1992 Explorer overheating

[evilwind1]

I have an overheating problem with my 93 explorer v6.I changed the original thermostat because it wasn't throwing out much heat. The t stat that they sold me from Aid Auto was supposedly the only one in the book for that year. I forget what temp it was for. Anyway the heat worked great after I installed it. In the summer when I put the a/c on the temp would rise considerably higher until I shut it off for fear of overheating. Now it goes up too high as soon as the truck warms up and once I turn the heater on it stabilizes a little but still too high. I took the hoses off of the heater core and flushed it out and it seemed fine. The coolant is running thru the motor pretty good also. My question now is does ford make a cooler thermostat? and should I maybe change the cap. I am somewhat of a backyard mechanic but I get stumped on stuff thats really basic sometimes. If someone could guide me thru or give some troubleshooting advice iot would be greatly appreciated, Thanks Bill. PS I hope to God its not the head gaskets!

 

[Brian1]

Could be your fan clutch going out, this is my first guess. I had an overheating problem with my 91 where the coolant in the overflow was boiling. I replaced my fan (it was cracked) and fan clutch with parts from the ford parts counter. I got the super/ heavy duty fan clutch since back then I towed a small trailer plus I used it off-road. It is also a good time to install a new serpentine belt if you havent done it before.

Is your grill or radiator obstructed by lights, grill inserts or have alot of crud mashed into the radiator fins? I have also found this to cause warmer running temps. I use grill inserts in the winter and it works fine but if I dont take them out in the summer it will run a little hot.

I have also found that flushing the radiator helped a little on my 91 as well. You said you flushed the hoses but did you flush the radiator as well? There is a bottle of radiator flush you can get at parts stores. As far as your cap it is a good idea to replace it when you replace the coolant such as when you pulled the t-stat. There is a tool you can use to check the cap pressure. Some autoparts stores may loan one out or the caps are cheap enough just to buy a new one anyway.

 

[Tbars4]

...it's the head gaskets...rofl, just kidding but i couldn't help myself...
...have you looked into the fan clutch...i have a feeling this is where your problem is, and since your heater core is not blocked...

 

[evilwind1]

Thankyou !Thankyou! I have the same twisted sense of humor when it comes to messin with somebody so the head gasket thing was good!(had me for a second) Now that I am thinking back I recall the mechanic last year telling me about the fan having cracks and needed to be changed.,( so of course I changed the thermostat! ) I think what deterred me from getting the clutch fan assembly is it was expensive brand new at pep boys. Do you think maybe I can get a decent one from a salvage yard? Well I think tomorrow I'll get the flush system,cap, fan, and with that I probably wont have to change the t-stat. Last year the manual tranny went and I spent $2100.00 on used "98 trans and new clutch installed(big hit with the wife!) So now I am trying to address potential problems before they are major.I really like the truck and I only paid $500.00 for it so to me its worth keeping it going....Anyway thanks very much for the super fast response (and the head gasket shot!) You guys rule!!!# 1 thanks again Bill

 

[Tbars4]

...if the fan is cracked, replace that and the fan clutch at the same time...i tend to replace stuff as new but you could get a used fan cheap at a jy...

 

[ma96782]

My question now is does ford make a cooler thermostat?

There are many different temps available.......but, remember the computer (and related emissions stuff) needs a certain temp range to operate correctly. So, it's usually better to stay w/ the factory recommendation.

IMHO.....Besides what has been mentioned.....look to the complete cooling system (include the gauge, in your checks, they're not the most accurate).

Aloha, Mark

 

[Diff Whack Daddy]

I bought a 91 explorer long ago and had the same problem. The peoblem ended up being that the radiator itself was about 50% clogged. When I say clogged, I am talking about the inside passages where the water flows through. A good radiator shop has some sort of test they can run to disprove the head gasket, but to diagnose the radiator they have to remove it and flow test it. They were able to rod out my radiator and the problem was instantly solved, after I had already replaced the fan, fan clutch, thermostat, etc...

In other words, it could be something you can't see and you could end up spending a lot of money replacing parts that don't need to be replaced.

 

[evilwind1]

can't get the nut off!

Thanks for the help and advice. I bought the clutch fan and proceeded to take the old stuff off.I got down to the nut that holds the fan on and can't get it off. A friend of mine told me it is reverse thread , is that right? He also said to give it a shot with the air chisel(which I can borrow) I took the fan shroud off to get better accessibility and broke it,but I'll fix after it's on with epoxy. Once I get that nut loose I think the fan will come right off. I left the pulley on and tried to grip it while I attempted to loosen the nut but to no avail. So what should I try now ... thanks Bill in NY.

 

[GETDATSTUFF]

The Fan on mine is a normal thread , as counter-clockwise to loosen, unlike what my chiltons claimed. I spent like a hour tighting it before I check another manual which was correct.