Hi everyone. Driving a Ford 2000 Limited Excursion. Gas 5.4L V8

We are driving to Las Vegas but got stuck in New Mexico because the truck began to over heat while going up a large hill.

We went up a large hill, the heat gage went to H and we began to smell the cooling agent through the a/c vents. We quickly pulled over and allowed the car to cool down. The radiator cap was leaking and steam was coming from the hood.
We decided to get the truck checked before continuing with out trip.

We got many diffrent answers on what to do because there was no leak to be found.
1. We changed the thermostat
2. We flushed the radiator
3. We replaced the fan clutch
After all the changes the truck still over heats. Finally on our last try the truck quickly over heated and radiator hose bursted. It let out fluid that had brown flaky bits in it.

Also, the AC gives out right before the truck over heats. But everytime we replaced the cooling agent and water the AC worked again...until we overheated.

We got the radiator tested with a chemical that would tell us if there was an issue with the head gasket but the test showed no issues because the chemical remained blue.

Today we took out the radiator and getting a new one tomorrow. Our old radiator itself does not look damaged. Are we wasting time with a new radiator? Anyone have any advice or insight?

Also, our heater is not working. It only blows cold or regular air. Just wanted to put this out there in case it helps with our issue.

We're stuck in small city with limited resources and need help ASAP.

Thank you in advance.

 

Are you towing anything? What engine do you have? ....just so we have a clearer picture.

So sorry for your troubles. I am sure the group with help you out! Just hang in there!

Karl.

 

Hi Karl! Thanks for you input so far.

I am not towing anything. There is 5 adults, luggage, and a cooler in the truck.

I edited my first post. I have a 5.4L V8 GAS.

 

can't believe you are still overheating after a new thermostat, and the other things you have done!

Brown flaky bits are not a good sign, so I am glad to hear you're doing a new radiator. That should help, though if some of that corrosion is in the engine itself, that could hinder the flow of the water (I think...I am not a mechanic but there ARE some in this group).

At the very least, you will be eliminating a possibility. And that's the trick...to eliminate the possibilities.

I just had another thought.....and don't laugh! But did you have them check the oil?? You COULD be producing heat by friction caused by low oil (though I would think a light would come on or something...) Just a thought!

In general, it is unusual for any Ford truck to overheat like this, and do it so quickly. It's not a good sign that you can smell the Coolant in your vents.

My wife has this engine in her Expedition and it has performed VERY well over the last 7 years, loaded down heavy or not. It's an excellent road trip vehicle. Though I would guess that yours is a bit underpowered in a 7200lb Excursion, it still should NOT overheat like that!

Again, I am sorry for your trouble!

 

What about the water pump? You haven't mentioned that yet. I have had problems with those in the past (not on my Ford Truck tho). That would be one of the VERY NEXT things to check I would think.

If it's not a 'physical' problem (one of the actual physical parts of the cooling system), then I would start looking at the computer. These things are so computerized these days that you have to consider that too.
However, I don't know much about that stuff so I will have to defer to the others.

I have emailed another guy on the forum to alert him to your situation in case he doesn't see it. He knows more than I do, so hopefully he can chime in too.

Good luck and godspeed!

Sincerely,
Karl.

 

You're right Karl, I did forget to mention about the water pump. We have checked the water pump and everything looks okay from the outside.
I have ordered a new water pump and hose along with the radiator. They will all arrive tomorrow morning.

We will replace the radiator ourselves but the waterpump might be more of a challage. So we were going to wait to try to make it to a bigger city with a shop that do the work. So we hope that the radiator change will get us to Albuquerque.

Thank you for the kind words! I am hoping out luck will turn soon and I look forward to more advice.

 

Radiator is all gunked up and plugged or the water pump is toast.......I had a plugged radiator in my F150 and it overheated and blew the upper radiator hose on a hill here in Az. Got a new radiator and hose and we were all good!

 

I 2nd that ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^.......
I think the water pump should go too..


Laki

 

I would go with what was mentioned. A new radiator, new hoses (both of them), and water pump. You can test your T-stat by putting it into a pot of water and start to boil it. Water boils at 212 F, so it should open before the water boils. You can pull it out and check to see if it is pushed open. Don't reuse the pot for cooking, though.

Sounds like you have a blockage somewhere or the pump isn't working. Coolant is not flowing into your heater core. That's why you have no heat in the cabin. I've heard there is a check valve to the heater core that closes the flow when you have the AC on, but usually when you have a vacuum leak and the valve fails, the AC doesn't get cold. Your's is the other way around.

Hopefully you'll fix the issue. Do you have synthetic motor oil in the engine? If so, it'll help, but do always change your oil when the engine overheats.

 

Along with the rad being FUBAR'd, I bet your heater core is bad too, based solely on your post regarding no heat.

Either that or the core has been bypassed.

Stewart

 

Make sure you reverse flush the heater core and also check the fan clutch.

 

I second the Heater Core comment. Because I have a small Heater core leak in my 78 F150 and whenever the coolant level gets too low, I start to smell the coolant coming through the vents. Also at least in my truck it will come through the vents as a white mist on occassion.
Just my 2c

 

I just went thru this same ordeal. I replaced the radiator last night and took it for a long drive pushing the truck and the needle did not move a bit. I have a 2wd 5.4 also. The radiator from a glance did not look bad at all but when I pulled it the back side was black, the fins had a lot of garbage in it and while it was out I used my air compressor to blow out the condensor and other coolers and I have to tell you all the junk that came out of those was amazing.

 

Does sound like the heater core could be bad as posted by others. I would also agree that the radiator and pump are good bets for your cooling problem. You may be able to bypass the heater core in the engine compartment (not at home so I cannot look at this time) till you get back home. This would definitely save some time in getting back on the road if the other parts fix your problem. Good luck. No fun having vehicle problems while on a trip.

 

Do flush the heater core.
Do flush the engine block. (Run a hose through it, not a technical job, just get the crap out.)
No need to replace the heater core, unless there are signs that it is bad. (Not providing heat while coolant is not circulating does not point to a bad core)
Do change all of the hoses.
Do install the new water pump with the new radiator. (Half the job is done once the radiator is out of the way.)
Good luck!