Over Heat Help

[M1shooter]

I have a major issue that I need help with. My daughters called me today and told me they were on the side of the road as the temp gage and check gage light came on on our explorer today. Of course they were 45 miles from the house. When I got to them the over flow res was empty and when I opened the radiator cap the cap came apart. I added water and started to nurse it to my daughters apartment. Within a few minutes the gage spiked hot. I pulled over and the over flow res had boiling water in it. I let the engine cool down and added more water and continued to nurse it to the apartment.

Do you think t-stat is bad or is it a bigger problem? The water pump seems fine. I will not be able to replace the t-stat and cap until Wed. I did not think to check the oil for water.

 

[hoss_hanna]

hopefully it didnt blow a head gasket, sounds like u are on the right track check the radiator for leaks then check thermostat.

 

[jmoracco]

There are three major components to a cooling system; the water pump the thermostat and radiator, ok and cooling fan. if no leaks are found anywhere, look good! then you can pretty much rule out leaks or water pump issues. You said that rad cap came apart if this is true it could easily be the culprit without the system having the correct pressure the coolant will boil at a lower temp and cause your reservoir to boil up coolant. replace cap and go from there. once running with new cap and engine gets to normal operating temp see if cooling fan is working, check for leaks, every where! If it is still over heating check to see if top radiator hose feels hot, if its not then it could just be your thermostat which is really a cheap maintenance item anyways and it really couldn't hurt to replace it. Hope nothing got damaged when over heated, good luck..

 

[Tom Brown]

If the rad cap will not hold pressure, the engine will boil over. Make sure you have a good cap and a good cooling system by testing both with a leak tester.

Also, check your oil for signs of coolant or foaming. If either exist, you probably have a blown head gasket.

 

[ranger7ltr]

Change the thermostat, refill, then pressure test...

Whenever I have had an engine overheat, I always changed the thermostat no matter what...The conditions the engine saw could kill the ability of the thermostat to regulate flow and engine operating temps...

Now that doesn't rule out a cracked head and/or blown head gasket...These are some of the most temperamental engines I have come across which respect to temperature...And the stock heads do not like steam pressure inside[when the engines' coolant escapes]...

As others have stated, look for oil in the coolant or coolant in the oil...Refill the cooling system and pressure test the cooling system...I would not run the engine before testing though...And then listen for or see if the coolant is going someplace it shouldn't...