Ive been having this problem since i got the truck. its a 93 f350 crew with 7.3 idi and aod tranny. for the most part this truck always runs on the low side of the gauge until i start pulling a hill or mountain then the needle steadily goes up.
I must confess it never overheats or blows any fluid. heck this truck never uses any coolant it is always right up the neck of the radiator.
Maybe im just to worried about the darn gauge i know they arent very accurate. also i never hear my fan clutch engage not ever.. everyone says it sounds like jet engine roaring when it does.
should i just forget about it? my concern is i intend on pulling a 35 foot travel trailer this summer and i dont want to it boil over when i start pulling mountains on the interstate and leave me and my wife and grandkids standing out along the highway.
I did pick up a windstar dual electric fan i was toying with the idea of going electric to save horsepower, just havent had time. anyone have any input on the electric fans?
also i do intend on getting a A-pillar gauge pod with 3 spaces. I know i want pyrometer, what other 2 should i get?
thanks in advance folks.

 

you'll need a working fan.your mechanical is shot if you never hear it towing that trailer.
wise choice with the dual windstar e-fan.it's what i run as well.
my install can be found here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/9...onversion.html

 

1st thing to know, these gauges are useless in these trucks.

You really need REAL ones if your towing!!

This is what a fan sounds like, fully locked in. You hear it very clearly.

What a Fully Locked in Fan Clutch Should Sound Like - YouTube

 

Boots,

I had the same problem with my 93,

I have a 26' 5th wheel and towed it all over Oregon. On long grades I would overheat. I tried a few other things first then bit the bullet and bought a fan clutch. Never again did I have a cooling issue. You can definitely hear it kick on and "feel it" as well! I have heard good and bad about the electric fans. Many say they are not as effective for towing. I can tell you that a new fan clutch solved my cooling problems under load. I found mine online for around 100 bucks.

Good luck,

Mac.

 

How old is the coolant and thermostat? You may want to do a complete coolant service on her to, flush the system out good and change out the thermostat and then go from there. And only use the motorcraft thermostat pretty much all the aftermarket ones suck and will not flow anywhere near the ammount of coolant these motors need.

 

sounds to me like a thermostat stuck half open: running cold most of the time but overheating when under heavy load - too much flow to warm up quickly, but too little to keep you cool when working hard.
once your speed is past 30-ish, the fan is useless anyway, as the wind over the radiator is more than a fan would pull over it. the fan does the most good in stop-and-go traffic, and when just stopped. but even climbing a steep hill at 35, there's plenty of airflow a fan isn't going to make a difference, but water flow sure will!

 

That is in fact the very same problem i had. Replaced with one from Ford, i warm up MUCH faster and my temp gauge actully stays where its supposed to for once instead of all over the gauge.

Hate to argue with you.. but that is simply wrong... very wrong.

 

I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes, but I thought the same thing about the Tstat, so I changed mine. There was absolutely no change in cooling. Yes, I used the Motorcraft Tstat. It made no difference. Next I had my radiator flow tested, and it checked out O.K. My next step was to try the fan clutch, and it was like night and day. Before, I would reach the high end of the gauge when pulling on a level grade, and it would rise from there when I started up even the slightest hill, After, cool as the other side of the pillow. I could only get it to run hotter by pushing it hard uphill. I can say with absolute certainty that the fan clutch is still effective over 35 MPH, at least while pulling. I was a doubter also, but I have seen the results of a properly functioning fan clutch. I would drop the dime on one if you can't hear and feel yours kick in Boots.

BTW, I am not saying, that a new Tstat is a bad idea. It gave me piece of mind if nothing else. FYI. give yourself a little extra time to replace it. It is in a mother of a place on this motor. Its not just a 2 bolt R&R. Yank the radiator and fan assembly to get to it, then serp. belt and the alternator mount. Fun stuff!

Good luck.

Mac.

 

i forgot about that part.
sure glad im missing out on that.iv not the power to spare when she's WOT loaded and towing up steep hills.

about the 35mph requiring no fan.
this is true under no load.
when im grossing 12-16k up hills @ WOT in 2nd gear/3k+ rpms/40-45mph.you can bet my e-fans are spinning on high until i reach the top and back off her.however,she cools right back down in a hurry and the fans go off once back in 3rd or OD for a few seconds.
since i can't feel the fans,i installed an indicator light by my temp gauge.this is how i know my e-fans work and how much they're working cus the light changes color the more they draw.

how much does a 35' trailer weight anyway? i sure hope you have a turbo,or she might be a bit slow going.
the windstar fans have no issues with the trucks rated limits.
if your going over this,i just don't know (you should have a bigger truck of course or at the very least a set of 4:56 gearing to push her limits.)

i was at 15k (ish) lbs combined gross yesterday,it was 40-45ish degree's and i left my winter grill cover on and she had no problems keeping under 240.
another 10 degrees warmer out,i wouldn't have gotten away with that one i doubt.

 

So I had 20klbs on a Gooseneck trailer...and I pulled it all the way to Billings MT....is this too much for these IDI's? I could only go 55 mph and 4th gear was just about useless...i screamed in 3rd the whole way....I crossed a scale at 26k combined....This was in the red/black 84....

 

1984 F250 6.9l N/A@ 212,000 miles Wrecked 26 Oct 11 By a Chevy Cruze - SOLD 23 Jan 12
1983 F-250 6.9l N/A 5" stacks T-19 Wide Ratio 166k miles(The Replacement)
1990 F-350 7.3l ZF-5 128k miles 3" Lift w/33's(Project Truck....will have the 84 6.9l w/ATS 088)


ummm.yes.

i wouldn't had dared even posting you did that on the net lol.
your 1lb shy of requiring a CDL too fyi.
if it was over,don't even dare say it lol.

 

the engine is good for the weight no problem, especially if its got a turbo. the question is if the rest of the truck is up to the job

 

why would you need to pull the radiator? I've had both serpentine and v-belt setups and on both the alternator was all that had to be removed along with the vaccum pump on the v-belt.

 

Too tight a space for my liking. You need to drain the cooling system anyway, it is a snap to remove the radiator. I like the extra space to get in there and thoroughly clean the mating surfaces and insure proper installation.

 

Not totally sure on what your talking about, but the fan clutch does not require dropping the antifreeze. Just did one about a month ago on my dads 92 IDI and today in fact on a 96 w/ 460. The BBF is a bolt on clutch so took all of 10 minutes, the IDI is a spin on clutch and after fighting it for 20 minutes i broke down and made a tool to lock the pulley to get the nut loose, all in all maybe an hour, all i removed on both of em was the fan shroud.