93 Ranger overheating & running rough

[Kathi]

All of the sudden my Ranger is almost overheating when I am stopped at a light or going over Mountain Springs Summit (5600 ft.) The engine is also running rough, and the coolant is rust colored. Everything has been fine, just all of the sudden it is not running good, using more gas, and getting hot. It has always run cold, now it gets about to the A in normal. MY check engine light will not go out, it has been on for years, so I don't know if something new has gone wrong or not. The radiator stays full of coolant, and the reservoir is not empty either. The water pump has been replaced, and I do not see any water leaking anywhere. Does anyone have any idea what might be happening here? I would appreciate any help I can get.

 

[JStrider]

uhhh... coolant is rust colored? it should be green... I would flush it out big time and replace all that nasty coolant.

also check the fan clutch, spin the fan when the engine is cold, then spin the fan when the engine is hot. it should be harder to spin hot

 

[Creager]

Yeah, flush that thing. Most auto parts stores carry flushing chemicals like the Valvoline Super Flush. Follow the directions on the bottle, afterwards you can literally watch chunks of rust flow out of the drain-**** on the radiator.

Does the heater blow hot air? Sometimes the rust will clog the heater hoses preventing coolant flow, which may be an indication of problems elsewhere in the cooling system.

 

[schmidlkofer]

yeah flush that....put the flush stuff in it do what the bottle says...i flushed my radiator in my dodge out and chunks came out like crazy i ran regular water through it emptied it out then put the coolant.