I have a F250 6.7 powerstroke. A couple of days ago, I noticed that the heater was only heating "sometimes". Today, the engine overheated. I allowed the engine to cool, and continued driving, and did not have another issue with overheating.


Any ideas on possible causes?

 

Sounds like you're low on coolant. Have you checked the overflow bottle level?

 

low coolant but also the clutch fan, did it kick on and sound like an airplane?


Or if the coolant is full (check when cold) and the fan did kick on, then it maybe a sensor.


You should have warranty still so you should take it in.

 

Check all the obvious first , coolant level, belt, fan/clutch. Then possibly sticking thermostat or more really.

 

Just wondering why you think he should still have warranty.

 

Unless he drives 50,000 miles per year he should still have an engine warranty.

 

If he bought it in late 2013, it would still be high at 33.3k per year.

 

I would chk. all mentioned above first.....not knowing your full repair history, but here in Canada I got my 2011 serviced @ Canadian Tire auto service 2 summers ago & then this past summer my 2012 serviced (both 5.0 engines & higher mileages) both times the thermostat was changed as they were doing other work nearby and suggested to change as they were in there.....both trks immediately had HIGH fan on noises on days of + 70-80 degrees with higher humidities.....also both tried to overheat if you kept driving!!! upon changing back both times to a FORD thermostat the problem went away & I have not had above average high heat/fan noises since....I can only assume the replacement Thermostats were either not working @ the right temperature or when open were not letting enough coolant circulation causing this problem....CTC won't tell you who makes their parts but I suspect it's Gates /Thompson products (they did years ago just not sure @ present).......Good Luck!!

 

Your first mistake was taking your truck to Canadian tire for a service. I would bet there was nothing wrong with the thermostat to begin with. They are the biggest scammers out there. A few years back I went to them for a out of province inspection for a used car. They had a list of $2000 worth of parts and brakes were on the list even thou I had just changed the pads 1000km ago. Took it to a second shop and they had one part listed that was borderline needing to be changed, cost me $150. My dad is also a mechanic and checked the car over in Manitoba before I brought it to Alberta, so I was pretty sure they were trying to scam me.

 

One other thing that might have happened, is somewhere along the line, the Engine coolant was low and it was topped off by a different coolant other than was was in the radiator. It does not take much at all. It has been known when adding a different coolant will make the Engine coolant gel and do a partial clogging of heater cores and radiators.
Happened to me on my 08 6.4. I know that is a different coolant as the 6.7 but the principal may still be the same. Just a thought.

 

Sorry guys but in defence of CTC where I go...they are pretty good to me...(both trks HIGH mileage) on the 2012 they had the housing apart & suggested they change the stat ...I agreed as was parts only....the 2011 had the rad hose blew off after being on almost a year ...(not really driven till it blew off) it was their fault has they had not installed the clamp properly...no question ...as it got somewhat hot I demanded a new stat & coolant, which they did but as I said it did not function properly.... So in my mind 2 trks almost identical spec's & 1 year apart had the same problem which was fixed by replacing with a OEM stat....In fairness they made a mistake which they covered... as this is a pretty decent shop!!

 

How do you know it was overheating? What was the oil temperature reading?