Cooling issue 94 explorer

[budro574]

The gauge stays on the cold side of normal, the oil pressure stays on the al of normal. Guessing thermostat, but top upper hose is extremely hot even with the cool gauge reading. Any theories or am I on the right track. My bronco had a bad therm that stuck close I'm thinking this therm is stuck open. I'm gonna do it bc im sure it needs it but has anyone else had a prob like this

 

[Jason94sport]

Coolant temp sensor for the gauge is known to die & cause it. Search in the FAQ threads the procedure to replace is in there.

 

[budro574]

Switched the thermostat, reads the same but def need a coolant change so on to that now. The temp gauge works bc I didn't fill the system back up and it got hot quickly

 

[arco777]

Does the temp gauge move normally, i.e. start below the C marking line, and come up gradually as the engine warms up? If so, the gauge and sender are probably fine.

The OHV has a strong cooling system and it is not uncommon for a properly working cooling system to keep the gauge below the "O" of NORMAL.

Oil pressure gauge is like an idiot light - anything over 5psi or something like that, it just indicates normal. It should roughly point the same as your voltage gauge. There is a procedural write-up available on how to convert it to a real working oil pressure gauge.

 

[Jason94sport]

The OHV has a strong cooling system

Going to have to disagree there. The X gets hot quick in hot humid weather & if you use the AC it sucks because of engine heat soak.
I've never had a cool running X living in South FL.

 

[arco777]

Going to have to disagree there. The X gets hot quick in hot humid weather & if you use the AC it sucks because of engine heat soak.
I've never had a cool running X living in South FL.

Then we'll have to agree to disagree... I've had four first gen Explorers and none had cooling issues in 100+ degree humid Arkansas summers. Maybe in FL it is hotter, but for most people the stock cooling system should be fine.

The tranny cooling on the other hand does leave something to be desired. An aftermarket trans cooler is a must for hot states, especially if you'll be towing or in stop/go traffic.

 

[gmanpaint]

The needle being on the cold side does not mean it is running cold enough to touch parts with flesh!

I have found that if the oil gauge needle reads to the high side, it is from a bad ground in the system. Most likely a loose cable or a corroded one.

 

[Jason94sport]

I've had four first gen Explorers

Well I've had 3

 

[budro574]

Thanks guys, It does start out at the bottom and works its way to the N or right below it. Ihave read that a system which stays cool like this will cause issues down the road and loss in gas mileage which is already about as bad as my f150 I had 94(302). As long as the oil pressure stays within its value I'll come back to it but the temp isn't making it to suitable levels.

 

[Jason94sport]

What kind of tstat did you use? Also you can buy a temp/pressure gauge cap & install it on the radiator to accurately get a temp reading. As said the gauge is a idiot light mostly.