Stuck in Mexico with a problem

[oaxaca_one]

I live in Mexico, and where I live I'm stuck with the choice between sub-par mechanics, or a Ford dealership that charges $1,200 pesos just to diagnose a problem.

Needless to say, I would rather diagnose the problem myself.

My truck: 2008 Explorer XLT, V6, 4x4

Symptom: When I start from a dead stop and hit the gas, while it is in first gear something under the hood revvs up way to high. So high in fact that it is obvious something wrong. At first I thought it was the engine revving too high, but the RPMs are exactly the same whether or not the high revving happens. So I don't think it's the motor.

Does it make sense to anyone that my engine fan might be revving too high? If so, does that indicate a bad fan clutch? It only happens at low speeds.

I'm a car idiot, but a friend of mine thought that might be the problem.

Anyone recognize this problem??

Thanks in advance.

 

[Joe Dirt]

If you spin your fan by hand with the engine off (duh!) how far does it rotate before stopping? How much resistance? It should be fairly solid and not turn much at all.

 

[oaxaca_one]

Joe Dirt: thanks for your input. I checked the fan this morning, and I can turn it easily with my hand. Virtually no resistance at all.

Also, as I was perusing the forum last night, I ran across this from another thread:

So, in reality, the Ford mechanic should have found the problem. Surely this isn't the first EX he's seen that the fan clutch was locking up and making it sound like the engine was running wide open.

This is exactly what is happening to my Explorer. The engine sounds like it is running wide open. wk4ity seems to indicate it is a fan clutch problem.

Since I found this quote in the "anyone have radiator leaks?" thread, I decided to check the level of my coolant. Sure enough, the radiator was virtually empty.

What does it all mean? Do I need to replace the fan clutch, or get a new radiator, or both??

 

[captainjack]

overheating?

It sounds like your fan is running full speed.The fan is controlled by the computer. If the engine or the transmission is running hot or if a faulty sensor says it's hot the fan will run at high speed and sound like a jet engine when starting from a stop. I had a similar problem from a small loss of coolant and a thermostat that seemed to let the engine get too hot before suddenly opening and quickly cooling it to a normal operating temperature. I installed a new thermostat, radiator cap, tube of cooling system sealant and haven't heard the loud fan in 2,000 miles.