First time posting! hope Im in the right spot! I have a 1993 Ford Ranger 6 cyl, 3 litre. Truck overherated about 5 months ago. Filled radiator, didnt have a problem again for several weeks. Ended up having a leak in the heater core which was replaced. Truck ran fine for a couple months. Then noticed on many occasions that the gauge on the dash would start to rise and then go back to a normal temp. Then overheated again. Short time later the water pump went. Replaced that and the thermostat. Ran fine but guage seem to indicate the truck running at a cooler temp but was not overheating. Then noticed the gauge rising and falling again. Then noticed that in the morning when i reved the enging I could hear water gurgling (for lack of a better word) somewhere down near the floor of the passenger side. Around where the heater core would be ( the newly replaced heater core! ) Only heard it when the car was still cool and when I accelerated. So...now my truck has overheated again. Looked to see where the leak might be. Looks to be around where the themostat housing is mounted. Possible blown hose and still looking into that..My questions is this... Before i invest anymore money...Is this just a run of bad luck or is there something more serious that has not been fixed that is causing all these other problems? Ive checked the oil for coolant and coolant for oil. Dont show any signs of it being an internal engine problem. What should i do next? Clogged radiatior perhaps? Maybe a bad intake manifold gasket? How would I check for these problems? When the water pump was replaced a pressure check was done. Everything checked out. Would this test even reveal a clogged radiator? Ok sorry so many questions. Any help would be greatly apprecitaed. Frustrated and Stranded signing out.. Thanks

 

Welcome to FTE! Those cooling system problems will drive anyone crazy.

There are a few things that would lead me to think that air is getting into the cooling system. The temp gauge rising and falling, and the gurgling sound, are usually indicators of air in the cooling system. And it seems like after you service the system (new HC, WP, T-Stat) you are good to go for a little while, only to have the symptons return a short time later. So you have to ask yourself what might be causing this?

When you pressure-tested the cooling system, did you test the radiator cap, too? That could be bad. Or maybe like you say the radiator itself is clogged, but still able to hold pressure. Have you ever backflushed the entire cooling system?

There also was a recent thread on possible overpressurization of the cooling system causing problems:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...hreadid=186717

Just a few things to consider.

 

Thanks for the quick reply and the welcome, rockledge!! Already thrilled i found this website, where do I make my donation :-) Hopefully I'll be able to change my nick name to something other than stranded! In response to your post, the radiator cap is new. Have not backflushed the entire cooling system! That will be the next thing I do! Is it possible that a clogged radiator can cause air in the cooling system and/or my HC and WP to go out? I went to the tread that you attached, checked to see if was overpressurized by checking the hose and the hose did not feel hard. So I'm assuming that is not the problem. Also, if there is air in the cooling system can it cause other problems such as leaks, or problems with the HC, WP, etc. Thanks so much for the useful information and I'll keep you abreast of my progress! Thanks!!

 

Over time air in the system could possibly kill the components, but I believe it's more common for failing components to allow/trap air in the systems.

I clogged/restricted radiator could cause air problems, I would think, because you have a pump trying to push coolant through when there is nowhere to go.

There are actually flush kits you can purchase at any auto parts store which can help you, or you can spring a little $$ and have a shop professionally do it.

You should also continue to be diligent about finding any possible leaks. A good time to look for leaks is after the engine is first started and is warming up.

Also, you might try visiting the FTE Cooling, Heating, Ventilation and A/C Forum and maybe do a search of the archives or even post your question there, you might get some more ideas.

Good luck!

 

Thanks again Rockledge for the info. Im in the process of the repair. So far found that the heater hose was leaking and the Thermostat Gasket was not sealed properly. Needless to say, i wont be going back to that shop again! With those repairs i still hear the gurgling, seems to be coming from around the heater core. Mostly hear it when im in the cab. Its coming from the floor of the passenger side. So Im now trying trouble shoot that. Any thoughts? Maybe the new HC was not installed correctely? Well once again thanks for the help!! John

 

Another quick note from me, if thats possible Im posting on the other forum as you suggested and searching the archives, Thanks Rockledge

 

Hey stranded,
Hey Rock been a long time friend,

I agree 100% with Rock. Air entering the system will "gargle". could cause unusual temp readings since air heats faster than coolant. It is possible for the water around an air pocket to boil while the rest of the water remains at temp. On the other hand, heat and pressure are directly correlated. That is, provided you don't have air entering the system, the higher the pressure, the higher the temp. Remember high school.... things expand when they get hot, the reverse is also true. You could have a blockage in the radiator that just will not come out in a flush. You can go to a radiator shop and have it "rodded". I had a Cheby with the same problem. Rodding took care of it.

 

Yes it has! Where have you been hiding? Your Ranger must be running pretty darn good since we haven't seen you around hardly at all!

 

Truck is waiting for a facelift. a Mercury Mistique put a nasty bruise on the front. Thinking about going up to full size Bronco. Just figured out everytning on the Ranger too. lol