Yet another Over temp thread

[TrexMex]

I have read through a good deal of over temp threads so far and none seem to exactly address my problem, so here it goes..

We have been hitting pretty wacked out temperatures around here the past couple of weeks, we actually hit 122 last friday; I've just bought this truck (94, 4.0) over a month ago and the temp gauge needle is usually right above the "R" in NORMAL, that's right in the middle. When idling, like stopped on a traffic light, it rises to almost the "L" and then when driving goes back to the "R", Needless to say, I have my AC on all the time (Now, with those temps wouldn't you?? ). Now when I bought it I didn't want to take any chances and flushed the system, replaced the fan clutch, rad cap and thermostat and filled it with 50/50 pre-mixed coolant; that was 3 weeks ago and I checked the coolant level this weekend and it's right were it was when I filled it out.

I've also checked for temp change between the rad hoses and could "feel" the thermostat kicking in and also the hoses going in and coming out of the firewall seem to have flow in them as both get hot after a while. So... is this just a matter of the insanely hot temps around here and my system not being able to handle them? should I go for a 2 core radiator? I even get knocking when the gauge indicates an over temp so I'm also ruling out a faulty temp sensor.

I'm running out of options here so any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TheDangerRanger]

I have read through a good deal of over temp threads so far and none seem to exactly address my problem, so here it goes..

We have been hitting pretty wacked out temperatures around here the past couple of weeks, we actually hit 122 last friday; I've just bought this truck (94, 4.0) over a month ago and the temp gauge needle is usually right above the "R" in NORMAL, that's right in the middle. When idling, like stopped on a traffic light, it rises to almost the "L" and then when driving goes back to the "R", Needless to say, I have my AC on all the time (Now, with those temps wouldn't you?? ). Now when I bought it I didn't want to take any chances and flushed the system, replaced the fan clutch, rad cap and thermostat and filled it with 50/50 pre-mixed coolant; that was 3 weeks ago and I checked the coolant level this weekend and it's right were it was when I filled it out.

I've also checked for temp change between the rad hoses and could "feel" the thermostat kicking in and also the hoses going in and coming out of the firewall seem to have flow in them as both get hot after a while. So... is this just a matter of the insanely hot temps around here and my system not being able to handle them? should I go for a 2 core radiator? I even get knocking when the gauge indicates an over temp so I'm also ruling out a faulty temp sensor.

I'm running out of options here so any help would be greatly appreciated.

My money is on cracked heads and/or blown head gaskets... very very common problem. Every one of my 4.0's have done it...

Oil in the water/water in the oil? Automatic? 5spd?

 

[TrexMex]

5spd, 4WD.... No oil in the coolant nor coolant in the oil if I checked correctly... Also, I noticed no leaks as the coolant deposit has kept it's level since I replaced the coolant two weeks ago.

Speaking of oil.. I changed the oil as well and used pennzoil 10W30 (Ford Spec) Should I be going for a higher viscosity grade with these godforsaken Ambient temps?

 

[el_conquistador]

I truck's previous owner used pennzoil. Needless to say I switched from that shit to Valvoline.

 

[TrexMex]

I truck's previous owner used pennzoil. Needless to say I switched from that shit to Valvoline.

... and that's all I needed to know... Usually do chevron but got cheap this time (walmart had a sale).. I guess I should've known better... I'm taking that stuff out tonight!!! When the sun sets that is.... 90 at night!

Thanks for the "subtle" suggestion man

 

[TheDangerRanger]

5spd, 4WD.... No oil in the coolant nor coolant in the oil if I checked correctly... Also, I noticed no leaks as the coolant deposit has kept it's level since I replaced the coolant two weeks ago.

Speaking of oil.. I changed the oil as well and used pennzoil 10W30 (Ford Spec) Should I be going for a higher viscosity grade with these godforsaken Ambient temps?

Very aerated coolant is another possible sign of bad heads. My 4.0/5spd explorer did not have mixed fluids... It gets 110-120* here in the summers and my wife blew it up last august. The ex had 170k with two blown head gaskets and one cracked aftermarket head. It also spit out some valve seats and basically ruined the entire motor.

I'd for sure put a real temp gauge in to keep a close watch and run a radiator from an auto exploder regardless of what you find the problem is.

 

[TrexMex]

Very aerated coolant is another possible sign of bad heads. My 4.0/5spd explorer did not have mixed fluids... It gets 110-120* here in the summers and my wife blew it up last august. The ex had 170k with two blown head gaskets and one cracked aftermarket head. It also spit out some valve seats and basically ruined the entire motor.

I'd for sure put a real temp gauge in to keep a close watch and run a radiator from an auto exploder regardless of what you find the problem is.

How can I tell which radiator is in there? when I changed the fan clutch I could tell the thing in there is not the stock one because the fan housing does not match the notches in the bottom frame of the radiator.. it's a ford radiator though I just dunno which one! boneyard for sure......

