do you have AC?
maybe there is junk between the condensor and radiator ?

 

When I replaced my condenser earlier this year, there was a good amount of debris between it and the radiator, that's a good tip. While mine never ran hot, it did drop by a letter after I cleaned that area out. It seemed as if mice made a little nest area in mine; full of junk.

 

It does have a condenser, I cleaned it pretty good with simple green and garden hose....the fins looked pretty clear before cleaning, but a lot of dirty water came out.

The AC system is not functional, have considered removing the condenser.

 

Bringing this one back from the dead as I seem to be having the same issue on my '89 e350 with the 460. Did you ever find out what was the culprit? I recently changed the thermostat and the temp sending unit. It still reads on the higher edge of NORMAL and is concerning. The Cat was plugged and I recently took it off, gutted and put it back on, but it hasn't solved the higher temp issue. The doghouse does seem overly warm as well. Idle also seems to be a little higher this season.

 

Hey @LiamO86 I've got a 1988 460 EFI in a motorhome and have had similar issues except for the fact that i don't think my temp gauge has never been that far over! LOL- but have you used a digital thermometer? You can find a laser one for $50 or so. Keep it in there and you can hit the engine where the cooling hose goes in near the thermostat. In addition, do you know that it is actually getting hot or just a bad gauge? I plan to get an aftermarket mechanical one installed. I'm done playing games with the NORMAL range . I've got a new radiator, catalytic converter, muffler, thermostat, fan clutch, tune up, i ran out of space with what ive done. All new a/c parts too. The timing was off as well. Have you checked the timing? Mine STILL runs on the "A" of normal cruising on the flats on a cool day without the A/C on. I am trying to figure out what that temperature is. UGHH!!!

 

Hey Ryan,

I did end up putting a mechanical gauge in under the dash and it helped me figure out that the stock gauge was really innacurate and was definitely reading high. We tapped it into the top of the thermosat housing and at operating temp during idle it runs at 195-200. On hot days while cruising its usually around 205-210. Highest i've seen it get was on a mountain pass climbing around 10k feet and she was at 230. I'd say it fluctuates between 200-220 in normal conditions during the summer, without A/C (my compressor makes noise and need to swap it out) so I try not to run it with A/C much. I think it still runs a tad higher than it should but with these motors ive been told its not a huge issue. I plan on getting it out of storage in the next few weeks and having the spark plugs, wires, cap adn rotor changed as they are all original. I am also going to have the timing checked and set as well as a rear diff service. Hope this helps!

 

Wow!! Thank you so much. I have been asking to put an mechanical gauge in. I have one coming. I think it will calm. Me down when I know the real number. Mine has been riding on the A of normal. I think it's fine but I want to know. We haven't replaced the water pump. That's the only thing. I have a 195 degree thermostat in mine. What do you have? What do you think the safest Max temp is ?

 

I believe it was the stock 195 thermostat. Ia gree, it definitely gave me peace of mind being able to know an accurate number. Mine also runs close to the 'A' of NORMAL on the stock gauge during normal operation. I did also replace the water pump with a hi-flo mechanical pump but I dont think it was necessary, the mcahnic said the stock one he pulled out looked fine and that it may have been replaced once already. I didnt mind as it was one of those 'while we're in there' type of deals. I pulled the radiator out, had it flushed, and pressure washed it from the back to get all the crud out of it. Also had it tested to make sure it was in good shape and it was according to the local rad shop. There is a lot of stuff in front of the radiator which in my opinion may not get the best amount of airflow or cooling. I'm not really sure on the max 'safe temp' but I think the 230* is pushing it for sure. I pulled off and cooled down. Usually when the fan clutch kicks on while driving, to me its a good indication that i am getting inadequate cooling otherwise. i'm no expert though.

 

Putting in an aftermarket trans cooler helped my temps a bit but I think my trans is going south.

 

I did all but replace the water pump, gauge, and IVR on my 88 E150 with a 5.0 and it was running with the needle on the a. After I replaced the sending unit it almost pegged the gauge. I installed a mechanical gauge and it reads 190 to 195F most all fall winter and spring. In summer it is around 195 unless pulling long uphill grades and then it goes to around 200f. On the back of the instrument panel is a part called IVR instrument cluster voltage regulator. when it goes bad the oil, fuel, and temperature gauge will give erratic readings depending on how far gone the IVR is.
The IVR is mounted on the back of the instrument cluster and has snap on connectors similar to a 9 volt battery.

