My 2.8 is on her last legs :(

[r1hatman]

Thanks RS, Me too, if not I'm out of ideas except the fan clutch, but it was turning fine before, or a blown head gasket, but there is no water in the oil or vise versa? Who knows, we'll see tomorrow. I keep you all posted

 

[adsm08]

I'd say knock the fan clutch to the bottom of list of suspects. I know a guy who ran his 2.9 with no fan in bad traffic for years and it never overheated once.

How is your air/fuel mix? A lean engine will run hot. One of the tricks guys used to use to keep engines running cool in the summer was to richen up the mix a bit.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Generally when the fan clutch dies it locks up so it would overcool if anything.

 

[r1hatman]

update....

Well I got it back together, new radiator, water pump and thermostat, belts. Start it up and it's still running on the hot side. I took it to a mechanic and he said take it home and let it sit for a while and see if the radiator has enough fluid it in and he said there was no evidence of a cracked head, or bad head gasket. I took it home and let it cool, added more fluid and topped off the overflow tank. People say these motors tend to run hot, but before with a leaking radiator and always being no more that 3/4 full it never ran hot. Now it hovers on the of the norm toward the top of hot. But I started it up and revved it with a thermometer in the tank with the cap off and it never got above 180, the thermostat is a fail safe rated at 192 degrees and it never got that hot. I'm thinking of going to performance parts and getting a 160 degree thermostat cause I don't want my truck running that hot. Will it mess anything up if I run a 160 degree thermostat? I think the thermo never opened cause the radiator was not circulating but I had tons of heat in the cab. It finally started swirling after I revved for a while but it never sprayed like a new 3 core radiator should! Is it a bad thermo, and if so should I replace with a 160 thermo? What do y'all think?

 

[kimcrwbr1]

If the water dont get above 195 dont do nothing if you put a 160 tstat in it will mess with the computer maybe you can get a different temp sensor if the guage bothers you but it sounds to me like it is working how it should and you were saying it never got in the upper part of the guage was that when it had the two stats in it. If the engine dont come up to operating temp the bearing tolerances will be different and the engine will oil different but it is up to you you might be ok with the 160 stat just make sure it has the bypass plate on it like the stock one so the engine warms up properly.

 

[r1hatman]

Thanks for the info, I'm still debating whether or not to put in that 160 thermo. I just want it to operate in normal ranges, especially when I have my boat or trailer behind her! That's why I can't wait to get that 289 in there, simple no computer bs to mess things up!

 

[kimcrwbr1]

If you dont need to pass emissions duraspark it and run it till it pukes. Another option you have is to put the thermostat on the upper hose but you need to find the right two piece housing and I cant tell you what year mine is from but I will send you a couple pics but you should be fine running it like it is for now. What I did was plug the 3/4" nipple on the intake manifold for the bypass hose and the housing is a two piece with a 1" bypass nipple on the lower piece. I have a 195 stat in it and it never goes above mid range on the guage and you need to put the temp sensors on before you mount it to the manifold. I am guessing it is from a 85 with A/C and just stumbled on it at the bone yard.

 

[r1hatman]

Gotcha, can you send some pics of that?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Thanks for the info, I'm still debating whether or not to put in that 160 thermo. I just want it to operate in normal ranges, especially when I have my boat or trailer behind her! That's why I can't wait to get that 289 in there, simple no computer bs to mess things up!

A cooler stat won't help anything, if it is running hot with the right one opened up it will run hot with a cooler one too. Open is open.

I do recall hearing about a big rig-a-ma-roll to get the air out of the older system. Might do some checking in the 2.8 forum or maybe someone will chime in.

Do you know exactly how warm it is getting? Mine was always on the warmer side of the stock gauge, but ran right at 190 with a mechanical gauge which is right where you want it. The factory gauges get the idea across but are not all that accurate.

Here is what my housing looks like for the upper thermostat:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v623/85_Ranger/Ranger water pump fun/Picture007.jpg?t=1274804662

 

[r1hatman]

I revved it for about 30 minutes and it would only get up to 185, 1 time it got to 190 and it is a 192 thermo. So that tells me it is not getting hot enough to open. I was using a stainless steel thermometer in the radiator cap hole. I'm still gonna get the 160 thermo and be done with it.

 

[superdave1984]

Are you certain the temp gauge is working correctly?
You could just buy my little project truck...........

 

[r1hatman]

I've already got a project truck. I got the 160 thermo yesterday, I had to order the other back gasket, I'll pick it up today and slap it in there this afternoon. I'll keep you all posted.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I revved it for about 30 minutes and it would only get up to 185, 1 time it got to 190 and it is a 192 thermo. So that tells me it is not getting hot enough to open. I was using a stainless steel thermometer in the radiator cap hole. I'm still gonna get the 160 thermo and be done with it.

So you think the system is accurate within 2 degrees between two different points?

The thermostat is essentially in the engine and you are surprised it is at least 2 degrees cooler in the top of the radiator? After it runs thru the bypass hose and/or the upper radiator hose it WILL cool off slightly.

If you HAVE to run a 160 degree stat, it is a bandaid because there is a problem elsewhere in the system.

If the stat didn't open, it WOULD get hotter than 190 degrees in the engine.

 

[r1hatman]

It's not getting hot enough to open the 192 thermo, but it's getting hotter than I would like it to and it's hotter than it ever ran before when I first got it and did nothing to it and had it pulling a trailer loaded and the bed loaded too when we were moving with a leak in the radiator. When I put the 160 thermo in it, it will open sooner thus circulating the antifreeze through a new 3 core radiator instead of the factor 2 core it had and new water pump, so it will run closer to the temp that I am used to. It's just my personal preference!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

It's not getting hot enough to open the 192 thermo, but it's getting hotter than I would like it to and it's hotter than it ever ran before when I first got it and did nothing to it and had it pulling a trailer loaded and the bed loaded too when we were moving with a leak in the radiator. When I put the 160 thermo in it, it will open sooner thus circulating the antifreeze through a new 3 core radiator instead of the factor 2 core it had and new water pump, so it will run closer to the temp that I am used to. It's just my personal preference!

What temp are you used to?

It will run whatever temp the system can sustain, once the thermostat is open it is open. If it wants to run 300 degrees, your 160 degreee stat won't have a say in it, because it will be just as open as a 190 degree at that point.