Omg it's everywhere!!!!

[OdinAF]

Okay so I had to jump my truck this morning for some reason..
Anyway I went to harbor freight to sell my soul to china, and left the truck idling with my girlfriend.

I come out to find smoke pouring from under the hood [EDITED OUT BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE WHINEY] so aftershutting the engine down I start my inspection.

So there is coolant boiling and spewing from the radiator cap and from the overflow tank. it's spewing like ol' faithful and I'm confused as shit as to what is causing this....

I replaced the radiator cap the week before. So I let it cool down after if dumped over a gallon and my OF tank is full way past the fill line, check the oil and there is no indication that it is a head gasket leak....at this point anyway.

So I start it up and it has some trouble getting going (rough idle) but then it soothes out (I'm guessing maybe coolant from the OF tank got into the air intake.So I gimp it down to the local parts store, basting the heat from all panels to keep it cool.

Now I start noticing that...I have heat in the cabin, the engine starts to heat up as it idles and cools down as I drive.

Hmmm

now I get to the store, gonna replace the thermostat with a 195F and pop the hood to see that OF tank is now empty, so I assume it sucked it all back into the radiator.

So I would like to hear some ideas

Also this maybe unrelated but, I notice when I do a oil change the dipstick appears to be 1 qt over (5qts per change with filter) with engine off and cool, and 3 qts over when running. Pressure in the block? I called FORD and the said I had the right Oil stick so IDK.

 

[Andy D]

Over heating at an idle is usually a bad fan clutch or God knows what in a 20yr old Ford. . Generally, speaking, leaving the truck running for no reason is frowned upon . So stop trying to lay your misfortune off onto somebody's girl child . and man up. If you kept the ol' junker in better shape, this wouldn't have happened.

 

[OdinAF]

Over heating at an idle is usually a bad fan clutch or God knows what in a 20yr old Ford. . Generally, speaking, leaving the truck running for no reason is frowned upon . So stop trying to lay your misfortune off onto somebody's girl child . and man up. If you kept the ol' junker in better shape, this wouldn't have happened.

First of all, the fan spins. Second what type of stupid watches a engine poor smoke out and not think, maybe I should shut the Engine off. And finally, this truck was a trade and I ALWAYS take care of my vehicles. First thing I do with all vehicles, is change "all" filters, fluids, plugs, wires, compression check, brakes, tires, drums and rotors,fuel. Clean the MAF, IAF,TB and Intake.

 

[Twister]

Someone needs a chill pill. Your fan will still spin with a bad fan clutch.

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

[PanamaExpat]

Fan clutch.... Replace that bad boy with an electric and you will be SOOOOO happy.

Just because the fan is spinning doesn't mean it is moving enough air. Especially if you have the AC on.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Yes, you DO need to man up! Instead of berating her for not knowing, teach her. Everybody starts off knowing nothing and learns as they grow. Maybe she didn't have anybody to teach her or someone was always yelling at her for whatever so now she does nothing for fear of being yelled at.
YOU need to change your attitude! Don't yell...teach.

Richard

 

[OdinAF]

Yes, you DO need to man up! Instead of berating her for not knowing, teach her. Everybody starts off knowing nothing and learns as they grow. Maybe she didn't have anybody to teach her or someone was always yelling at her for whatever so now she does nothing for fear of being yelled at.
YOU need to change your attitude! Don't yell...teach.

Richard

Shes over 30+ I should not have to teach her.

And is there a way to test the fan clutch?

And is there a bolt in electric fan option that will not cost $300-$400

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

There should be some resistance to turning the fan with the engine off. If it spins freely then it may be fubar. I'm not sure exactly, but I think there is a fluid inside the "hub" which thickens when heated and causes the fan to start turning for real when needed. I could be totally wrong though. Hopefully panama or someone else with more knowledge has some insight. Taurus fans are an option, check with the search button for years etc.
Good luck,

Richard

PS, no one is too old to learn

 

[SnC RangeR]

you can't teach common sense.

 

[adsm08]

Shes over 30+ I should not have to teach her.

And is there a way to test the fan clutch?

