Over heating issue
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Over heating issue
I have a 1997 Ford F-250 with a 7.3 powerstroke in it. I’m having an issue we’re I can drive around town and the truck will run pretty cold. Well when I get it on the highway doing 70 to 75 it wants to creep up the the “L” on normal but won’t go past unless i go faster then it gets hotter. I’ve replaced the thermostat with a genuine motor craft from a ford dealership. It helped a little but not much at all. The guy I got the truck from said the radiator was new and the water pump was new. Also I can’t tell if my fan is working properly. Something to note I have also looked at my coolant and it looks kind of chalky. No diesel or oil in the coolant at all and there’s no exhaust pressure in it. I know the water pumps have been known to spin on the inside of the empeller and cause it to over heat. Also I don’t know if it matters or not but when I turn the heat on the temperature goes down a little bit but not a lot. Something else to note is that my truck has a new upgraded trans cooler, electric fuel system, 6 position tuner. I have tried blowing the radiator out with a pressure washer and that didn’t work. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
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From: Ashland City, TN
The dash gauge is not an accurate rendition of your temperature of the vehicle.
If you're coolant isn't that clear green though, change that stuff asap.
Best way to find out what your temperatures are is get something that will read your engine oil temperature.
My gauge, even though my truck runs down the highway at 213-216 (which is hot) shows the needle an N, while others here run at 203 and show it in the middle of the gauge around R.
So, dont trust the gauge and what its saying, get something that will give you accurate information. That sensor is on the water pump though and you can change it or clean it. They go bad. Mine used to read completely different until I cleaned it the last time I did a water pump.
If you're coolant isn't that clear green though, change that stuff asap.
Best way to find out what your temperatures are is get something that will read your engine oil temperature.
My gauge, even though my truck runs down the highway at 213-216 (which is hot) shows the needle an N, while others here run at 203 and show it in the middle of the gauge around R.
So, dont trust the gauge and what its saying, get something that will give you accurate information. That sensor is on the water pump though and you can change it or clean it. They go bad. Mine used to read completely different until I cleaned it the last time I did a water pump.
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Joined: Apr 2016
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From: Bahstun
Drain your rad and block if you have not.
I pulled a cup of junk out of mine when my rad leaked and must have plugged the bottom up some
Maybe remove rad hoses and run some water through rad to clear it out
I pulled a cup of junk out of mine when my rad leaked and must have plugged the bottom up some
Maybe remove rad hoses and run some water through rad to clear it out
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Ok I’ll get another sensor while I’m in town, I’ll go ahead and drain the block and radiator. I’m going to pull the radiator out to and blow it out really good. I’m gonna go to town and get some fresh grease coolant and put it in there.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: North Texas
Did you receive a receipt to go with the previous owner telling you the parts were new? If not, assume it is BS. A new radiator is $192 plus tax with free shipping from Autozone. Consider it. I do not drive around with coolant parts much past about 15 years old.
As I recall with green coolant you have to pay closer attention to SCAs and add some initially to charge it. Fleet Charge is precharged and can be found at Tractor Supply. My Walmart has it 50/50 and Advance carries it too.
I run a 203F stat, my gauge usually reads between N and O. This is unloaded and at full temp on the freeway. Check your oil temps, mine are usually about 223F per my monitor under same previously stated conditions. Fan should do nearly nothing on the road unloaded. If the temps really rise it will lock and pull a ton of air.
As I recall with green coolant you have to pay closer attention to SCAs and add some initially to charge it. Fleet Charge is precharged and can be found at Tractor Supply. My Walmart has it 50/50 and Advance carries it too.
I run a 203F stat, my gauge usually reads between N and O. This is unloaded and at full temp on the freeway. Check your oil temps, mine are usually about 223F per my monitor under same previously stated conditions. Fan should do nearly nothing on the road unloaded. If the temps really rise it will lock and pull a ton of air.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
Likes: 103
From: Ashland City, TN
Did you receive a receipt to go with the previous owner telling you the parts were new? If not, assume it is BS. A new radiator is $192 plus tax with free shipping from Autozone. Consider it. I do not drive around with coolant parts much past about 15 years old.
As I recall with green coolant you have to pay closer attention to SCAs and add some initially to charge it. Fleet Charge is precharged and can be found at Tractor Supply. My Walmart has it 50/50 and Advance carries it too.
I run a 203F stat, my gauge usually reads between N and O. This is unloaded and at full temp on the freeway. Check your oil temps, mine are usually about 223F per my monitor under same previously stated conditions. Fan should do nearly nothing on the road unloaded. If the temps really rise it will lock and pull a ton of air.
As I recall with green coolant you have to pay closer attention to SCAs and add some initially to charge it. Fleet Charge is precharged and can be found at Tractor Supply. My Walmart has it 50/50 and Advance carries it too.
