E-350 Overheating Puzzler
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Freshman User
Joined: Aug 2002
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From: Brentwood, TN
E-350 Overheating Puzzler
Hey gang,
My wife brought our 1995 E-350 Club Wagon home this afternoon with the temp gauge reading very hot - not quite into the red, but close enough. When she pulled into the garage and cut the engine, the cooling system continued to gurgle and boil for quite a while until it cooled down. No steam, thankfully.
Here's the part I don't get. There's absolutely no fluid leaking from anywhere. The radiator is full. The overflow box is at the appropriate level. The fan is working. The upper and lower hoses are warm to the touch - indicating there is fluid moving through them. The water pump doesn't appear to be leaking, and there's nothing coming from the weeper hole.
What could be causing this hot condition? If the thermostat was bad, the hoses shouldn't feel warm, right? We were planning to take the van on a road trip later this week, but my confidence is a little shaken right now.
Thanks for any advice.
TimR><>
My wife brought our 1995 E-350 Club Wagon home this afternoon with the temp gauge reading very hot - not quite into the red, but close enough. When she pulled into the garage and cut the engine, the cooling system continued to gurgle and boil for quite a while until it cooled down. No steam, thankfully.
Here's the part I don't get. There's absolutely no fluid leaking from anywhere. The radiator is full. The overflow box is at the appropriate level. The fan is working. The upper and lower hoses are warm to the touch - indicating there is fluid moving through them. The water pump doesn't appear to be leaking, and there's nothing coming from the weeper hole.
What could be causing this hot condition? If the thermostat was bad, the hoses shouldn't feel warm, right? We were planning to take the van on a road trip later this week, but my confidence is a little shaken right now.
Thanks for any advice.
TimR><>
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 8,140
Likes: 4
From: Oak Harbor, OH
Could be a bad heater core, bad thermostat (stuck open JUST enough to let some anti-freeze through), or even a bad radiator. Pull the cap drain it until you can see the top of the core in the radiator. It's covered in crap it's time to replace.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
> The upper and lower hoses are warm to the touch
That is the problem right there.
The upper hose to the thermostat housing is 195+ degrees, hot enough for a bad burn. You shouldn't be able to grab the hose or hold your hand to it and it should be WAY hotter then the lower hose.
Change the thermostat and change the transmission fluid.
That is the problem right there.
The upper hose to the thermostat housing is 195+ degrees, hot enough for a bad burn. You shouldn't be able to grab the hose or hold your hand to it and it should be WAY hotter then the lower hose.
Change the thermostat and change the transmission fluid.
Posting Guru
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,903
Likes: 2
From: Wyoming
Otherwise, I agree with the above suggestions. Thermostat is cheap and easy to replace. Radiator cap might also be due after 10 years.
IS this van new to you, or are you the longtime owner?
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Freshman User
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 29
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From: Brentwood, TN
Update
Thanks for the help and suggestions. The thermostat replacement didn't fix it.
The van was running hotter than normal, but not overheating most of the time. When I'd drive up the side of a mountain, or spent a lot of time in start and stop traffic on a 95+ degree day it would overheat.
So, after trying a few things, I threw everything at it. I replaced the radiator, cap, water pump, fan clutch and belt. The problem is fixed now. It runs so cool, it barely gets up to operating temperature!
Anyway, there was no clear smoking gun when it was all pulled apart. It could've been a clogged radiator - as it did look a little rusty and gunky. It could've been the original water pump - it was really corroded and the impellers were suspect looking. The fan clutch did have excessive play in it.
I think all of these factors together were restricting the cooling system to where it couldn't handle any extra load (like going up a mountain, or a blistering summer day).
Thanks again for the help. I'm just happy to have some piece of mind, now!
TimR><>
The van was running hotter than normal, but not overheating most of the time. When I'd drive up the side of a mountain, or spent a lot of time in start and stop traffic on a 95+ degree day it would overheat.
So, after trying a few things, I threw everything at it. I replaced the radiator, cap, water pump, fan clutch and belt. The problem is fixed now. It runs so cool, it barely gets up to operating temperature!
Anyway, there was no clear smoking gun when it was all pulled apart. It could've been a clogged radiator - as it did look a little rusty and gunky. It could've been the original water pump - it was really corroded and the impellers were suspect looking. The fan clutch did have excessive play in it.
I think all of these factors together were restricting the cooling system to where it couldn't handle any extra load (like going up a mountain, or a blistering summer day).
Thanks again for the help. I'm just happy to have some piece of mind, now!
TimR><>
Post Fiend
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 13,873
Likes: 3
From: Atlanta GA
> The fan clutch did have excessive play in it
I agree, it could have been a combo of small problems plus this would have been the biggest. I have replaced clogged and leaking radiators and ended up having to replace the water pump and then the fan clutch too. Then even though it was flushed, the heater core begins leaking a few months later. In for a $0.01 in for a pound.
BTW: Change your transmission fluid. If the coolant was boiling, so was the transmission fluid.
I agree, it could have been a combo of small problems plus this would have been the biggest. I have replaced clogged and leaking radiators and ended up having to replace the water pump and then the fan clutch too. Then even though it was flushed, the heater core begins leaking a few months later. In for a $0.01 in for a pound.
BTW: Change your transmission fluid. If the coolant was boiling, so was the transmission fluid.
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 253
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From: San Marcos, CA
i ran into the "It runs so cool, it barely gets up to operating temperature!" issue in my 95 E350 BB. turned out to be a Stant Thermostat. installed a new t-stat as part of pre trip tune up/service. this occurred on a road trip two/three years ago. started out the trip with the gauge slightly below normal operating temp i was used to. thought everything was ok... but when i had no cabin heat coming from tahoe to sacramento at two in the morning, i immediately headed for the first Ford dealer. i bought a new Ford t-stat and gasket, installed it and lo and behold, everything returned to normal - gauge moved back to its "normal" position, i had cabin heat again and the trip continued w/o incident.
fwiw, the ford replacement looked just like the old Robertshaw t-stats i used to see - center rotates and opens/closes slots. the Stant tested correctly in hot water when i returned home and was the correct temp to match the Ford spec.
anybody have a technical explanation? my supposition is that the flow characteristics of the two t-stats was vastly different. also i have the extended version van w/ rear air/heat. and electric fans (which were NOT running that evening - shouldn't have mattered anyway...)
neil in san marcos
fwiw, the ford replacement looked just like the old Robertshaw t-stats i used to see - center rotates and opens/closes slots. the Stant tested correctly in hot water when i returned home and was the correct temp to match the Ford spec.
anybody have a technical explanation? my supposition is that the flow characteristics of the two t-stats was vastly different. also i have the extended version van w/ rear air/heat. and electric fans (which were NOT running that evening - shouldn't have mattered anyway...)
neil in san marcos
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