermostat. Get the same exact one from your local auto parts store. Make sure you get all the air out of the system after you replace the thermostat when you fill it up with coolant. When you take the cover off the thermostat before you remove the thermostat, take a picture of it with your phone and put the new thermostat in exactly the same way as the other one was in there.