I run a 203F stat, my gauge usually reads between N and O. This is unloaded and at full temp on the freeway. Check your oil temps, mine are usually about 223F per my monitor under same previously stated conditions. Fan should do nearly nothing on the road unloaded. If the temps really rise it will lock and pull a ton of air.
You might wanna consider a lower Thermostat like me.
I freak out when mine hits 220. you're close to boiling coolant.
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Update: ok I pulled the radiator completely out of the truck and took it to a car wash. As soon as the pressure washer hit it, it started to bleed black. All kinds of junk came out of the fins and it was pretty nasty. I washed it out for about half an hour until it had nothing else bud clear water running through the fins. I also stuck the hose in the radiator for about 10 minutes letting it run through it. I put the radiator back in the truck and put it all back together. I ran some radiator flush through it twice along with a good water rinse out again. Then I drained it again and put some green coolant in it. I let it idle for about an hour then took it down the road and it is doing the same thing only it doesn’t climb up as fast. I’m gonna get the temp sensor tomorrow while I’m in town and put it in. Also the fan clutch is not locking up, at least I don’t think it is. Also how do I check oil temp and check temp without having the gauge.
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Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 17,799
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From: Ashland City, TN
Update: ok I pulled the radiator completely out of the truck and took it to a car wash. As soon as the pressure washer hit it, it started to bleed black. All kinds of junk came out of the fins and it was pretty nasty. I washed it out for about half an hour until it had nothing else bud clear water running through the fins. I also stuck the hose in the radiator for about 10 minutes letting it run through it. I put the radiator back in the truck and put it all back together. I ran some radiator flush through it twice along with a good water rinse out again. Then I drained it again and put some green coolant in it. I let it idle for about an hour then took it down the road and it is doing the same thing only it doesn’t climb up as fast. I’m gonna get the temp sensor tomorrow while I’m in town and put it in. Also the fan clutch is not locking up, at least I don’t think it is. Also how do I check oil temp and check temp without having the gauge.
The fan is for when you're stopped and idling, aka, traffic jams, lights and such. The fan doesn't really do much while your traveling and scooping air through the radiator with the force of your forward motion.
I'm going to guess that you're not coming anywhere close to overheating at all honestly. You'll never actually know unless you get an oil temperature reading. The other thing you could do is get an actual coolant reading of the temperature as opposed to relying on the lying *** idiot gauge.
I think the main thing to hammer home on this is that the gauges on the dash are not meant to be super accurate, they are meant to tell you something is horribly wrong.
Nothing wrong with a good radiator clean out though.
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Well I will definitely check that out, how do I check the oil temperature. Also after the truck gets warm I’ve noticed if I pull the oil cap off there white smoke coming out of the valve cover. I know my Nissan truck does this and it’s normal. Also the truck has no blow by at all. Plus I took the truck on a 22 hour round trip to Tennessee the 2nd day I had it and it made it just fine. Also on the way back when I pulled the cap off the reservoir, or at least tried to I lost about 2 gallons of antifreeze cause it boiled out of the tank, is that normal for these trucks.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: North Texas
You pulled the cap on a hot expansion tank?
The system boiled as you removed its pressure, physics 101. 50/50 coolant mix at 1 bar (15psi) boils near 270F. My Euro cars run a 1.4 bar cap! If you guys are concerned about these temps, better never drive a C4 Vette. Those idle in summer traffic in a fully stock configuration with a 195F stat around 230F coolant temp with an TD on the oil side of about 10F. As soon as the Vette moves for additional airflow through the radiator, coolant temps fall rapidly.
Keep an eye on it, pulling it vented tons of coolant and you may now have an air pocket.
The system boiled as you removed its pressure, physics 101. 50/50 coolant mix at 1 bar (15psi) boils near 270F. My Euro cars run a 1.4 bar cap! If you guys are concerned about these temps, better never drive a C4 Vette. Those idle in summer traffic in a fully stock configuration with a 195F stat around 230F coolant temp with an TD on the oil side of about 10F. As soon as the Vette moves for additional airflow through the radiator, coolant temps fall rapidly.
Keep an eye on it, pulling it vented tons of coolant and you may now have an air pocket.
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2016
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From: Bahstun
never pull a rad cap off when hot, it will boil out and may cause severe burns
white vapor is normal on a diesel from oil fill cap
Not climbing as fast is a sign you cleaned it.
is there a wire coil in lower hose?
That could collapse and make it not cool well
white vapor is normal on a diesel from oil fill cap
Not climbing as fast is a sign you cleaned it.
is there a wire coil in lower hose?
That could collapse and make it not cool well
Lead Driver
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 7,210
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From: Bahstun
You need to get a good temp gauge installed or a scanner to monitor oil temp