Overheating Saga Continues... * FIXED *

[doonze]

I am of the opinion that it is in fact a bad (clogged) radiator. But I'm determined to fix the blasted thing without replacing the radiator. I've made a lot of headway, now the only time it runs hot is with the A/C on. I'm also going to replace the sender soon, just to be sure. It's never "overheated", by that I mean it's never boiled over or boiled into the overflow. Just runs hot. Or was at least.

I know the radiator itself can't rust , but it's got so much gunk gumming it up from the head channels that it might as well rust. Last time I flushed it I tried some new things and was able to get quite a bit of that gunk out. But it's still not 100%, more like about 80%. So I'm going after it again next weekend with some new ideas. I can't help it, I'm too cheap to by a new radaitor at this time, maybe if I finally hit a wall and can't get anymore headway with it I'll break down and buy a new one, but I'm sure if I keep after it's I'll save this radiator yet. Time is something I have pleanty of, money is not.

 

[soloist3]

This sounds almost like a seeping headgasket, especially since you mention, brown colored water/coolant just shortly after you put it in. Have you done a hydrocarbon test on the radiator? That brown sludge could be push-out from one or more cylinders, exactly what happened with my Acura Legend, it did what you were describing for about a year until the headgasket finally failed. It was kind of confusing too as I could not understand why at some points the motor would run hot then almost immediately start running normal again, then I found out that it was small bubbles of air inside the coolant system that would get trapped near the thermostat and cause it to shut, causing the temp to shoot up, once I bled the system, bam, problem solved until a few weeks, then days, then hours later until enough air leaked out to cause it to happen all over again.

Another thing, I never let my engines overheat anymore; once the temp gauge starts moving up AT ALL from normal I don't drive it past that point, ever, before it is fixed. Maybe that is paranoia left over from the Legend but replacing headgaskets + having to mill the cylinder heads because the heat warped them = not fun and not cheap.

Hope it isn't a headgasket, good luck.

 

[doonze]

Trust me I went through a phase where I thought it was a bad gasket/head. However short of sending fluids off for testing I'm pretty sure everything is staying pretty much where it belongs. I've done several "at home" test on the oil and coolant, and have 0 water in my exhaust. I left the water I drained out in a bucket for a day to see if I had any seperating of fluids. And except for the 1" of rust in the bottom of the bucket everything stayed in suspension, I'm running straight water for the moment, until I'm done with my flushing, I don't want to waste and dispose of anti-freeze. So any fuel/oil should have seperated from the water in 24 hours. I'm litterly getting a ton (ok a pound) of crap out of this radiator every time I flush it and it's big stuff, not just the brown water, but lots of big pieces of crap, this system I'm about 100% sure has never been flush or had ANY work done on it ever. That's 16 years of crap backed up in there, and by gosh I'm going to get it out!! LOL

Also as I make headway with this, it's staying fixed, I'm having no back tracking. Course at this time I haven't gone a week without flushing since I started working on this issue. I've also figured out how it acts when it has air in the system, and if I burp it right I don't have the issues, and they don't come back unless I don't do a correct burp the next time.... I've flushed it 5 times now so I'm getting pretty good at it...LOL

But thanks for the ideas! And I'm going to keep that in mind once I've gotten to the point I'm sure the radaitor is fine.

 

[doonze]

Ok, pulled the radiator today, cleaned out all the junk that was between the radiator and the A/C cooler thing. Lots of leaves and I swear there was stuff growing in there! Also sprayed out the fins, got lots of black crap outta there. Then I went to town flushing it. For like 2 hours! Now, I had done a back flush before I pulled it off, and the water had run clean. But for almost 2 hours I was still able to get rusty water and big chunks of stuff out of the radiator once I had it out. Trick was to spray water into every hole it had then move it around to get different angles. I finally got the water to run clear out of every hole at every angle. Put the radiator back in and I'll guess we'll see if I've got this licked or not. Next step if this doesn't work.... New Radiator...

BTW, removing the Radiator is one of the simplest things I've done to the truck yet, I think replacing the dash bulbs was more difficult. Wish I'd done this from the start.

