the 4.0 in my 94 ranger keeps overheating, ive replaced the thermostat, fan, fanclutch, flushed the rad., just about everything i know to do,, the engine doesnt do it constantley, just when its being worked, heres another interesting fact, when its hot and i shut it down, it sputters when i start it up again after a few minutes,, stock motor with 109,000. it never used to do this, i mean it never even used to get "warm". i need some help to get this fixed..

 

Eliminating all other causes, it may be a leaking head gasket. Does it push coolant into the overflow tank? Do you smell exhaust or fuel in the radiator?

 

I had a similar problem with my 4.0 I finally broke down and had the radiator flow tested and it was only flowing about 40%. It's worth a try

 

We had the same problem with our 91. Replaced radiator and head gaskets. It then popped a freeze plug. I'm in FL and this truck has never had an overheating problem until now. Original 96K miles on this 4X4. We have owned it from day one

 

hey 351 clevland c4. i have the same problem with my 93 exploror 4.0. i have replaced radiator,water pump,thermostat,and have added a 2 speed electric fan. i can run around town all day with no problem,but when i hook up my 16 ft fishing boat, and go somewere, i have no problem till i come home and shut the motor down, and get the boat unhooked. then when i start it up again, it doesn't want to start, and when it does it runs really bad for a while, like it's not fireing on all 6 clyinders. then it smooths out and seems to be fine. i pulled the plugs, and there all the same, whitesh looking. took comprssion test all cylinders. 170lbs. i'm thinking about doing a valve job, and having the heads checked for cracks, although i don't seem to be losing any big loss in water.if anyone out there has any suggestions, i sure would appreciate them. i really like my exploror limited 4 wheel drive, it's in wonderfull shape. i will replace engine if i have to.than's bob.

 

it hasnt done it in quite a while now, although it still runs warmer in the summer time.
heres something else, the temp guage will peg and fall down or just move up and down quickly, sometimes.
i think its probably the sensor, but it hasnt done that lately either..

when im off roading and snorting around out in the desert it will get warm too. i think it definatley might be a radiator flow problem.
years ago, the guage would never even come fully into the normal range no matter how hard we were pushing it. is that not normal? there was only one time that it got hot, when we pulled a 10,000lb trailer 100 miles up the mountains.. had it in 1st gear floored doin maybe 15mph for a couple miles at a time.. hahaha,,, it got hot that time....

 

I know this thread is a little old, but it is similar to my prob on a 93 aerostar 4.0. Guage does the same. Fixing to do water pump/thermostat/sensor/check connections. Indication is that pump or thermostat is not functioning/opening. Will first check new Thermostat by hanging in a pot of water on stove w/ temp guage. I see several posts where a thermostat change does not seem to help. I have been bitten by that one several times, until I found out that even new thermostats can be bad. I always check new ones now. No apparent water leaks anywhere, including the tailpipe.