I really dont know if I should be concerned but when pulling a load the temp gradually creeps up. Normal driving with no load the temp stays right under the N on the dummy gauge. When pulling a load the temp gradually creeps up and will usually get around M or A in normal. It has never got above that or in the red on they dummy gauge. Would you guys be concerned or is it normal to increase that much when loaded? Btw, I'm usually pulling around 9-10,000 pounds.

 

I'm sure shes getting abit hot pulling that kind of weight, but how hot, you'll never know without a real gauge.


I, along with everyone else that's gonna reply here will highly recommend installing a real temp gauge.



Very easy to install, and very worth while. No more guessing games!

 

How old is your fan clutch? Thermostat?

 

I really dont know if the fan clutch or thermostats has ever been changed. I bought the truck a year ago and it had 69,XXX miles on it. I now has around 84,XXX. What would be the best way to check the fan clutch? I wouldnt think that it would be the thermostat due to it not getting hot under normal driving. I tought that maybe I should get the radiator boiled out?

 

If the fan clutch works, you'll hear it locked in when the engine is cold, or when it gets hot.

And you can't miss it, it's very loud, sounds like an air plane taking off under the hood!

Heres what it sounds like,

 

I wanted to install a oil temp gauge. Would that be good enough or is the water temp more important? I would think as long at the oil temp is acceptable the water temp would be as well but I have not researched it.

 

After listening to the video i dont think that it is locking up. How did you get it to lock and unlock? Thanks, btw.

 

your fan clutch is busted. you'll need to replace it if you want to fix it. it's not that hard to do. You need to go to AutoZoo or NAPA and rent the fan clutch removal kit. Look at the back of the box or case and make sure it says 7.3 & 6.9 Ford.

I think i bought a cheapo Dorman clutch instead of the Motorcraft one. It's been working fine for me.

 

i didn't need an oil temp gauge until i installed an intercooler.
start with the water temp first.not only is it an easier install,it's more important.a gauge you want before oil temp anyway imho.normal n/a and simply turbo idi's don't typically have any issues with oil temps raising beyond 230F.

 

I definitely second (or third, or fourth, or whatever) installing a real temp gauge for the coolant. It's simply a must in our trucks; the dash gauge tells you nothing.

Don't let the mileage on the truck fool you into thinking items like the thermostat aren't susceptible to having gone bad. My truck has just shy of 80K miles, but after installing a temp gauge and realizing I was running hotter than I should be, I went ahead and replaced the thermostat and the fan clutch. I had been running around 205 in town with low to mid 210s not uncommon even unloaded. Towing (maybe a ton total), I could see as high as low 230s. The fan clutch would occasionally engage, but not always and never at the same temp. Now, the truck runs in the 190s around town (up to 205 if I get stupid with it, but then the thermostat opens up and the temps drop) and I have yet to get it hot enough to get the new clutch to engage (haven't towed since getting the new parts installed).

The general advice is to replace the thermostat with an OEM unit, meaning Motorcraft or IH. It's alleged the aftermarket thermostats don't open enough to allow the flow rate our engines need, though others claim to have run Stant units with good results. Myself, I went with the Motorcraft unit just for the peace of mind. Cost difference wasn't all that significant. I also went with a OEM fan clutch I found on eBay.

Mike

 

X2 with the above!


Stant thermostats, are the ONLY aftermarket thermostats that will work in these engines, cause they are made exactly like the motorcraft ones. No other aftermarket brand makes them like they need to be for these engines, witch is why they don't work.

Heres a thread I made long ago just for this reason, that way you'll know why it's important to use the correct one.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post11218904

 

X3 aforementioned comments. Oil temp isn't as important as an accurate temp sensor. Or, you could do what I am doing. I installed one standard digital temp gauge. It's important to invest in the digital and not a mechanical gauge. Then put however many electric temp probes wherever you want. Then use a selector switch to toggle between your probes.

I'm in the process of installing one probe for my coolant, and one for oil temp. I already have temp probes measuring the temp of my fuel at my IP and my GVOD gear oil temp. I currently have a ON-OFF-ON switch allowing me to toggle between the two currently installed probes for one gauge, but I'm looking at rotary selector switches to have up to 5 or 6 different probes being read on one gauge.

 

I just blew a head gasket because fan clutch went out and it never got above the A in normal. I thought i was safe because it was in normal.

I love my idi but sometimes I wish I could kick some some Ford engineers or penny pincher.

 

Yea, I've been worried about the E4OD since I got the truck.
I will go ahead and replace the thermostat and fan clutch but damn i just keep sinking more and more money in this thing . I might have been better off getting a dodge, man I really hate saying that. I'm Ford through and through.

 

i wouldn't be too quick to say that temp was involved in your blown head gasket. i have a real gage on mine, and back in january i was running at 195* when i blew a head gasket. the cause was severely rusted head bolts which the previous rebuilder used - only got 90k miles out of his rebuild because of that.

depending on various factors, my idiot gage might read L or above at 210, or sometimes lower. you don't have to worry until you're over 230.

i ran a long time on my junk fan clutch, bought 3 or 4 new ones and returned them all cause they wouldn't lock up at 230 - i tested the last one with a torch and it spun freer as it got hotter. i recently installed electric fans in its place, with the first one kicking on at 210 and the second one at 230. the second one hasn't had a reason to come on even once since i finished putting the two on different temperatures.

for your aftermarket gage, don't waste your time with a sunpro electric gage - either buy a better brand or a mechanical gage - i made that mistake and i'm reminded of it every time i drive my flatbed