Q: My ford contour 2.5 litre v6 1998 model is losing coolant, When the engine is hot steam rises from the right hand front of the en

Hello, thank you for writing in. While the head gasket is a common place for older vehicles to leak coolant, there are some places you will want to check first. For example, the water pump which is the heart of the cooling system is centrally located, but the drive belt can shoot coolant leaking from the pump all over the engine making it seem like its coming from another area. The hoses are also a very common place to develop leaks, and they do run in that area as well. You will want to attempt to locate the leak outside of the engine before having to take apart the top of the engine to replace the head gasket. Further inspection should help point you to a separate component or confirm that the leak is coming from the head gasket.