New issue. Probably simple.

[pony4896]

2.8V6.
I dont understand. I just changed out all my heatercore/radiator hoses/and the thermostat due to leaky hoses and a thermostat, (192degree), that i believed was stuck closed because the radiator never felt hot to the touch and neither did the lower radiator hose.
Took out the old thermostat, (its located in the lower radiator hose), and boiled some water on the stove to see if when i stuck it in the water if it would open up...Nothing happened...
So im guessing it was bad?
Now that i put the new, (Fail-Safe), thermostat in, (also 192degree), i no longer have much heat blowing in the cab!
Its just kinda warm..
I drove the truck 8 miles straight on the hwy, and the Temp gauge in the cab never showed above half, were it used to, with the old thermostat register above the half mark and more into the almost high range.
Now, when ever i got home i popped the hood, with the engine still running, felt the radiator cap and it was COLD. Then i felt all along the aluminum top part of the radiator were it used to get hot when i was driving and now it too was COLD. After 8 miles...
All of my upper hoses were nice and HOT, but the radiator and the lower hose were all as cold as the outside air (30 degrees).
I turned the engine off. Went inside and got a beer.
Came back out like 10min later and what do you know.... The radiator was hot to the touch, the coolent inside the radiator was finally warm, and the lower radiator hose was finally warm too..
So this must mean that in order to get my engine up to the 192 degree mark, in this cold of weather, i have to shut off my engine after driving it or it will never get HOT enough to allow my thermostat to open up (192)...
So should i go get a 185 thermostat?
Sucks having very little heat in the winter..
Must be because the radiator is also brand new? Previous owner had installed a new one before he sold it to me.
Im not sure why a guy would put a brand new radiator on, yet not change out any of the badly aged rotting and buldging hoses?
But anyways,
What could i do to remedy this issue. I bleed out the coolent system, parked on a steep slant with the front of the truck sticking up in the air so as to allow the trapped air to escape while running the engine with the heater on full blast when i was adding the coolent.
So i do not think that it has trapped air?
Any thoughts?
Thanks..

 

[dangerranger83]

Sounds like a typical ranger thing. Evrybody I know in person doesnt gget much heat out of teres in the winter, including me. I have a board in front of my rediator blocking off all but a small sction and it doesnt helkp muc, my manual temp guage may read 120 on a good day in the winter but not much more. But Im running an A/C rad. in mine but my dad isnt and his is the same way. But in the summer, mine can read as high as 210 so thats why my current rad. is staying in it. I can let mine idle forever and never get hot air out of it, just luke warm, enough to defrost the windsheild.

But if you placed the old thermostat in boiling water and it didnt open, then it was bad. If you plut a lower temp. thermostat in it, then it will open sooner thus letting the hot fluid into the rad. sooner, keeping t from getting warmer and you wont have much or any heat.

I say, block off th rad. with some cardboard and if its to much, just keep subtracting how much cardboard is blocking the rad. until its the way you want it.

 

[Doofy]

I've never had a cold Ranger, even at -55 below zero. I flush my system about every three years and keep an eye on the hoses and such. Maybe your radiator is doing its job too well. Try the cardboard in front of the rad...and get a real temp gauge.

 

[Original_Ranger84]

I've never had a cold Ranger, even at -55 below zero. I flush my system about every three years and keep an eye on the hoses and such. Maybe your radiator is doing its job too well. Try the cardboard in front of the rad...and get a real temp gauge.

Yeah both of my truck pour out hot air (my 84 and 99) the 99 does a better job cause its more insulated and less holes but they both can make me sweat if I crank them up no matter how cold.

Also the older rangers have a real gauge they just don't have the accuracy of a seperate gauge.

Did you by chance put the thermostat in backwards? if the heating element was put in where it wouldn't hit the heated coolant then it wouldn't open (especially on only an 8 minute run.) but when it sat it eventually got heated and opened up.

Also I would invest in a winter front and a block heater. The winter front prevent the fan from sucking in the freezing cold air into the engine bay while at idle and it warms up faster. The block heater plugs in and can heat up your oil or you can get a coolent one that will warm up the engine before it is started.

 

[strvger]

mine heats like crazy. temp gauge not working so there is an aftermarket one in the truck. engine seems to warm up fast and if i'm cruising on the freeway, i have to shut off the blower motor and move the temp selector toward the middle as it gets so warm.

 

[Lifted2x]

I would pull that thermostat and check it on the stove, I never put a new one in without checking it first. Its surprising how many don't open at the right temp even when new. I have dealt with quite a few 2.8's and never had one run cold. You do know ya have to fill the upper radiator hose first anytime you open the cooling system right?

 

[dangerranger83]

The hottest mine has gotten on a 40 degree day was 120. Right now it is 16 degrees outside.

 

[Eric Kropp]

OK, we don't have a lot of 15 degree mornings here in Prunedale CA. but we have a lot of mid 20 to 30 degree mornings and I am never suffering from a lack of hot air in my cab. It has to be REAL cold for me not to turn the heat down either by fan or temp by the time I am 15 minutes into my drive to work. My Ranger has the thickest radiator you can get and a 180 degree stat. I have never had any of the bubble or burping problems when I fill mine up either

Eric<><

 

[dangerranger83]

I never had a burping or air problems either but my dad nor I have never really got hot air out of our ranger in the winter and thats with putting new heater cores in too. Its just something we have learned to live with.

 

[Twister]

Hmmm, it will be 0 *F here and my B2 with still get up to 190* on my aftermarket temp gauge, and most of my cooling system has been replced (new t-stat, water pump, fan clutch, radatior, and hoses) and it will blow hot.

 

[strvger]

The hottest mine has gotten on a 40 degree day was 120. Right now it is 16 degrees outside.

if that's the warmest your engine gets, you will have problems for sure. that is not hot enough to be even close to the correct operating temp for an engine. oil won't flow well enough to lubricate correctly, engine coolant won't give you much in the way of heat/defrost, etc. thermostats usually range from 180*-195* for a reason: that is it's close to the correct operating temperature of the engine. hopefully it is just your gauge. could even be your thermostat if you have one of those fail-safe ones that stay in the open position when they fail. if your engine really is running that cold, you need to find out why and fix it.
just a thought.