87 2.9l possible overheating

[bimmer325es]

2.9l ranger 4x4 5spd. hasn't been run in about 3 months was my dads, was driving it to my home made it 5 miles down the road and look down the temp gauge is at the N in normal so i pull over shut it off loosened the cap let the pressure off slowly and opened all the way, the radiator was full and didn't appear to be any loss in coolany anywhere, pulled the dipstick the oil was brand new and didn't appear to have coolant or water mixed, so i put a new t-stat, and rad cap on. filled up and drove it about 3 miles and it went right back up to the N made it to a friends house this time opened rad and topped off from t-stat change , started truck heat had been on the whole time the guage seemed to come down alittle bit idleing, i then went about 1k feet upt he road and turned around the gauge started to continue climbing shut truck off coasted back to friends took cap off, no steam no boiling over, stuck my fingure in the radiator and it ws hot but i could stand to keep my fingure inside 10 seconds not burning me at all. any ideas here?? im thinking and praying a new sending unit, what about water pump?? im very much capable of doing any repairs required here. ty for the input

 

[kimcrwbr1]

Your probably ok if your not overheating as long as the guage holds steady take it on a long trip and see if it gets out of the norm on the guage. These engines run at about 210 degrees at a full load if you can hold your finger in the coolant it is not over heating. If the guage bothers you you can try a new sending unit if it shows the same then that is the norm and just keep an eye on it. The fan clutch could be getting weak but if the temp holds steady at all speeds I wouldn`t worry about it. My 2.8 boiled over a bunch of times and didnt hurt it so no leaks, oil clean sounds fine to me.

 

[Big Jim M]

What???

2.9l ranger 4x4 5spd. hasn't been run in about 3 months was my dads, was driving it to my home made it 5 miles down the road and look down the temp gauge is at the N in normal so i pull over shut it off loosened the cap let the pressure off slowly and opened all the way, the radiator was full and didn't appear to be any loss in coolany anywhere, pulled the dipstick the oil was brand new and didn't appear to have coolant or water mixed, so i put a new t-stat, and rad cap on. filled up and drove it about 3 miles and it went right back up to the N made it to a friends house this time opened rad and topped off from t-stat change , started truck heat had been on the whole time the guage seemed to come down alittle bit idleing, i then went about 1k feet upt he road and turned around the gauge started to continue climbing shut truck off coasted back to friends took cap off, no steam no boiling over, stuck my fingure in the radiator and it ws hot but i could stand to keep my fingure inside 10 seconds not burning me at all. any ideas here?? im thinking and praying a new sending unit, what about water pump?? im very much capable of doing any repairs required here. ty for the input

What part of NORMAL is it that you DON'T understand? NORMAL means NORMAL!! Even if the needle is on the "L" it is still NORMAL!
Big JIm

 

[kickassford]

same here

mine was parked for about 2 years and is doing the same thing. i started with the simple stuff i put water wetter in the radiator and replaced the cap and it is helping a lot in the nevada heat 100+ and can still tow so i hope this helped

 

[jhammel85]

It's still in the normal so chances are its OK. Did your dad say that it was normal to do this? It could be perfectly fine if your dad agrees that it has always been that way.

If you really are worried about it, Check the sending unit out or get a aftermarket gauge..heck you could even use an infrared thermometer.

I wouldn't just throw money at it without thoroughly diagnosing everything. Did you check for air in the system? Is it circulating? Does it not go any higher than what you described (idling and on the highway)? If it has no air, its circulating and stays where it is, I'd let it be.

 

[RustedRanger]

I have read posts on here several times that say the stock gauge is notorious for being "out to lunch". When the clutch went bad on my fan the gauge got up to about the "R" in normal and it started running crappy,this was on one of the first days I had driven it with the temp outside over 80F. I just use the gauge as a guidline,I keep an eye on it and know where it runs normally so that way if it goes up from where it normally runs I know something aint right. That day last summer was real fun driving 30 miles in 80 degree weather with the heater going full blast. I have had a LOT of different vehicles and most had no gauge,only an "idiot light" and those usually don't come on till it's way way hot. I learned to pay close attention to the way the car idled and ran to tell if it was running hot. But in your case this is hard when your not used to driving it. BTW when I first started driving my Ranger the gauge was in the "normal" range and it was running way to cold because the thermostat was stuck open.

 

[bimmer325es]

today i replaced the sending unit, parked the nose up a hill and ran it for 15 minutes and the gauge is doin the same thing goin up to the line above normal and eventually goes up further i drove it abot 2 different times today and let it cool off each time so i could get it home have a water pump to put in it, and im thinking of removing the cltuch fan and rewiring a spare honda fan that i have to the radiator , what year bronco radiators are people using the the swap ?? id be interested in getting one if price is decent. 2 differn't times i stuck a thermometer in the radiator and got 180 degrees the first time drove, and 190 the second time, i have no idea how the temp ran for my dad, he never mentioned it.

I also noticed that it bucks or skips some while driving usually at a lower rpm 1,500-2000 buti have had it stumble alittle througout driving range. its had coil, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, solenoid on the passenger fender and i beleive the ecm or whatever is on the back of hte distributor was also replaced , and i notice it when the temp gauge is higher but still no coolant in oil,

 

[jhammel85]

Sounds like your probably fine.