The red circles are the bulbs for the seat belt and brake light. The green circles are the bulbs for the turn signal lights. The orange is the bulbs for the instrument cluster illumination. The blue is the bright light indicator bulb and finally the light blue is nothing.
The IVR is in the yellow square.



-
below is a pic of an IVR.

 

I just saw this discussion about stock gauge readings and temperature issues. I have gone through this all too painfullyy with my 1982 E350 based motorhome with the 460 engine. I have posted in this forum my efforts to calibrate the stock gauge system particularly for temperature. I have calibrated the OEM Ford sensors and their response to temperature by measuring their resistance vs. temperature and then the stock temperature gauge against both temperature and resistance. In the end, I switched completely over to aftermarket gauges, designing a custom instrument panel. Nonetheless, I think checking out the thread I initiated on this, and the included discussion on the maximum safe operating temperatures of the 460 would offer some insights on the key questions. The discussion can be found at:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-460-data.html

 

1990 Class C Motorhome E350 Ford 460
Sat in field for too long before we got it.
Been replacing everything, radiator, water pump, fan clutch, exhaust pipe (really lowered heat under dog house with this) all to fight the overheating nightmare on the slow speed climb.
She loves to haul, can fly down the highway and temperatures hold nicely in the RM of "normal" gauge, but as soon as I pull off to city speeds (even if I disengage air conditioning) temps start to climb until she stalls out (almost like it is being choked out). So the last fix was replacing the in-tank fuel pump but what a nightmare of chasing the temperatures. She has power, just drives best in the cool hours of the night...

Question 1) How can I ensure my fan clutch is pulling the air necessary? On start the cardboard is taught, is the only other test to put the cardboard back on after driving on a hot day? Is this the only thing cooling the engine at slow/no speed?

Question 2) Anyone else have experience with "Hedman Elite Headers with ceramic coating" from https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...91-e350s.html? My exhaust job = removing the catalytic converter had the greatest reduction in heat (it almost seemed like my fuel was vaporizing at high temps/slow speeds) but wondering if I should try this too?

Question 3) When she overheats, where exactly should I be pointing my temp laser gauge? I have a temp gauge on my battery (also under the hood) that gives ambient engine temp and she is happily around the 20C until she slows down and hits city speeds then spikes at 41C+. I just assumed that was the fan clutch doing its job, so I was heating up the engine compartment to try to cool the inside of the engine?

Notes: My temp never gets above the "M" in while operating, but once she dies/overheats it slowly creeps past the "L" as I sit dead on the road. I often thought pulling over and stopping/letting the engine just run would help reduce engine gauge/temp.. it doesn't.

PS
The best part of all these crazy repairs is that each time my recovery back-on-the-road time is reduced significantly. Used to be 3-4 hours to cool back down after engine cut out, now I can be back operational in about 30 minutes. Sooooo close...

 

Usually I think the magic number on mph when the fan isn't a factor is like 40 or so. Anything less and the clutch fan is a factor on your cooling. At idle/standing still the fan is the biggest factor.
Yes on doing the cardboard on a hot day at normal temps and see what it pulls like.

One of the hidden issues in these motors is the distributor. The pick-up likes to crap out under high heat conditions and act like vapor lock. Then once cooled down it will start and run again. You can always hit the shradder valve on the fuel rail and see if fuel or some air comes out. As these motors are injected most people say that they can't vapor lock. I have no clue.

 

How would you "test" the distributor?

 

Since it is a heat issue and usually no issues when it is cold that is the million dollar question. So the usual tactic is to throw parts at the fuel system until it isn't the suspect anymore and then look at the ignition. BTW the fuel pump is the only component in that system that usually gives issue with heat.

You can replace just the pick-up but have to disassemble the distributor. You could always get a junkyard distributor (or ebay used) and see if it makes a difference. With the age on the van a 'new' one wouldn't be a bad idea as long as it is good quality.