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2019 F-150 4x4 3.5 200k miles is running hot towing a trailer at interstate speeds(utility trailer with utv). Going 55-60 it runs normal, 65-75 it goes to the top of the gauge especially on long grades. Started on a trip from South Georgia to Illinois this morning and didn’t make it 50 miles before turning around and going home. I changed the thermostat, didn’t help. Radiator is clear, no CEL light everything else seems fine. I’ve towed the same load with it for thousands of miles and never had a problem until now.
Anybody got any ideas? If I could get this straightened out fast I would still have time for my trip.
Normal is about midway of the gauge, where it stays around most all the time, hot is getting in the red. On an uphill grade it’ll start steady climbing until it derates and flashes “power reduced to lower temperature” or something to that effect.
using tow/haul mode
It did the same on the interstate Monday with just the trailer. I stopped to check the coolant, it was a little low, topped it off, drove the rest of the way home off the interstate with no problems. Yesterday I drove all over with a moderate load in the bed at interstate speed’s with no problem and I drove it with and without tow/haul mode on, the gauge stayed around midway the whole time so I wrongly assumed I would be good to go this morning.
--Belt slipping resulting in slow water pump drive. Are you having any charging issues?
--water pump worn to the point of being inadequte for high heat loads.
--head gasket going pushing super heated combustion gases into the coolant under load. Does the coolant have a rainbow on it or is it gray with bubbles?
--Belt slipping resulting in slow water pump drive. Are you having any charging issues?
--water pump worn to the point of being inadequte for high heat loads.
--head gasket going pushing super heated combustion gases into the coolant under load. Does the coolant have a rainbow on it or is it gray with bubbles?
--you had low coolant--where is it going?
--are your radiator shutters working correctly?
--electric fan in good shape if equipped?
charging seems fine
don’t know about water pump vanes
coolant looks good no bubbles or oily residue
don’t know where the coolant went, can’t see any leaks, don’t really know how long it was low, took 3/4 of gallon to get to max fill. It was still on max this morning.
Radiator shutters are open sitting still
I can see through the radiator with a flashlight
Ok so, if anyone else has this problem, wash your radiator coils out thoroughly.
I looked through mine with a flashlight and could see through them well but, this thing has a tiny radiator that evidently can’t stand much of a restriction. I’m used to dealing with much larger radiators that have way more stuff in them and still don’t have overheating issues.
I took the plastic cover between the grill and radiator off to expose it and the ac condenser, then removed the bolts from the fan assembly so it could be tilted back. I used compressed air first then water. There was a few bugs in there, a few feathers and some plant parts, it didn’t look like much but was enough. I washed it out as well as I could. I’ve been about 250 miles now at 75mph with no problems.
Maybe that will help somebody.
edit- just went over Mont Eagle with no overheating so, it’s good.
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