drove from wa to ca in hot weather

[KobeJ05]

94 to 100 degrees. is it normal for the gauge to run over half in hot weather like that? hasnt lost any water for the whole trip and i noticed it gets kinda hot goin up hill like right around where the a is on normal. i just got the truck fixed and dont want to blow it up. im planning to move back to wa in a few months maybe and i dont want to over heat goin up hill going back. anything i could look into? i beleive it has a new thermostat but i have to look to see. ran good going back just concerned about the temp. also my trans is leaking too just in the mormal spot between the eng and trans. shifts really good has anyone tried the lucas before? i just have a tiny little puddle when i park it over night.

 

[boggs1227]

i just got done swapping out my stat from a 198 to a 180 ( for summer) ...i figure that since the a4ld does not like heat at all that the cooler running engine / radiator will help with the heat issue . plus if your truck has a lot of miles on it a higher temp stat will keep to much pressure in the engine and a head gasket problem could occur .so in the summer time i would change it to a cooler unit just to be safe .

and mine with the 198 and the 180 both run at around " n-o" on the guage.now since i got the 180 it runs a little on the before "n" side so it does help with cooling .

when was the last time you flushed the system ? that could help .

 

[Tbars4]

...It is not normal...It may also be your Radiator cap is bad or your heater core is plugged up...

 

[KobeJ05]

thanks for the replies. the truck has 148k miles not sure what the engine and trans has since the both got swapped out. truck runs normal temp today it was like 70 degrees to day it was just up north where it was 100 degrees. so maybe a lower temp thermo will work. i will also check the heater core and the cap. the cap i just replaced too. thanks

 

[Anime]

Depending on the thermostat you have installed, the coolant/water ratio you have in the system, and the condition of the heat exchanger/hoses/water pump, the temp gauge can do anything from staying stuck in the middle between O and R on the temp gauge no matter what, or wind up closer to the A or even the L when under load going up a hill, having the A/C on when it's hot out, or even just from the outside air going through the heat exchanger being warm.

I wouldn't ever suggest a 180 degree thermostat for these engines. They work best when the 'stat is either the stock Motorcraft 190 degree 'stat or an aftermarket 195 degree.

If you suspect a cooling system issue, the easiest improvement will come with a new 190 or 195 degree thermostat, and fresh coolant with distilled water. If you think the thermostat is okay, you can just drain the old coolant and add in new, using somewhere between a 50/50 and 70/30 coolant-to-water mix.

 

[KobeJ05]

ya i hope its a thermo has new coolant in there. i just had the piston rings replaced on it along with new head gaskets.

 

[nitro71]

Have you changed out your tranny, xfer case, diff fluids? Anything to decrease drag can't hurt.

 

[KobeJ05]

my transmission oil has 20k maybe less. im afraid to change it. transfetcase i dont know. what do you think about the lucas transmission treatment to kinda seal up the drip?

 

[nitro71]

A little drip don't hurt.. 20K is fine on tranny fluid. If it's a auto you can check it easily. Reason I say to make sure you have decent fluids is if say your rear diff has a water oil milk shake going on it can't help but increase resistance some.

 

[nitro71]

Might try a after marker water temp gauge also. Maybe your stocker is lying to you?

 

[KobeJ05]

i just replaced the temp sensor. i doesnt act like its running hot . this only happens on hot weather. the truck was sitting for 8 months. oil was changed truck was worked on and the trans fluid i didnt change

 

[Masterd]

Mines got a new stat and a new temp sender, and if I get into it going uphill, itll go just slightly over the middle, but not as high as yours is going.

 

[KobeJ05]

i know i posted this before

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i have a 94 explorer i was letting it warm up one morning and getting it on to the freeway the temp went up to 3/4's after letting it warm up to normal temp. im gonna change the transmission fluid the truck was sitting for 5 months. the mechanic that fixed it out of state told me he changed the thermostat with a stant one. my radiator fluid is new. the head gaskets were replaced. but when i was tryin to go on the free way the temp vgot up to 3/4 stays there for not even a min then flys back down to normal temp between n and o. rest of the drive is fine. seems depending how long the hill is the temp seems to raise more like when i was dirving to redding in hot weather the gauge went over half. when i got out to get gas im starting to get that sweet smell in the front again.