Fuel Guage & Overheating

[MetalGearRex]

So, when I purchased my 92 Explorer. My fuel guage was already broken. It simply just doesn't work. The needle sits there on "E". So my quesion is how would I go about fixing it? Is it an easy fix? Is there a DIY thread about it somewhere on the forum? Any help would be appreciated.

Also my truck has an over heating issue. Now this only occurs usually when driven for a long period of time for instance on the freeway. I tried just flushing my radiator or whatever you call it where I pull that little plug to drain it. Pulled it and it didn't drain. I think it's rust build up. Now, because of that, would it just need a new radiator? Also Is it pretty easy to replace the Coolant and winshield wiper fluid reservoir?

Again, any helpful tips would be appreciated. Thank you for your time. Hope you all have a nice day and a great weekend.

 

[Roadrunner777]

There is an active thread called 'fuel gauge issues', in this group. follow that chain of thought. If you like, come back here and let us know how much gas is estimated to be in the tank, and the resistance of the yellow/white wire to ground. You can find this wire in one of the connectors under the master cylinder.

Overheating, you should probably try flushing your cooling system. There is a sticky on that here. Please pay special attention to the steps on burping or removing air from the cooling system.

I don't know exactly the steps to replace the reservoir, can't be too difficult... maybe screws from the fender side?

 

[geosnooker2000]

For what it's worth on the overheating issue, go get your truck "block-tested". I have had this problem for quite a while, and am now in the middle of a head-gasket replacement job, complete with cracked heads. (yay....) The problem is, your blown head gasket or cracked head or heads allow gasses from compression to enter the cooling system. Those gasses add pressure to the cooling system which forces coolant out of your radiator and into the overflow container. The longer you drive, the more and more coolant gets forced out of your cooling system, leaving less and less coolant to cool your engine. This is a vicious cycle, as the less coolant there is left in the system, the hotter and hotter the engine gets, ALSO adding more and more pressure, forcing more and more coolant out....... well, you get the idea.

The test consists of a clear container that the technician puts a blue liquid into and then presses it down onto your open radiator. If gasses bubble up and turn the liquid green, or on it's way to clear, you have a very expensive problem.

Good luck.

 

[cogs]

would the coolant reservoir keep getting higher in that case?

 

[geosnooker2000]

Oh, it would actually overflow each time you drive it if you reach operating temperature for more than, say, 20 min. or so. Actually, it may not depending on how bad the compression leak is. Mine didn't actually "boil out" all last Winter, even though I've had a compression leak (cracked heads) for over 3 years. It only has become a problem in the summer time when the temperatures are in the 80s, 90s, and 100s (Memphis area).

What happens is, IF your radiator cap is functioning as intended, your engine heats up, pushing coolant out into the overflow reservoir until it reaches a sort of equilibrium. Then when you shut the engine down, it cools down and creates a vacuum in the radiator, sucking back coolant into it from the reservoir until it reaches the ambient temperature outside. This, incidentally, is why when you change coolant, or a radiator hose, or do some other work on the cooling system, when you run you car for the first time afterward, the temperature gauge fluctuates then, but not after that. It takes that first time to push all the air out of the system. Then it only sucks back in coolant/water when it cools down..... and no air.

Anyway, when you have a compression leak into your coolant jackets, you can drive the truck until it pushes most or all of the coolant OUT of the system and into the reservoir. But the reservoir is not big enough to hold all of the fluid, so it actually reaches a point where it blows the top off the reservoir and bursts out of that. Then you don't have enough coolant in the reservoir to get sucked back into the radiator, never mind the fact that you just ran your engine at dangerously high temps for enough time to destroy it.

I hoped my rambling helped you. All you have to do is deal with a problem for about 3 years before you know the issue inside and out.

 

[Roadrunner777]

^^^ Spot on, had the same thing happen to a Ford Contour a few years ago. Got by for a while by hotwiring the fans on.