Cooling ?.... Is this NORMAL?

[TACO626]

Done my research but found nothing specific.

93X... 80-90 degree weather.

At idle and driving on streets and highway, temp gauge stays at the O in N O R M A L .......

When in bumper to bumper traffic the needle will climb to between the M A in N O R M A L .

Needle will drop back to the O as soon as I get rolling again.

Is that ok?

Thanks Fellas!

 

[boggs1227]

no thats not normal, mine useally stay any where from the low side of "n" to "o" .

check the following :

rad cap
have you flushed the system latelly?
proper mix and level
heater core could be getting clogged
what type of stat is in it ( temp wise) (( could be bad and sticking ))
fan clutch working properlly ?

 

[TACO626]

Ok, thanks!

Your list is my TO DO LIST for today

Will keep you posted.

 

[Masterd]

Agreed with Boggs..check the simple stuff first.

Could also be a thermostat that opening and closing slower than normal. Or a weak water pump.

 

[konstan]

seems to be a rather common issue with these 1st gen exes... In mine, it was doing the same thing. A plugged radiator would do it. It may not be too late to save it -- run some prestone cleaner through it, or water with baking soda, or first prestone then soda... Make sure when you open the drain petcock and pour the water in the radiator, it comes out the bottom... Mine barely dripped at first, but I was able to clean it... good luck!

 

[Anime]

It's somewhat normal, since the much warmer ambient air in traffic from the hot engines and exhaust of other cars is what the fan is sucking through the heat exchanger, rather than the cool air you'd get without any cars in front of you or when moving along.

New coolant can sometimes help, older coolant loses it's effectiveness over time, so a new mix of 50/50 to 70/30 coolant-to-water will let the cooling system work it's best.

If the needle keeps creeping up higher or there's ever any trouble getting up to operating temp, the thermostat is sticking and needs to be replaced.

 

[jtb1689]

I have same issue after installing a brand new radiator, water pump, and thermostat. Mine was much worse (climbing up to red area where the needle stops), but after some time working on burping all the air from a new installation my temperature just does what yours is doing. I've noticed that it actually goes down when I rev the engine up, don't necessarily need to be moving. My new thermostat I believe is a 109 degree (before the replacement radiator and such I had a 113 in there and it ran at a constant temp all the time on the R). I still think I just have small air pockets left so you may want to try burping your system as well in addition to all the other suggestions.

 

[msmith65]

Mine does that and I've tried all the common suggestions except adding an electric fan.

I live in Dallas, and my Ex cannot be idled with the AC on for more than a few minutes or the temp starts climbing dangerously.

A new Motorcraft fan clutch should have solved this, but it didn't. I've replaced the thermostat, radiator, added a heater-control valve (worthless), and experimented with Red Line Water Wetter. The last item made some difference, but I still can't trust the car to idle for long in the heat.

 

[Masterd]

If it goes down when you rev the engine it narrows it down.

I'm gonna bring back the weak water pump theory....you rev the motor, and the pump spins a bit faster, and the temp falls.

You should still throw the regular maintenance items at it though... (thermostat, temp sender, flush rad, and a fan/fan clutch if you need it)

 

[msmith65]

If it goes down when you rev the engine it narrows it down.

I'm gonna bring back the weak water pump theory....you rev the motor, and the pump spins a bit faster, and the temp falls.

You should still throw the regular maintenance items at it though... (thermostat, temp sender, flush rad, and a fan/fan clutch if you need it)

Masterd, you remind me of something I'd forgotten.

I remember a post somewhere about this; maybe it was here. The guy was an experienced mechanic who suggested that water pump blades can wear down to the point that they're not as effective in moving the mix through the system.

In our Explorers, with their small radiators and not-so-great airflow, that difference in flow could show up as poor cooling at low RPM.

Trouble is, there's no such thing as a coolant flow meter, and not much way to test for flow otherwise because the pump is tied to the fan. Rev one, you rev the other.

You could coast down a long hill and see if revving the engine to a certain RPM makes a difference in the temperature. But that doesn't completely rule out the fan's effects.

Probably the only way to tell is to pull the pump and look at the blades. Of course, as long as you're there, you may as well replace the pump.

 

[Masterd]

Its true that the fan and water pump are all tied together, but if it's the pump, you should see immediate results, versus the fan picking up speed.

 

[socialDK]

Ive noticed this problem as well, once the gauge starts to creep up a bit i move the a/c switches to floor and hot that causes the gauge to go down. Im not sure thats how it supposed work but it works. I think it does show that the thermostat is working properly.

 

[TACO626]

Other things came up, like bro in law needed some work done on his truck hahahahah

Tomorrow morning as in Friday, I will

Flush system completely
New t-stat
Fill with coolant and distilled water
and drive the ish out of it.

Seems like a common issue to me

 

[jtb1689]

Remember to burp it all after you refill it or do whatever necessary procedure you choose to keep air pockets out of there. Threw me for a loop when I forgot to do that

Good luck on your future endeavour sir

 

[TACO626]

Ok, finally got to it.

Drained system completely, installed new t-stat, added coolant and let truck run with heater on for ~15 min. Air bubbles along with some coolant burped out. Refilled and revved engine a few more minutes. More air bubbles came out. Refilled system and threw on new radiator cap then drove it for a good 20 miles. All seems ok, needle stays between the O and R.

Will drive it more as the outside temp rises

 

[doonze]

Ok, so I'm guessing the needle normally for most people sits around O??? Once mine reaches temp it never really goes below M, hangs out on around there then starts bouncing up to L and back to M and back to L, you get the picture, never really settles down. It does NOT like idling at all, the the temp here is cool outside, in the 70's. How much do I need to worry about it reaching L? Hasn't swung past L really, maybe just a hair.

Guess I'm going to start on the process of elimination from this thread and hope that get's it under control. Sucks being broke!! LOL

 

[TACO626]

If it doesnt like to idle I would inspect the fan clutch. :exporange

 

[Robrt32]

Mines takes spells doing similar.. Doesn't do it all the time but it creeps up WHILE accelerating and goes right back down... It has went a month and never done it.. I never have to add coolant.. I can idle with ac blasting on a hot day and it stays right between the O and R..... The M is as far as its ever went, when it would rise up.... Faulty sending unit? maybe??

 

[doonze]

Ok, I figured out my running hot problem, turns out I'm as dumb as a box of rocks. For future reference, checking the coolant level in the dark with a weak flashlight can make it look like there is fluid in there when there isn't. Turns out I was able to add almost a whole gallon. Problem seems to be solved. Runs at O, only movement is to each side of O. Of course it was a cool day and I didn't run it for two awful long, but I did let it idle and it didn't move much. I feel so stupid. In my defense, I've only had the truck 3 days and during that time the truck has either been hot or it's been dark. Had my first chance to check it cold and in the light...

 

[Masterd]

Nice! :