This is my first post, so I hope I posted it in the right spot.
I looked in the section that has the tutorials but for some reason the link for what I need was "invalid".
I drive a 2002 Ford Ranger XLT. It is a 3.0L V6
I know only the very basics of car care but I am determined to learn as much as I can about the mechanics of cars.
Can somebody please help with flushing out my radiator. I saw a brief tutorial on another page but I am not familiar enough with car mechanics to understand it well enough. Recently I noticed my temp gauge start to get hotter. I pulled over and noticed that my Coolant was bone dry. So, I added water untill I got home and added some universal 50/50 coolant. My truck is not running hot anymore but I want to start doing some general maintaince on my truck myself because I cant afford to bring it in to a shop. I have 90,000 miles on my truck, so I think its about time to start doing what I can to keep it alive. Because of the recent overheating, I wanted to start with flushing out my radiator and adding a new quality extended life coolant. I just need someone to give me a walk through on how to do this correctly using terms that most anyone would know. Also, what other repairs or tuneups could I start on to get the longest life out of my truck. I really appreciate any help that you could give me. Thank you very much for your time. Thank You, Andrew dava0016@gmail.com

 

IMO, the first thing you want to do is start you ranger and let it run until it's at operating temperature when the coolant is completely circulating through your system. Then, check to see if you have any leaks because your coolant level should never be bone dry. It had to leak out somewhere for it to get bone dry like that. I had a leak in my radiator last year that caused that problem for me and I had to replace it. Others will have more and probably better advice to give then I am, but I say at least start with checking for leaks in your hoses and radiator and go from there. Otherwise, if there is a leak somewhere, it's just going to get bone dry again and you'll have another overheating problem.

 

First thing you should do is read, understand, and follow the owners manual that came with your truck. If you don't have one go to Ford or Helm and get one. While you're at Helm you might consider getting a service manual and a emissions diagnosis service manual. Then look into getting into a community college class on auto maintanence, meanwhile find a good mechanic to do the basics, until you get up to speed.

 

A chilton's manual is a great place to start. That was how I started a few years back, and now I feel pretty comfortable doing whatever I need too. Sometimes I even go back and reference it.

Make sure to check the sides of the radiator. It is pretty common to leak where they crimped the to pieces of the tank together. Sometimes you can get it recrimped... or you can replace it for $100. You can pull it out and take it to a radiator shop and have them check it for leaks too.

Welcome to FTE... you'll find tons of information here. Don't be afraid to ask!

Stan

 

I want to tag on what blackngoldrules said. After you get the system up to operating temp. with the radiator cap off, shut the engine off, then pressurize the system with a radiator pressure tester. It costs around $75 but worth it. It will reveal even the most smallest of leaks. It could be a head gasket or a hose clamp. If you can't afford it, then have a radiator shop test it for you. It won't do much good to flush & refill the system yet still have a leak.

 

Hi and welcome to FTE. Its a great spot for all kinds of good help.

How long have you owned your truck? What maintenance has been done on it before you got it and what has be done since you owned it? Your remarks suggest that you haven't done anything so far. If that's the case you have a number of things that need to be done. The suggestion of getting a Chilton's or Haynes manual will give you a guide to what is needed. Oh yes, if you have your owner's manual, it should tell you what maintenance is needed when.

For your cooling system, I'd suggest that you drain it as completely as possible, refill it with water and a cooling system cleaner. Follow the direction on the cleaner container to circulate the cleaner through the cooling system. Then flush it out as completely as possible. Flushing the system before pressure testing will make a small leak more noticeable. Fill it again and start looking for leaks. 19704X4250's suggestion of using a radiator pressure tester is a good one. Some auto parts dealer will rent you a tester if you don't want to buy one.

Watch for leaks around the radiator, hoses from the engine to the radiator heater hoses. If you find leaks, you've found the parts that need repair or replacement.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

 

Hey... that's what I said... are you highjacking my comments???!!!



(obviously I'm bored...)