 

[doonze]

Ok, now seems to be at about 90-95%. Still can't use the A/C on a 95* day(after awhile it finanly started running hot, about 10 miles), but it acts much more civil at all other times. For the first time since I owned the truck it cooled down on the freeway after rising during a hill climb, during a 90+* day as well. It ran on the low side of O all the way, then rose to O/R on the hill climb, then fell back down to O after the top of the hill. It's NEVER lost heat on the freeway, that's always been the problem. When it rose, it just stayed there then would climb more on the next hill, stay there....and so on so forth until I got to A/L and beyond. Before the truck could almost never get rid of heat from a hill climb or heat soak. It can now, just the a/c thing to go....! Not ready to buy a new Radiator quite yet. I'm so close to getting this thing licked I'm now just determined to do it myself. Once I have a 100% fix I'll post up all I did and how I did it....

Course if I was a pro grease monkey I'd have about $1500-2000 in labor on this thing now. But my out of pocket expense to date on the cooling system total?.. $20

 

[doonze]

Ok, Finally fixed.....

I was able to run it on the Freeway, up hill, with the AC full blast, on a 90+ degree day, and it didn't ever get past 1/2 into R.

However I also have a new thermostat. I purchased a "premium" thermostat from Napa and it replaced my cheepie Autozone thermostat. I didn't like that thermostat, I suspected it was responding slowly and causing my up and down fluctuations of my temp gauge. Just kinda knew that was what it was by the way it behaved. For example it wouldn't ever open until the temp rose to about R/M, then it would fall to below O and stay there forever. Sometimes if it was cool outside and it stayed below O long enough it would close and the precess would repeat.

Now the new Napa piece, well first of all it has no weep hole, and instead of keeping it on the low side of O, instead it stays on the high side Of O, sits almost right between O/R and rises to middle of R when uphill with the AC on then falls down to High O after the hill. All on the freeway and with AC.

A little weird, when I'm used to it running on low side of O, but the movement is now just 1/2 a letter max, instead of swinging from Below O to High R all the time. The Napa part seems to have much better control then the AZ 4.99 job. The Napa part is a 195* and the AZ was 198*, but the Napa one runs hotter, but that may be because I'm seeing the correct temp for once, or might have something to do with the Napa part having no weep hole.... Not sure. Anyway, problem is fixed, I can live with it running 1/2 into R uphill and with AC on, and only moving 1/2 a letter from it's low to high range.

I fixed this by flushing the holy heck out of the Radiator, I'm going to come up with a how to on this soon, and I'll link it up here then!

 

[shaggymane]

Just saying congrats on the success.

Likes your attitide.

 

[doonze]

Just adding a link to my finally completed HOW TO:, this is how I got my Saga FIXED!

DUMBASS EDIT: Here's the link I forgot to add...
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251416

 

[KEH]

Congrats on the fix. Where is the link to the how to? I also have a 93 Sport with overheating problems. Thanks

 

[Maniak]

Link to the "How to"

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251416

 

[doonze]

Link to the "How to"

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=251416

ROTFLMAO, yeah I guess LINKING would have been in order there, must have forgotten it. >< Thanks Maniak.... I'll edit the link in too just so it's not so confusing....

 

[arizonie602]

i have this same problem going on but when i try to drain the radiator from the drain on the bottom nothing comes out.. if i stay off the freeway no problems but soon as im on it my truck heats up, i also have the dirty rusty water going on as soon as i change it rusty again.. Radiator?

 

[Anime]

If the coolant/water won't drain out, then it might be gunked up.

Your best bet would be to pull the radiator, flush it out with water until it runs, clear, and then fill the system with water once it's back together. Drive it a few times with water only, then drain and refill and repeat until the water comes out almost clear. It will still be light brown from some rust on the steel parts.

If there's lots of gunk in there, one way of getting it out without taking apart the engine is to use a piece of pantyhose/stocking between the upper radiator hose and the radiator. Put the foot part into the radiator, leave the upper part out, put the upper hose over it, and tighten the clamp. Drive it a few days like that, and when you take the hose off next time you drain the system, any solid crud will have been caught in the nylon filter.

 

[arizonie602]

Thanks for the reply, i went ahead and bought a new radiator this morning $66 dollars at one of our local places (Penny Pincher Auto). still need to install it but its hot outside here in phoenix...lol, hope it cures my overheating problem since everything i read on here points to the thermostat or radiator, I've replaced everything else in the cooling system...lol have a good day

 

[Abeytapablo]

Help please

Hi i have a 93 ford explorer and it keeps overheating. I changed the water pump and thermostat so what else could be the problem any help please

 

[FORDLOVER Tammy]

Did you replace the radiator cap? Do you see the temp rise on the gauge? Or is it just "blam" overheated?

Im having the same problem and from cold to POOF hot fluctuating in between and the RPMS are sky rocketing , OK i like working on cars but this has me stumped any Ideas ?