temp gauge 3/4 of the way up

[dragynaz]

hello everyone,new to this forum,having a problem with my cooling system,i had a clogged radiator and it was causing my temp gauge to ###tuate from hot to cold once the motor got warm,i replaced the radiator ,thermostat,water pump,temp sending unit in th thermostat housing both,computer and gauge sending units,flushed out the system.the truck seems to be running fine but the temp needle reads at 3/4 of the way up.dont think this is normal,any sugestions would be appreciated.

thanks
joe

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

hello everyone,new to this forum,having a problem with my cooling system,i had a clogged radiator and it was causing my temp gauge to ###tuate from hot to cold once the motor got warm,i replaced the radiator ,thermostat,water pump,temp sending unit in th thermostat housing both,computer and gauge sending units,flushed out the system.the truck seems to be running fine but the temp needle reads at 3/4 of the way up.dont think this is normal,any sugestions would be appreciated.

thanks
joe

Joe, two things come to mind; first perhaps the thermostat was
installed in the wrong direction?

Then maybe the new temp sender is not calibrated correctly to
match with the gauge? You could try installing the old sender
as a test, to see if the temp then drops back down......

 

[ahodges]

This year truck is famous for temperature gage fluctuations and abnormal readings. I've had similar problems.. My guess is that the temperature sending unit isn't calibrated correctly in this case.. They are very sensitive to aftermarket parts in the cooling system. Make sure that the plastic core of the sender is the same color as the original, if it isn't its probably the wrong one.

 

[dragynaz]

thanks guys i will try that tomorrow.

 

[dragynaz]

changed the sending units back to the factory ones that were in it know the needle fluctuates,when im on the highway it stays at about half way but when i come to a stop it drops down to about 1/4 of the way,once i get going again it goes back up to about a little over half,dont know if i should order the sending units from ford or if i should just deal with it?

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

changed the sending units back to the factory ones that were in it know the needle fluctuates,when im on the highway it stays at about half way but when i come to a stop it drops down to about 1/4 of the way,once i get going again it goes back up to about a little over half,dont know if i should order the sending units from ford or if i should just deal with it?

Coolant temp is pretty important; if it were mine I'd
order one from Ford with the correct color housing.....

 

[ahodges]

Well after trying to stop mine from fluctuating, I say don't worry about it. If you know everything is new, except the sending unit, then I'm sure its fine. I have a 96 that I fought for a long time trying to keep it from fluctuating/ over heating. I had to put a special water pump in from ford which fixed that problem but even with everything else new the temp. gage still fluctuates between 1/4 and just over 1/2.. These 2nd generation 4.0 OHV engines seem to have a problem with that. As long as it isn't overheating at all, I wouldn't worry about it.

I understand your frustration because over $400 later mine still fluctuates. But its been over a year now and it is doing fine

 

[dragynaz]

just replaced the sending unit,bought it from ford,know it fluctuates between 1/2 and 1/4 once it heats up,this is starting to suck,does anyone think it could be a head gasket problem,ran it with the cap off didnt see any bubbles,check the oil,no radiator fluid in it?

 

[ahodges]

like i said before, mine does the same thing with everything being brand new. That is just something that these 4.0 OHV engines do a lot of the time. It does NOT mean that anything is wrong with it, as long as its running on the cool to normal side of things it'll be fine

Ohh and by the way my engine is also brand new with only 23k on it, uses no antifreeze, and the temp. fluctuates

 

[dragynaz]

i know u said to just leave it but its driving me nuts ,i did a block test with the turkey baster thing and the blue stuff,it stayed blue didnt change color,so i was some what happy,went and bought a electronic temp gauge and sending unit hooked that up.that one fluctuates to,from about 220-190,i dont know if this is normal or not for these engines to run that hot,just conserned dont want to blow the motor up,any help beyond this point?

 

[ahodges]

Not really besides that 220 does seem a little on the hot side, 190 is about normal..

 

[96eb96]

just replaced the sending unit,bought it from ford,know it fluctuates between 1/2 and 1/4 once it heats up,this is starting to suck,does anyone think it could be a head gasket problem,ran it with the cap off didnt see any bubbles,check the oil,no radiator fluid in it?

i have the 96 ohv too. I replaced the stat, radiator, wp, and sender, all ford parts. It will fluctuate from a little below (maybe 3/8 of the way?) the thermometer symbol to the top of the thermometer symbol. I think its just the nature of the beast, it is a gauge afterall and it will move around a bit. I notice more movement in colder weather.

There is a bypass kit you can install to supposedly reduce steam formation but that is the last thing in the world I'm worried about! As long as it don't overheat and its stays in the normal zone.

 

[ahodges]

96eb96 X2, same here

 

[dragynaz]

does anyone think it could be the heater core it looks like the return for the heater core is right near the temp sending unit,thats all i havent replaced yet?

 

[dragynaz]

this is what i found last night on the net not sure if anyone here has tried it yet??????

Temperature Gauge Fluctuation On

1995-2000 Ford 4.0L OHV VIN X Engines

AERA members have reported a temperature gauge fluctuation on 1995-2000 Ford 4.0L

OHV VIN X engines. Along with this fluctuation, the customer may complain of a knocking

or thumping noise as well.

This noise is most pronounced with the engine at normal operating temperatures and

heard in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The noise is caused by steam forming

in the cooling system. this noise is then transmitted through the heater hoses and the

heater core.

Ford offers a Coolant By-Pass kit to cure this problem. This kit increases the flow,

which reduces steam formation in the cooling system. Refer to the chart listed below to get

the correct By-Pass kit as it depends on the type of vehicle the customer has.

Application Coolant By-Pass Kit

1997-2000 Ranger with auto or manual trans and F8PZ-8522-AA

1997-2000 Explorer with auto trans

1995-2000 Explorer with manual trans and F8PZ-8522-BA

1995-1996 Explorer with auto trans

1995-1996 Ranger with auto or manual trans F8PZ-8522-CA

 

[ahodges]

I know all about this servies bulletin since i researched it for myself so much, and I talked to a dealer about it in the area and they read the same thing..

There is that bypass kit fix, which i'll tell you is over priced through ford, or there is a special water pump that fixes the overheating problem which is made by ford and also expensive, retailed at around $200.

I went the special water pump way and got a great deal on it through my local dealer that I talk to all the time. This did indeed fix the overheating problem but the gage still wanders some. It goes between about a 1/4 up to 1/2 or so up. No problems with overheating and no more thumping (steam build up), been fine for over a year now..

 

[ahodges]

also when i was having the problem my gauge would fluctuate between normal (1/2) and spiked at the red mark, so the fluctuation between 1/4 and 1/2 isn't what they are talking about in this bulletin..

 

[dragynaz]

no they actually dont say anything about were the flucuations are putting the needles(1/2-1/4 or 1/2 to red)they just say fluctuations,a thumping noises in the heatercore.but im not really having an overheating problem i thought i was but it was the wrong temp sending unit from napa,unfortunatley in still having a fluctuation ploblem and i would like to fix it even though i have replaced everything,the actually dont make that kit anymore either so i got the scematics off of someone on this forum and gave them to a buddy of mine who works fot napa and says he can probably get me parts that will do the same thing for like $50.so its worth a shot.

 

[ahodges]

yeah i heard someone from this forum got the last one that Ford made.. Well good luck then cause I don't know what else to tell you

 

[dragynaz]

i hope it works to,i appreciate all the help you have given me to,been talking to a couple of ford machanics around me and the are clueless to about this one.


thanks again
joe