 

[dangerranger83]

Just want to say (my brother-in-law says this he's a machanice) that Valvoline and Pennzoil are made but the same company and are the same thing. The only differnces are what the Valvoline and Pennzoil additives are and how much is put in and price difference. Like I said thats not me talking. I use Pennzoil but have nothing against Valvoline, Ive used it before and worked great. BTW I dont care what people say about Fram filters, Ive never had a problem with them. Fill them up with oil before putting them on, if you can, to prevent air in the oil system and prevent a longer dry start up. Ill never use a POS filter....Fram for me all the way. This is my opinion dont take it personally, use what you want.

As for your radiator, got pics. My sister has a new aluminum radiator in here 94 explorer and it keeps it cool in high temps but allows the vehicle to keep warm in our cold Indiana winters. I'm waiting for the tranny to go out because my brother-in-law owns me money and is going to give it to me (I want everything from the axles to the interior).

As for temp. guages get a manual temp guage if the electric one is giving you doubts.

 

[TheDangerRanger]

How can I tell which radiator is in there? when I changed the fan clutch I could tell the thing in there is not the stock one because the fan housing does not match the notches in the bottom frame of the radiator.. it's a ford radiator though I just dunno which one! boneyard for sure......

The alum rad from an auto explorer has a 2" thick core... looks like this

 

[TrexMex]

Just want to say (my brother-in-law says this he's a machanice) that Valvoline and Pennzoil are made but the same company and are the same thing. The only differnces are what the Valvoline and Pennzoil additives are and how much is put in and price difference. Like I said thats not me talking. I use Pennzoil but have nothing against Valvoline, Ive used it before and worked great. BTW I dont care what people say about Fram filters, Ive never had a problem with them. Fill them up with oil before putting them on, if you can, to prevent air in the oil system and prevent a longer dry start up. Ill never use a POS filter....Fram for me all the way. This is my opinion dont take it personally, use what you want.

As for your radiator, got pics. My sister has a new aluminum radiator in here 94 explorer and it keeps it cool in high temps but allows the vehicle to keep warm in our cold Indiana winters. I'm waiting for the tranny to go out because my brother-in-law owns me money and is going to give it to me (I want everything from the axles to the interior).

As for temp. guages get a manual temp guage if the electric one is giving you doubts.

I'm with you on Fram all the way... have used them since my first car, an 89 Sentra.. Besides, I work for Honeywell now so gotta support the company who gets the paycheck in the mail every month

As for Chevron for me, I like the techron stuff in their products and have never had any problems with the engine or changing the oil every 5000 miles so as you say it's a matter of what works for everyone I guess.. as for the radiator, here you go....




View attachment 2312

Hope these help identify it.

Thanks!

 

[TrexMex]

The alum rad from an auto explorer has a 2" thick core... looks like this

Funny... looks like mine... maybe I need to change the fan housing? OR.... maybe it's clogged? I could swear I felt the temp change through both hoses, but I'll re-check....

I'm just praying I don't have to mess with gaskets right now...

 

[TheDangerRanger]

Funny... looks like mine... maybe I need to change the fan housing? OR.... maybe it's clogged? I could swear I felt the temp change through both hoses, but I'll re-check....

I'm just praying I don't have to mess with gaskets right now...

used 4oh's are cheap enough it's not worth tearing one apart untill parts are coming out the tail pipe. There's a company that makes a head sealer, IIRC it's K&S... I've done it on three 4 leakers with good success. Just make sure you follow the instructions to the fawkin letter if you do it!!!!!!!! Like I orig posted... IMO you have heads/gaskets going bad.

 

[TrexMex]

So I went ahead and increased my coolant to water mix from 50/50 to around 70/30. I also changed the oil to Valvoline synthetic... I put in 4 quarts and checked oil level which was exactly where it needed to be, which was weird since it's supposed to take in 5qts, right? not quite... So I added the last quart also thinking it would settle after starting the engine up.

This morning I get much smoother and cooler operation, temp level within the N and the O all the time with AC on; I only do like 30 mins commute at the most, but did notice I had a little trouble starting the engine in the morning for no particular reason, and noticed very little blue smoke when starting and then nothing.... Didn't really pay too much attention to it.. Got to work and realized because I kept the oil filter (just changed it 2 weeks ago so I thought no reason for changing it) I only needed 4qts of oil in there.... result, overfill... brilliant...

Question is... how bad is to overfill by half to one quart? I'll be taking it out tonight just wanna know how much damage it's going to make in there because I need to drive back home...

Man I feel like a putz......

 

[TrexMex]

help?

 

[SoLongStang9499]

If you overfilled by a half quart id say thats more or less ok, but a quart is too much, i would drain the excess oil. That could cause some damage, such as piston slapping or the like.The chances of serious damage are low, but i wouldnt take any chances, drain the excess out.