I bought this 94 Explorer in May. Its a 2x4. I really love it but it likes to run hot. On normal days (where the weather does not exceed 85 degrees and when I am not running the a/c) it runs a little above the mid way point on the temperature gauge. If it is hotter than 85 and/or if I have to use the air conditioner it runs far beyond that but not quite into the HOT range on the guage. However, I have to keep putting the truck in neutral or into park to keep the temperature from getting too hot. I have had the radiator flushed and filled with a 50/50 coolant mix. I have plenty of coolant in reserve as well. I am using 10w30 oil (synthetic blend). My question is: Is this normal for Explorers to run this hot in the summer or with the a/c? Should I be worried? Should I have the thermostat replaced? Any advice is sincerely appreciated!

 

Ive never had a 94, but ive had (2) Explorers and ive never seen them run that hot, and i was always on the road. Do you notice an other adverse effects while the engine is hot? Can you feel a heat difference, or are you just taking the reading off of the thermo? Im no explorer expert, but i would check the thermostat first, it might be giving you an inaccurate reading. Theres a guy in here called "Cobra XP" if you dont get the response your looking for, drop him a line. Every response ive ever read from him seems to be right on the money.

Hope this helps!

 

I doubt the thermostat is causing your problem. I would bet it is either the water pump or the radiator (my money is on the radiator). If it is more than 40 - 50% plugged, then its efficiency will be greatly reduced. Try going to the car wash and using the high pressure spray thru your grill to clean out the fins of your radiator and your A/C condensor. I had a similar problem on my 92 and this did the trick. You might also invest $5 in a new radiator cap because if it's not holding pressure, it will heat up fast...

 

Thanks for the good advice! I'll check it out. I didn't notice anything else going on when the engine reads hot. However, I've wondered about the accuracy of the reading because it seems to fluctuate dramatically. For example, it will register about 3/4 on it's way to hot and then fall down to about 1/4 of the way (well below the half way mark) after I have been driving 35mph or faster.

 

I'm going to try that water hose trick at the carwash this afternoon. Wish me luck!!! Hopefully, this trick or replacing the thermostat will work. Thanks so much for the good advice.

 

try a new coolent temp. sensor on my 94 it said it was running hot i changed the thermostat and had the radiator flushed then i got smart i took my infered temp sensor and pointed it to the thermostat housing when the neddle said it was hot and it was much cooler then the guage said. the sensor is an easy and cheap to replace

 

I justed replaced my thermostat last weekend and it cured all of my problems. It's going to be the second thing I check from now on (after the reservoir). Also, when the enginre gets too hot the computer will kill the A/C. Hope you find you problem.

Brett

 

I don't have a '94 but I do have a '91 with tempreture promlems.After a long trip I found out that I have blown head gasket.
It was fine while driving in the city but as soon as I hit the mountains and started working the engine thats when I found my problem. Maybe this might be concern for your truck.

 

Has anyone ever thought of the fan clutch? I just replaced mine and the temperature is much cooler now. If the clutch slips too much the fan won't operate and will not pull enough cool air through the radiator, therefore recycling hot coolant through the engine until it overheats.

 

For reference...

The temperature gauge needle in my 94 Ex hovers around the "No" of the word "Normal" on the gauge.

 

Well I didn't have any luck with cleaning out the fins on the radiator. They looked pretty clean but I sprayed it out anyway to make sure.

Now I'm getting a new thermostat (today 8/16/02/). Hopefully this will work. I noticed that there is a lot of pressure in the hose. I'm hoping the thermostat is the reason. Wish me luck!

 

I'm still bettin' it's the radiator. You say it was flushed. Sometimes it helps...sometimes it doesn't. Have you taken it by a radiator shop and done a flow check? Could be the thermostat. They don't last forever either. Are you losing water?

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-Aug-02 AT 02:34 PM (EST)]Well, the new thermostat did little if anything at all. Any more suggestions?

Here are the symptoms. The temperature guage normally stays right in the middle. When I'm stuck in traffic, like bumper to bumper, or if I'm going up hill for like a mile or so, it gets warmer and moves beyond the middle. The longer I'm in the traffic, the warmer it gets UNLESS I put it in neutral or begin driving at or above 35mph. If I do that, the needle begins to go down toward the middle again. Putting it in Park has little or no effect on the temperature.

Also, keep in mind that the hotter it is outside, the more the car wants to overheat. On days in the mid 80's...no problems. When it's 90 or above, it's a race against time to get home before it goes past the 'L' in N-O-R-M-A-L.

The air conditioner just makes this happen faster. So, here in DC, when the humidity is high and the temperature is 96+ with a heat index of 105 or above, I'm driving in fear of overheating with no air conditioner on in bumper to bumper traffic.

*I have no smoke of any kind.

*No leaks of any kind.

*I haven't noticed any oil in the wrong places like the coolant or the air filter.

*All fluids have been topped off and are at appropriate levels.

What could be wrong?

What should I do next?

If it's the radiator, what should I fix? There are absolutely no leaks. Coolant levels stay consistant.

If it's the water pump, what are the symptoms and how much does that type of repair run?

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

Tricksee99 :*
94 Ford Explorer
2 Wheel drive

 

Sounds like a bad fan clutch. The fan is only needed when going below 35 mph or so.

 

My brother in law just had his heads replaced in his '92 Explorer and the coolant holes were nearly closed in the heads and block. My brother in law is very strict with maintaining his vehicles, so it's had regular radiator flushing and fluid. This might be a potential problem.