When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Long way from home. 2005 6.0 250. Have scan gauge reading coolant & oil temps. Have 200 * stat. Coolant temps go up to 220, fan speed roars, temp returns to about 206. Oil temp never gets as hot as coolant. Stays about 4-10 * above coolant when NOT going up hills. Coolant normally is at 202 -204.
I am figuring clogged radiator or faling water pump? 74,000 miles on truck.
Sitting in a campground in upstate NY right now. No tools to speak of. I need ideas. Closest dealer only 30 min away. No issue NOT towing......yet.
My first thought is are your sensors reading ok. After a cold soak are the oil and coolant sensors reading close to each other? Also I always think easiest things first. The last time I had an overheat on vacation my thermostat stuck closed. I know this doesn't happen often, but a couple hours in a Napa parking lot and a new thermostat had me fixed up. When I did overheat my upper radiator hose was very hot and my lower hose was practically cool.
If you are near an Autozone or similar they may have a tool loner program for free. Here the other day someone had a hydraulic jack, jackstands, and hand tools working in the Autozone lot. Not ideal but...
Last edited by Brotherbillstruck; Jun 8, 2021 at 08:08 AM.
Reason: add. info
Sensors are fine. They track together from cold to operating temp. And ok when NOT towing....so far. Just made an appt with Greenwich Ford in Greenwich NY for 1030 AM. Will come back and let youse know what they say.
I run 204-212 towing with a 192* thermostat. How old is the thermostat? I have yet to get more than 2 years out of one and all but one have failed hot. 220* in the hills is not unusual.
Ok I'm confused, does it get to 220 on hills or just when you tow? I mentioned the waynit operates on hills briefly. Also, are you losing coolant or is it low? You said when it 220 the fan is roaring and drops the temp to 206. That should like normal operation to me.
I also have a 200 thermostat, and that is exactly how my truck operates.
Given the information stated, it sounds like normal correct operation. This is not a brand X small block V8, its operating parameters are different. Unloaded it is not warmed up until 195, and 200 to 220 while towing is very normal, and as you have noted, the computer does not even command the cooling fan to high until 220. Good Luck, Russ
Don't see the issue? I hit 220F all summer towing in the 100F heat. Generally only pulling hills. On the flatlands it normally stays below 210 with the fan cycling on low speed. Nothing to be worried about and it sounds like your oil cooler is performing well if the oil isn't even getting above 220F.
IDK, I tow more miles than most. I'd be scared it ECT was 220. That's nothing for EOT: I don't worry about it until I'm around 230. But yeah, EOT going up to 220 then coming back down to 206 is pretty normal. That's actually a temp level mine will often stop at as it cools back down, other times it will go even lower, depending on the length of the decline coming down the hill. As I'm towing over the mountains, I can watch it do that over and over - up to 213.5 ECT, EOT around 220, fan kicks on, cools down, then up it goes again. rinse/repeat.
You can blow past that normal cycle though; if you push it too hard, your fan won't catch up. That's why you monitor and drive aggressively - aggressively slow. I have no qualms at all about going up steep inclines at 30mph on the interstates. I find that about 1800RPM lets me go up almost anything without overheating, I just have to adjust gears and speed down.
Sorry it took so long to get back....No Verizon signal in campground and a lousy WiFi system here. Tech at the Ford dealer sez same thing. This is normal operation of the cooling system of this 6.0. OAT was around 100 (no shade on the road, so prob much higher) and add the climb of the hills, pulling the 5er and the coolant WILL do exactly what I experienced. The time at the dealer was well worth the cost of the diagnosis fee for the piece of mind. This morning our temp is in the 50's , No overtemps today ! Thanks to all for responding.
Great news!
I tow year round, the truck does love the cooler temps, get into the hills in the summer pulling and the temps do go up. If they come down at a decent rate when stopped, coasting or downhill it is a good thing.
Drove back home to MD yesterday.... started out in the rain and quite cool. Going up over I-787 (NYC bypass) it went up to 220 a few times and right back down to low 200's. On the flat drives never an issue! I'm good with that, I guess but I had never seen that before so I STILL think that the Ford Gold coolant is narrowing the passages in the radiator and/or other passages. Time will tell but as I age, the trips out with the RV are getting fewer and farther between. And then next coolant change I just may change to another coolant (red). This would be after a reverse flush of course.
Oh, I totally agree with that. I haven't cut apart my old radiator, but there was silicate narrowing the passages when I cut open the heater core. In 2008 I flushed with VC-9, Retore, and Restore + more than any sane person ever would. Back-flushed the heater core, too. And after 8 more years of Rotella ELC, it was still there.