 

Sorry, Traxxis. I guess I did kinda repeat a lot of what you said. I wasn't trying to hijack your comments. I just wanted to expand on the cooling system cleaning process.

 

Here's the best way to flush your system. Follow the upper radiator hose to the engine where it's connected to the thermostat housing. Remove the two bolts and remove the housing. Take the thermostat out and reinstall the housing. (Be sure you remember which direction the thermostat was pointing, up or down. Should be up towards the radiator.)Disconnect the upper and lower radiator hose from the radiator. Shove a garden hose into the upper radiator hose and run the water through the engine block until it's clean. Then run the hose through the upper neck of the radiator and flush it out. Make sure the valve **** on the bottom of the radiator is open as well. Once the system is flushed reinstall the hoses and close off the valve ****. Remove the themostat housing again and clean off all the old gasket from the housing and the block. Make sure all of the old housing gasket is removed and both sufaces are clean clean. Be carefull when you clean old gasket off the block that nothing gets in the block. No need for a new gasket. Use the red permatex gasket sealer on the mounting surface of the block and let it tack up a little. Be sure to spread thin but not too thin. Install a new themostat (one rated between 92 and 97 degrees) and reinstall the housing. Fill the radiator and reservoir with a mixture of 50/50 antifreeze and water. Tighten the radiator cap and run the engine. Add more 50/50 as needed. Sometimes cars have a tendancy of overheating after this is done. If your truck is not equiped with a bleeder screw then loosen the upper radiator hose and squeeze the air out of the system.

 

Uhm, i don't think the thermostat trick will work here. As i recall, the gasket that seal the thermostat housing is a rubber ring that wraps around the edges of the thermostat, so if you take the thermostat out, there will be nothing to seal, and it will leak like a sieve. There should be no need for any kind of sealer. You should replace the thermostat after doing this, and on this point, I do highly recommend a genuine motorcraft thermostat. I've used stant, and several other brands and been disappointed. Maybe its just me, but the others just seem to overcool.

Also, unless you have distilled water, save yourself the trouble and buy premixed antifreeze. If tap water gets into your system, it will corrode the system from the inside. The premixed might seem expensive for being "pre-diluted" but its a lot cheaper than replacing a heater core or radiator because it has plugged up.

 

In the ranger there's a round recess in the block that the thermostat sits in. The gasket goes on after, then the housing. Some vehicles have thermostats with the seal around them but not this one. You can run the truck with or without the themostat and it wont leak so long as you have a good seal between the block and the housing, not that I would ever run my truck without one. Replace the thermostat when ever possible. This is good preventative maintenance. Overcooling is never a problem. You want your engine to run as cool as possible for the best performance. Never buy pre mixed 50/50.
Premix is 50% water and 50% coolant. Look on the shelf of your local auto parts store and you'll see premix cost the same as regular, your just getting half for your money.
Always remember to flush you cooling system regularly to prevent corrosion.

 

Ticker--

Actually overcooling is a big issue. If an engine does not reach proper operating temperature it runs very rich because; 1-the computer senses that the engine is cold and gives it more fuel until it warms up. 2-fuel doesnt ignite as well at lower temps. This means less fuel economy and performance. Running rich is also very bad on spark plugs, can cause excess carbon buildup in cylinders, cause premature failure of O2 sensors, and cause catalytic converters to get plugged up and fail. It will also make a vehicle fail emissions. You want the engine to get to the proper temp. Period

As far as the 50/50 mix goes it is actually quite a good thing. It keeps people from adding tap water to cooling systems which in time can cause corrosion and destroy radiators, heater cores, freeze plugs, hoses, water pumps, etc. Either buy the 50/50 or buy distilled water to add to the mix. DO NOT put tap water in your cooling system.

Everyone is right about the existance of a leak on your truck. The coolant doesnt just disappear. I will bet your problem is either intake gaskets (pretty much on a 4.0), water pump slowly leaking out of weep hole, or radiator leak. If you closely examine your truck you will probably find a white or green stain on whatever is leaking.