190 or 180 is good. Really, it should be between 195 and 210.

If I were you, I would skip changing the fan. Does it have some kind of resistance? If it doesn't just freewheel, let it go. I think you'll be doing more work than needed, you know? Plus, who knows if that's really a good enough fan for your truck.

I think the radiator you are talking about is the Explorer 4.0 dual core radiator. Search the forums for more info on that..

If you've got no obvious signs of over heating, like boiling over, I really think you are OK. Just keep an eye on things..

 

[Big Jim M]

Howdy Bimmer

today i replaced the sending unit, parked the nose up a hill and ran it for 15 minutes and the gauge is doin the same thing goin up to the line above normal and eventually goes up further i drove it abot 2 different times today and let it cool off each time so i could get it home have a water pump to put in it, and im thinking of removing the cltuch fan and rewiring a spare honda fan that i have to the radiator , what year bronco radiators are people using the the swap ?? id be interested in getting one if price is decent. 2 differn't times i stuck a thermometer in the radiator and got 180 degrees the first time drove, and 190 the second time, i have no idea how the temp ran for my dad, he never mentioned it.

I also noticed that it bucks or skips some while driving usually at a lower rpm 1,500-2000 buti have had it stumble alittle througout driving range. its had coil, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, solenoid on the passenger fender and i beleive the ecm or whatever is on the back of hte distributor was also replaced , and i notice it when the temp gauge is higher but still no coolant in oil,

You could have one of several problems with the sendor the gauge.. But both of your posts don't tell us there is an overheating problem.
Why not drive it untill it pukes out the overflow? That is the only way you will KNOW for SURE it is overheating. It sure don't sound like it needs anything except driving.
Big JIm

 

[bimmer325es]

what is the other sensor in the thermostat housing on the left side of the sending unit, ??

 

[Big Jim M]

If there are two of them one is for the gauge and the other is for the computer to know when the engine is cold and needs a richer mixture and retarded timing.
Big JIm

 

[bimmer325es]

that is what i suspected the other went to, well my dad drove this truck all the time but recently lost a 4 month battle to cancer.... his gf called and told me that a few things with it was a temp gauge always said it was hot i just found this out. i just wanna make sure it is running properly i baught an aftermarket gauge but need to find a new location for it if anyone knows where the best location is please send me a pic or explain, i changed the water pump and flushed everything outa the cooling system but have not finished putting hoses and stuff back to it yet. the old pump didn't seem to be bad except it had the old cast pump on it the new one has a like blades maybe more efficient i will keep u updated, im debating geting an old gauge outa the junkyard and seeing if it acts up the same. she also said he used the cigarette lighter once and everything electrical went wrong so he would never use it im not so sure of it other then just being a freak thing that just happened. thanks for the patience

 

[jhammel85]

Very sorry to hear about your father...

From what I understand, you can thread the new aftermarket gauge into the same hole that you just installed a new sending unit (just remove and screw in)

I could be wrong but from what I've read on the forum, this is what some people are doing.

 

[IMenriched]

that is what i suspected the other went to, well my dad drove this truck all the time but recently lost a 4 month battle to cancer.... his gf called and told me that a few things with it was a temp gauge always said it was hot i just found this out. i just wanna make sure it is running properly i baught an aftermarket gauge but need to find a new location for it if anyone knows where the best location is please send me a pic or explain, i changed the water pump and flushed everything outa the cooling system but have not finished putting hoses and stuff back to it yet. the old pump didn't seem to be bad except it had the old cast pump on it the new one has a like blades maybe more efficient i will keep u updated, im debating geting an old gauge outa the junkyard and seeing if it acts up the same. she also said he used the cigarette lighter once and everything electrical went wrong so he would never use it im not so sure of it other then just being a freak thing that just happened. thanks for the patience

Like wise... my deepest sympathies

these sending units are not the most accurate things ....& vary a bit from truck to truck...so it can be that everything is normal temp wise. as others has stated.

But....that said, most here that want to know what temperature their truck is running, gets a descent mechanical gauge. & then knows what is going on.

I mounted my temp gauge on the lower center portion of the dash, angled upwards for better visibility....seen a few mount in the in center panel vent, just right of the steering wheel ( smaller diameter ones) but that would require more effort....most aftermarket gauges come with a mount bracket. & yes i just threaded the new sensor in the original hole & mounted the new gauge....no the temp gauge in the dash will not function...unless you thread in a short stem and "T" in both. but with T-ing in both you'll run the risk of loosing some accuracy , being a little farther away.

you did well by flushing everything out. a little bit of flow restriction in the radiator...can have noticeable results. good move on your part.

 

[fyre82]

I had some similar issues with my '88 2.9. The first part was partially plugged radiator fins, outside, filled with bugs and junk. Got that cleaned by a radiator guy and it improved. Then the heads cracked and I went rebuilt.

For ideas on a dual temp guage install, see my cardomain page. It has a couple of pictures of a dual temp and oil sender install. I put a 3 guage set up on the lower dash. I can see temp before and after the thermostat now. One sender for the dash guage is before the thermostat and the mechanical guage is after the thermo in the stock position. I drilled and tapped the water inlet for the sending unit to the stock guage.

I would clean the radiator inside and out to be sure that part of the cooling system is working right and go from there.

The stock temp guages are not reliable.

Good luck
Rich