Hood Heating up
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3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2022
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Hood Heating up
Hi all, I'm new to this forum. Have a 1989 Regency Triple E with the 460 7.5L Ford motor. I removed everything in the hood needed to do a motor swap because thought the engine block was cracked (left it in the winter filled with water because of a road problem with a hose I had filled it with water until I got to the garage). Finally it ended up being a block heater that popped out partially from the hole so replaced it with a normal freeze plug. Reassembled the whole thing and went to do a test run and after 30 minutes, got back home and the whole front of the hood (mostly radiator and parts touching this) were extremely hot to the touch. Never realized if this became this hot before working on this? Also I noticed that the temperature gauge didn't really go up at all which was odd to me.
I am leaving Friday for a 15-20 hour road trip and am worried something might be wrong. Maybe the coolant sensor or thermostat? Anyone who can guide or help me out would be very nice, I want to put all chances on my side for this trip as we are driving to catch a plane for a fishing trip... If we miss this plane, trip is cancelled
).
Thanks alot in advance!
I am leaving Friday for a 15-20 hour road trip and am worried something might be wrong. Maybe the coolant sensor or thermostat? Anyone who can guide or help me out would be very nice, I want to put all chances on my side for this trip as we are driving to catch a plane for a fishing trip... If we miss this plane, trip is cancelled
).Thanks alot in advance!
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,112
Likes: 286
From: Eastern TN
You have proper coolant in the engine now?
The hood can get too hot to touch from the sun beating down on it. I don’t recall the hood being too hot to touch even in cars with steam puffing from under the hood. Nor the metal frame above the radiator. The 460 is a monster of an engine and the hood is relatively small with not much contact with other body panels to channel heat so who knows.
I’d rent a tool to pressure test the cooling system and radiator pressure cap, replace the thermostat and gauge temp sender before the long trip. Collect and reuse the coolant if it’s a recent fill. Filter it through an old t-shirt if there’s already bits and stuff in the coolant.
It’s possible you have a head gasket or other breach allowing combustion pressure into cooling system. Maybe check the coolant for exhaust gasses. Parts stores should have a test kit for this. Start the cold engine and let it idle for 2-3 minutes. Shut it off and feel if the radiator hoses are already stiff. Slowly release the radiator can and listen for a rush of air. That would indicate excess pressure in the cooling system,
Sixto
07 E350 5.4 183K miles
The hood can get too hot to touch from the sun beating down on it. I don’t recall the hood being too hot to touch even in cars with steam puffing from under the hood. Nor the metal frame above the radiator. The 460 is a monster of an engine and the hood is relatively small with not much contact with other body panels to channel heat so who knows.
I’d rent a tool to pressure test the cooling system and radiator pressure cap, replace the thermostat and gauge temp sender before the long trip. Collect and reuse the coolant if it’s a recent fill. Filter it through an old t-shirt if there’s already bits and stuff in the coolant.
It’s possible you have a head gasket or other breach allowing combustion pressure into cooling system. Maybe check the coolant for exhaust gasses. Parts stores should have a test kit for this. Start the cold engine and let it idle for 2-3 minutes. Shut it off and feel if the radiator hoses are already stiff. Slowly release the radiator can and listen for a rush of air. That would indicate excess pressure in the cooling system,
Sixto
07 E350 5.4 183K miles
Thread Starter
|
3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2022
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
You have proper coolant in the engine now?
The hood can get too hot to touch from the sun beating down on it. I don’t recall the hood being too hot to touch even in cars with steam puffing from under the hood. Nor the metal frame above the radiator. The 460 is a monster of an engine and the hood is relatively small with not much contact with other body panels to channel heat so who knows.
I’d rent a tool to pressure test the cooling system and radiator pressure cap, replace the thermostat and gauge temp sender before the long trip. Collect and reuse the coolant if it’s a recent fill. Filter it through an old t-shirt if there’s already bits and stuff in the coolant.
It’s possible you have a head gasket or other breach allowing combustion pressure into cooling system. Maybe check the coolant for exhaust gasses. Parts stores should have a test kit for this. Start the cold engine and let it idle for 2-3 minutes. Shut it off and feel if the radiator hoses are already stiff. Slowly release the radiator can and listen for a rush of air. That would indicate excess pressure in the cooling system,
Sixto
07 E350 5.4 183K miles
The hood can get too hot to touch from the sun beating down on it. I don’t recall the hood being too hot to touch even in cars with steam puffing from under the hood. Nor the metal frame above the radiator. The 460 is a monster of an engine and the hood is relatively small with not much contact with other body panels to channel heat so who knows.
I’d rent a tool to pressure test the cooling system and radiator pressure cap, replace the thermostat and gauge temp sender before the long trip. Collect and reuse the coolant if it’s a recent fill. Filter it through an old t-shirt if there’s already bits and stuff in the coolant.
It’s possible you have a head gasket or other breach allowing combustion pressure into cooling system. Maybe check the coolant for exhaust gasses. Parts stores should have a test kit for this. Start the cold engine and let it idle for 2-3 minutes. Shut it off and feel if the radiator hoses are already stiff. Slowly release the radiator can and listen for a rush of air. That would indicate excess pressure in the cooling system,
Sixto
07 E350 5.4 183K miles
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply, it's really appreciated!
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 2,112
Likes: 286
From: Eastern TN
Is water the only problem? No, water isn’t the problem. Water is an excellent medium to transfer heat from the engine. What’s called coolant actually reduces the heat capacity of the mixture but is required for lubrication, corrosion control and lowering the freezing point.
These temp gauges are junk. It can take a 20-30*F swing to move a pointer’s width. Coolant temp varies quite a bit with everyday driving but manufacturers think seeing all that movement would concern the average driver so the pointer stays at a fixed position within C and H so drivers don’t panic wut every little variance.
If the temp gauge isn’t rising as high as it used to, it could be the thermostat is stuck partway open. This makes the engine take longer to get to operating temperature, then unable to cool properly under load. It could be stuck from corrosion after sitting in tap(?) water for so long.
Sixto
07 E350 5.4 183K miles
These temp gauges are junk. It can take a 20-30*F swing to move a pointer’s width. Coolant temp varies quite a bit with everyday driving but manufacturers think seeing all that movement would concern the average driver so the pointer stays at a fixed position within C and H so drivers don’t panic wut every little variance.
If the temp gauge isn’t rising as high as it used to, it could be the thermostat is stuck partway open. This makes the engine take longer to get to operating temperature, then unable to cool properly under load. It could be stuck from corrosion after sitting in tap(?) water for so long.
Sixto
07 E350 5.4 183K miles
Thread Starter
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3rd Gear
Joined: Aug 2022
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I guess no smoke or smell is a good sign? Is it complicated to change the thermostat and gauge temp sender? I will try to find where these are located and see if the local part store has this in stock. I will also do the pressure test to see if there is excess pressure in the cooling system. Thanks for all this advice!!
Fleet Owner
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 21,253
Likes: 1,656
From: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
What are these "extremely hot to the touch" you're feeling? Did you do an IR temperature gun test on the affected panels and then compare those with other body panels that might have been sitting in direct sunlight?
If you're able to pressure test the cooling system I'd also check the radiator cap---they can weaken over time and use.
Good luck with this!
If you're able to pressure test the cooling system I'd also check the radiator cap---they can weaken over time and use.
Good luck with this!
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