over heating when towing and pulling a hill

[nakitatrucker]

good evening,
I have a 1991 Ford explorer manual with 126k miles. everything is stock. my problem is whenever i try to pull a small hill with 2k pounds behind me for about 5 miles i over heat. the worry i have is we all know how cheap made the stock heads are and over heating so much. what can i do to fix my over heating problem, oil cooler? turbo? bigger radiators?

[arco777]

I assume it is the motor that is overheating, not the trans (since stock there is no trans temp gauge).

Sounds like you have a cooling system problem. The stock system, in good working order, is pretty strong. I would recommend doing a general overhaul of your system including thermostat, new heavy duty fan clutch, check or replace water pump, and check or replace your radiator if it is clogged. Have your cooling system pressure tested as well, flushed, and bleed it well after putting new 50/50 mix in.

Oil cooler is not necessary for the motor. Turbo? I don't see what you're getting at. As for radiator, a factory style replacement of good quality should be plenty.

A stock cooling system should handle towing needs without issue. However, if you have an auto trans, that will need a better cooler even if you're not towing. Hayden makes some affordable coolers that are easy to install and affordable.

[05dakotatrac]

biggest issue you can be having is gear ratio as well the older ex's have higher gearing i.e. 3.55 verses 3.73 or 4.10. i have 3.73 and i notice its rather hard hauling hills. the lower the gear (higher numbers) the easier it climbs, wereas the higher the gear (lower numbers) also not sure if the 2nd gen radiators fit in 1st gens but i know that the V8 radiator is a 5 core vs. the V6 having a 3 core.