The operating temperature in my truck registered as normal, until I gave it a rad flush. I had a garden hose attachment put onto the heater core hose but unfortunately the place where I was living had a garden hose that didn't fit into it. So I had to do the flush by putting the garden hose down the rad hose. I was in the middle of moving out of my house sitting job and into my new apartment, so I probably rushed it. When I noticed the overheating after driving it around afterwards, I opened the rad cap, ran the engine for a few minutes, and "burped" the hose, but still the temperature gauge registered overheating.

Earlier this week the temperature registered pretty close to normal. That is until I had someone inspect my truck and they had the rear end hoisted up. Now the overheating is worse than ever.

I suspect there are still corrosion particles, or an air pocket, inside the cooling system that weren't flushed out and that could be causing the problem, and that it got worse when the engine was tipped up at one end. Unfortunately, I'm living in an apartment building and no longer have a backyard in which to work on my truck so I can't redo the flush. Before I go to the Lub-X and shell out $90 to get another flush done, is it possible the problem could be something else?

(I'd go to a mechanic first but the garages in this town charge you just for looking.)

Thanks,
Charlotte

 

yes could be you still have air in the system. Have you run the heater? Maybe the T Stat finally went out kinda hard to say, but raising the rear end should have had not effect on the system. Make sure to check the sensors and the sensor wires. Even apart complexes should have outside hose bibs, check around the foliage and see if there is one. May have to get your own hose and use a pair of pliers to turn on though.

 

I'm in agreement that the raising of the rear of the truck shouldn't have mattered, but maybe it just allowed an airpocket to get larger?? I also thought that the flush could have moved around stuff and it collected in a bad spot. I also read here in a thread posted sometime ago that the water pressure from an unregulated source, such as a direct line from the house faucet, could be excessive and damage the cooling system. I'll have a look for that thread and post a link if I can find it.

Kevin

 

Charlotte,

Here is the link: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...em-issues.html

If you use the Search tool, you'll get a bunch of hits on overheating that you might want to read through. Good luck on your diagnosis!!

Kevin

 

I agree with the guys here I would try to flush the system again.But I don't live in a apt. and HATE taking my rigs to someone else. Good luck!

 

Hi, All, thanks for all your feed back and links. You've given me a lot of food for thought. No, I didn't attach the garden hose right onto one of the hoses, so it wasn't possible for me to have damaged the cooling system with too much pressure. Also, I've been doing regular rad flushes, so there couldn't have been much of a build-up of old gunk.

I did, however, get it flushed again, and the temperature's still a little higher than normal, but not as high as it was. One of the technicians at the Lube-X suggested I change the heat sensor, as they sometimes go out of whack when a truck's engine burns hotter than usual, when under a heavy load. This is what probably happened before & after the the first flush since I was moving from one residence to another.

A heat sensor costs about $10 and takes 10 seconds to put in, so if the temperature gauge still shows overheating, I'll change it. If that doesn't work, I'm changing the thermostat. A friend in the country has offered to let me use his back yard to do the work. I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,
Charlotte