86 ranger overheating problem
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New User
Joined: Jun 2009
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i shut it off before i had a chance to find out if it's in cycles or not as I have a lot of children and animals in my neighborhood. I do know that by the time the thermostat opens there still no bubbles just the rush of coolant when the thermostat opens. Also there is nowhere I can beg, borrow or steal a coolant pressure tester. Is there any other way I can check that? Would using a compression tester on the block after it's hot tell me? Comparing cold readings to hot readings? Also if I do get a confirmation of it being a head problem is there an easy wa to tell if it's the head cracked or a bad gasket?
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2004
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You could take out the thermostat, button up the cooling system tightly, hoses I mean. Then run the engine, bubbles in the coolant before the temperature of the coolant gets to boiling temperature means at least a head gasket problem.
I think you can only check for cracked heads if they are off.
You can still drive the truck around just know that you have this problem and it's not going to fix itself.
I think you can only check for cracked heads if they are off.
You can still drive the truck around just know that you have this problem and it's not going to fix itself.
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Had the coolant pressure tested today by a mechanic. No leaks cold or hot. Checked out the compression and it's at about 140-150psi per cylinder or 9.5Kpa. Mechanic figures the thermostat is stuck closed and the rad cap was leaking. Said he figures the Coolant was heating up in the engine till it was at boiling under pressure and then the boiling action would heat up the coolant in the rad and cause that fluid to flash boil from the cap leak. That make sense to anyone?
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2008
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From: McKenzie River
If your thermostat had been stuck shut, your upper hose would have been bulging to the point of possibly bursting!...........Do you now have a new therm and rad. cap?, let us know what happens at this point.
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2004
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Its probably your thermostat. I had one in my Ranger that would only open up a little bit, the truck would never get hot enough to over heat or show on the guage, but it caused it to get hot enough that it would start missing at highway speeds. I took it out and heated it up on the stove in water, it barely opened at 212 degrees, then I took it to the garage and used a propane torch on it. It took 5 minutes before it opened up all the way, Replaced it and every thing is working fine now.
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On a side note anyone know the standard axle height from the ground on this year of truck?
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I couldn't squeeze mine either, as it was opening some about an 1/8 inch or so. Then again it could be something different. I thought maybe if you were going to trouble shoot the problem this a good area to start. Seems like everyone on here just jumps right to conclusions and blame the head gaskets, which it could be, but you should start with the simpler stuff first then work your way down...... its called trouble shooting.
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I changed the thermostat tonight and that solved her. Here are a couple of the pics of the thermostat which was seized closed. I pushed on it as hard as I could to open her and got her to pop open. Not seized anymore but a I heated her up to a hard boil and no go on the opening. Put the new one in and went for a drive and all is good.
Here are the pictures of the poor thing. I hope they work as I can't figure any other way to post them.
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Here are the pictures of the poor thing. I hope they work as I can't figure any other way to post them.
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