is your engine running hot???

[glasguydj]

Hi everyone, just wanted to post a thread about engine overheating. I have a 1999 ford ranger and my engine would run hot only at idle or when sitting in traffic. Once moving it would cool back down. I changed my radiator , thermostat, flushed coolant four times. no one could put there fingers on what it was and i am talking over a 6 month period of time. i finally broke down and purchased a water pump even though all the machanics said if it were the water pump it would be making a noise or leaking water. well let me tell ya thats not true. When i removed the water pump the fins were gone!!! it looked like a saw blade. so if you engine is over heating and you have changed the coolant, thermostat , radiator i can alomost garuantee you its the water pump. I hope this helps someone out who is experiencing these problems. $88.00 water pump cured my over heating !!

 

[deweyville65]

Hi everyone, just wanted to post a thread about engine overheating. I have a 1999 ford ranger and my engine would run hot only at idle or when sitting in traffic. Once moving it would cool back down. I changed my radiator , thermostat, flushed coolant four times. no one could put there fingers on what it was and i am talking over a 6 month period of time. i finally broke down and purchased a water pump even though all the machanics said if it were the water pump it would be making a noise or leaking water. well let me tell ya thats not true. When i removed the water pump the fins were gone!!! it looked like a saw blade. so if you engine is over heating and you have changed the coolant, thermostat , radiator i can alomost garuantee you its the water pump. I hope this helps someone out who is experiencing these problems. $88.00 water pump cured my over heating !!

Dont forget the fan clutch if overheating at idle and low speeds, and cools when traveling at street/road speeds.

 

[glasguydj]

yes i forgot, i did change the fan clutch too. sorry i forgot to say that in my thread. the fan clutch should not spin freely. it should have some restriction when trying to spin it by hand. i changed it three times thinking it was the fan clutch lol but unlike an electric fan that actually kicks on its kind of hard to hear it. the best way to check it is to actually spin it while the motor isnt running . should be stiff and not turn a full rotation when spinning by hand.

 

[richarded25]

yes i forgot, i did change the fan clutch too. sorry i forgot to say that in my thread. the fan clutch should not spin freely. it should have some restriction when trying to spin it by hand. i changed it three times thinking it was the fan clutch lol but unlike an electric fan that actually kicks on its kind of hard to hear it. the best way to check it is to actually spin it while the motor isnt running . should be stiff and not turn a full rotation when spinning by hand.

over heating heck if it is cool outside i cant get my temp over the cold line on the bottom on a hot day i can get it to the middle bu mudding and reving the **** out of it

 

[glasguydj]

well then , your in great shape if its running that cool.lol

 

[richarded25]

not when its cold and the heat wont get very warm lol

 

[glasguydj]

you probably have a 160 degree thermostat in your ranger. might want to take it up to 180 for the winter and put the 160 back in during the summer

 

[richarded25]

ummm i dont have a ranger lol 98 sport lol and will it hurt anything for a 160 degree i got very little money

 

[glasguydj]

ummm i dont have a ranger lol 98 sport lol and will it hurt anything for a 160 degree i got very little money

Well if your saying its running really cool and your temp guage wont come off of the cold position i am sure you have a 160 thermostat in there right now. If your guage is working and you had a 180 degree thermostat it would most likely be up in the middle once the engine warms up. I have a 160 degree in my truck right now and it wont get up past 1/4 above cold and it will blow cold when turning the heat on and thats in the summer lol so i am deffinatly putting the 180 back in it for the winter. a thermostat runs around $20.00 and alittle bit of your time if you know how to change one which isnt hard at all. but you will deffinatle want to change it if it gets cold where you live for the winter. when you pull your existing thermostst out it should have 160 or 180 ect stamped in the metal indicating what degree it is.

 

[JCase]

Temp Sensor or Gauge?

Do you notice the engine running any different when the temp is at cold (under 195) vs. hot/normal?

Any leaks or possible air pockets in the system?

Is your Water-to-Glycol mix somewhere between 70/30 to 50/50?

 

[glasguydj]

i thought there was an air pocket because mine kept running hot when at idle and only while at idle. sitting at stoplight ect. i tried everything. my water pump fins were completely gone and the water pump wast pushing water throught the system. when i put the new pump in with the previously installed 160 thermostat it will hardly get off from cold. to tell ya the truth i get better gas mileage since its been running so cool but winter time is coming and i am gonna need some heat. i run 50/50 by the way. i thought i had a water pocket so one day i left the radiator cap off and drove it for about a mile so i blew all the air out if it was any in there lol did it by mistake thougt and left the cap off. bugged me for six months and tried everything to get it not to over heat. WATER PUMP IT WAS

 

[richarded25]

it runs fine tends to have a little more power when it is warm but other than that she is good if i ever make any money ill add a real temp gauge to see whats real maybe pull it out and see if it is a 160 i cant say it bothers me to much i would rather run cool than hot

 

[snapp central]

it runs fine tends to have a little more power when it is warm but other than that she is good if i ever make any money ill add a real temp gauge to see whats real maybe pull it out and see if it is a 160 i cant say it bothers me to much i would rather run cool than hot

Didn't read too thouroughly into this thread, however, what it sounds like is a stuck open thermostat ... if you haven't checked the thermostat, this is likely it... if you have then disregard this post... but what happens is coolant will be cycling all the time through the system as the thermostat is remaining open...
if you haven't checked the thermostat yet,, its most likely stuck open.