And is there a bolt in electric fan option that will not cost $300-$400

Huh. Seems like we are teaching you tons of stuff.

I am assuming that you are of a similar age to your g/f.

 

[Captain Ledd]

A bad fan will still free-wheel fairly easily when warmed up to operating temp.. A good fan will be pretty solid when up to temp, and not want to spin very easily. The hotter the clutch gets, the more it tightens up on the fan blades.

The above of course checked with the engine OFF.

Conversely a fan that's really hard to spin when cold, is also bad, and will eat up fuel economy.

Or you could take the whole silly thing off and wire in an electric.

 

[bigtruck94]

Shes over 30+ I should not have to teach her.

And is there a way to test the fan clutch?

And is there a bolt in electric fan option that will not cost $300-$400

Nothing wrong with teaching her a thing or two. I sometimes have to teach my 48 year old dad how to fix his pickup. I don't mind it. teach her something and maybe you don't have to yell at her. Man up!

There is an electric fan that you could get out of a Taurus. Not sure what year, but You could install one for at least 250 bucks depending where you get it at. Look up the search bar and I know there is a thread for that. Good luck and let her watch you do it!

 

[PanamaExpat]

If you are not experiencing overheat problems other than when sitting on hot days with AC running most of the time it is the fan clutch. Years take their toll on them. If you can easily stop the fan from spinning with the engine running at idle and warm clutch is junk. Now grasshopper are you brave enough to grab it to find out? (Make sure you wear your heaviest welding gloves if you try it.) If you lose a finger that is karma biting you for chewing out your girlfriend.

Other test for fan clutch ... A bit safer.... Take it off and remove the fan. Feel how much resistance there is at room temp when you turn it. Put it in a 250 degree oven for an hour and feel it again. (Wear your welding gloves when you do this... I am not responsible if you burn your fingers.) Should be much stiffer. If not ... Junk it.

On the vehicle you can also spin it cold it should spin 2 or 3 revs. When it is normal operating temp say after a ten mile ride and let it idle 5 or 10 minutes shut off motor and spin again. This time should only do about a half rev before it stops. If more....Junk it.

Just do yourself a favor and convert it.

Read some of the articles in the tech section and search a few threads we have gone over electric fans with a four point plow. The Taurus fan is an easy option but just about any 12" or larger puller fan can be adapted if you can rig up a shroud or mount with sheet metal or some guys are lucky enough to modify the existing shroud. Shop right and look around in the junk yard you can get the temp sensor and fan for probably less than 50 bucks. I see the cheesy relays these guys use but I recommend that you go get a good Allen Bradley 12 volt one from an electrical supply. Allen Bradley relays usually run less than 10 bucks (get the socket for it too). From there most guys have enough junk in the garage to finish up with.

As for the girlfriend.... I recommend roses... dinner with a good bottle of wine... and a serious apology..... Maybe she will forgive you for being such an ass. That comes from the voice of experience.

 

[JC 97]

Also this maybe unrelated but, I notice when I do a oil change the dipstick appears to be 1 qt over (5qts per change with filter) with engine off and cool, and 3 qts over when running. Pressure in the block? I called FORD and the said I had the right Oil stick so IDK.

Why would you ever check the oil with the engine running? Wonder who taught you that little trick.You do know that oil is circulated threw the engine.That is what the oil pump does.It pumps oil.Why would you think that you would get the same reading as when it is not running?

 

[adsm08]

Also this maybe unrelated but, I notice when I do a oil change the dipstick appears to be 1 qt over (5qts per change with filter) with engine off and cool, and 3 qts over when running. Pressure in the block? I called FORD and the said I had the right Oil stick so IDK.

OK, a stupid question begets a stupid question.

Since this oil level check is happening at oil change, do you put a dry filter on, dump 5 quarts down the filler and check it before starting the engine?

If so a quart over is perfect. Your oil filter holds about a quart of oil that will not be reflected on the dipstick since the dipstick only shows the contents of the oil pan, which should nominally be 4 quarts.


Also, you don't check engine oil with the engine on. I really fell like we shouldn't have to tell you this stuff, you are 30+, you should know everything there is to know by now.