Temp Guage, up and down...

[Explodersport]

Hey guys. Well, it happened before and it is happening again. So I believe I have not fixed the problem ...
Driving into work this morning, my temp guage will wander between "running temp" and then go a little hot. It did this before, so I changed the Thermostat and added fluid, and it worked fine for a month or so. Now it is back. I noticed my fluid got a little low. So I added some when I got to work.
I do not have a leak (that I know of) because I never see steam and there is never a puddle under me when I park.
Any ideas?

 

[AaronSptTrck01]

I have a 01 ST and it does the same thing ..... I'm changing the therostat housing out this weekend. I can smell some antifreeze coming from the engine department. Advance auto has the housing for 18 bucks Ford has the complete deal including the therostat for 220 go figure lol.

 

[dkolewaski]

i just did my thermostat sensor was having the same probs... its fixed now..

 

[c2z4s9]

My father's having a similar problem. It's weird because he just replaced his thermostat but it didn't fix the problem -- temp guage is always searching around. The thing about his problem is that there is an occational knock coming from the passenger's side somewhere. A quick search online comes up with some kind of problem in Explorer / Ranger motors where steam will build up in the coolant system and cause this kind of problem. Acutally, it is my understanding that Ford sells some kind of "cooland bypass kit" (part # F8PZ-8522-BA). Has anyone ever heard of this?? Seems pretty strange to me. How could steam be creating this knock, and what do you think this kit really is? It's like 100 bucks! Is this some small stupid thing that I could weld up on my own?

 

[BogFather]

i had the same kind of problem so i changed out the thermostat, the fan clutch and had a new rad put in with new fluid. mind you the new rad was put in because i had a ICE accident while wheelin. but the other things made a world of difference. now the old girl runs under the temp mark and is going good

 

[Explodersport]

Yeah, I am thinking that is in order for this weekend. I figure, since the thermostat is only a couple of months old, I will just leave it, but I will flush the coolant and upgrade it to that new orange stuff. (I forgot the name) From what all my buddies say, it makes a huge difference.
Appearently I am having the same trouble with my motorcycle, but it isnt fluctuating, just going hot (a little past running temp) until I get going again. Once the fan clicks on, the engine starts to struggle a little too. I think that is a bum battery though.
Ha, anyone else know anything about Suzuki RF600Rs??

 

[toypaseo]

Do you need to burp your cooling system...?

 

[AaronSptTrck01]

what is burp?

 

[Afboy143]

check my thread on this, I had the same prob

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177996

 

[96ExplorerSport]

same here

My father's having a similar problem. It's weird because he just replaced his thermostat but it didn't fix the problem -- temp guage is always searching around. The thing about his problem is that there is an occational knock coming from the passenger's side somewhere. A quick search online comes up with some kind of problem in Explorer / Ranger motors where steam will build up in the coolant system and cause this kind of problem. Acutally, it is my understanding that Ford sells some kind of "cooland bypass kit" (part # F8PZ-8522-BA). Has anyone ever heard of this?? Seems pretty strange to me. How could steam be creating this knock, and what do you think this kit really is? It's like 100 bucks! Is this some small stupid thing that I could weld up on my own?

Exactly the same problem here. I've got 96 OHV with new T-stat, radiator, water pump. When engine gets hot I can hear knock. It only happen when I run heater though. I'll look into the part you suggested. Let me know if you find any installation instructions online.
Thanks

 

[96ExplorerSport]

I ordered # F8PZ-8522-BA yesterday. I'll post pictures when I get it.

 

[AaronSptTrck01]

What was the outcome on the F8PZ-8522-BA being installed ?

 

[96ExplorerSport]

They only shipped it to me yesterday. I hope to have it in my hands this Friday. I'll post pictures. I wont be able to install it right away though, still working on my other car

 

[CDW6212R]

For overheating do not use too much antifreeze. The more antifreeze that you use(50%+) the warmer the engine will run. Water transfers heat better than antifreeze.

Only use enough antifreeze to keep the coolant from freezing. Redline's Water Weter helps cooling quite a bit, and costs about $7 per bottle. I used just under one gallon of "orange" antifreeze in my 99 SOHC, with Water Weter and water pump lubricant. I see about 190 degrees most of the time, with highs near 200-205. Good luck,

 

[**mnd**]

You guys are my heroes!

I'm not a car mechanic kind of gal but I'm going to change my thermostat tomorrow.

Gotta start somewhere

 

[96ExplorerSport]

Got my F8PZ-8522-BA kit today. I did not install it yet, but here are the instructions that came with it. Take a look, it explains it pretty well. You can make one yourself w/o buying it from Ford. Picture 1 shows the kit, pictures 2 and 3 show the installation. Kit includes 1 hose and 1 T-fitting.

 

[mishawaka]

Anymore more info on this yet whether it worked or not? Also can you post the 1st page as well? Thanks! Local dealer here wants $150!

 

[96ExplorerSport]

I did the install last week. It was not too bad, but I had to remove thermostat as well to make the install easier. So far I do not see any difference, but my original problem occurred only during the winter months when I used heater. I attached both pages of instructions.
Sergey

PS. Could not attach tiff or jpeg due to size, had to compress to zip.

 

[96ExplorerSport]

Just an update. One year later and no problems so far. Ford's kit fixed knock noise and overheating issue for me.