I've had the truck for almost 2,000 miles, and i've never seen the temperature gauge go anymore then a quarter of the way (just touching the line after cold and right where the "normal" range starts)

Everything under the hood is warm to touch when it gets to that point, and I ONLY have heat if i leave the rpm's at around 1500-1800. If i let it drop back down to idle the heat cools down almost all the way.

I'm thinking the gauge problem is a coolant temperature sensor problem (the one that controls the gauge, not the output to the ECM). And I tried burping ALL of the air out of the radiator/block about 5 times. I can only guess that the thermostat is shot, or the waterpump isnt pumping very well.

I'm gonna try changing the thermostat, and flush the cooling system. I tried taking the plug out of the radiator one time to drain it and i had to poke a screwdriver in there to get anything to start coming out. it almost smells like oil/gas if you take the cap off.

I'm hoping it doesn't have a blown headgasket, but I cant do a compression check, because of the idiotic way the plugs are under the intake manifold. If I DO check it, i'll only have to take one of the two plugs out of every cylinder though, right?

Sorry for the long post, but i'm always real in-depth about things like this. Hopefully I get some people to reply that care just the same.

Thanks in advance!

 

Yeah, I'd suspect the T-stat, change it and get
a new radiator cap as well, does it make
enough heat for the defroster to work well??

As for the compression test, just pull the exhaust
side plugs, and don't forget the throttle should be
held wide open...

 

If you want to burp the cooling system, remove the metal curved tube that leads to the thermostat outlet, just enough to let air out, and then push it back in slightly. Add more coolant, and let the air out.. lather, rinse, repeat.

The bottom tank of the radiator sounds like it is full of muck-muck. You should remove it, and flush it out completely. The drain plug can be removed completely if you think that will help in cleanout.
I bet you have air in the system.. check the temp of the hoses to the heater core. They BOTH should be hot.. at idle rpm. If not, the core may be blocked, or coolant level low. The core replacement is less than $20, and about 1/2 hr, more or less.
tom

 

i have a 1993 ranger 2.3l with the same problem. i have tryed 3 tstats, 2 stock and one special 205 degree. i have flushed my cooling system a couple times. all that did not help, so i put on an electric fan that first turns on at 220 degrees, it never runs because the cooling temp hardly gets over 170. i have cardbord on my grill or the temp would never come off cold, i had it hooked up to a friends snap-on scan tool and the computer temp reads the same as my lazer temp gun, plus it says it runs on the rich side all the time. i have also replaced my water pump, egr, o2 sensor, air filter, fuel filter, plugs and wires, tryed differnet maf sensors, flow checked the injectors. nothing helped at all, there are no codes in the computer either. the fuel mileage isnt what it should be. i cant figure this out.

 

Wow! I thought I was the only one with this problem, and you've tried changing everything! I though my problem might have been an old waterpump, but you've changed that and THEN some!

Does the cardboard help out any? I may give that a try and see what happens. I though maybe I had a bad gauge, but you say yours never comes off cold either! I changed my thermostat to a 192º and it helped out with the heat, but it still cools down at idle, and the gauge still sits pretty low.

Very strange problem... Anyone else have any suggestions? Seems to be a pretty common problem with 2.3's. It could also be a clogged heater core too. Do rangers use those little restrictor plugs in the heater core too?

 

i get 18 mpg at the best, my window sticker i found says it should get 28, the cardboard helped till laghtly when it got to -15 here now it just gets above the c

 

I'm not sure how identical the '93 gauges are to the '89's but mine has the C line, then the line that starts the normal range. Mine sits just below and sometimes just above the normal line. I know what you mean with the temps too. It's been about that cold here too, and it sure doesn't help any.

I never checked my gas mileage, but i have a strange feeling it's not much better then what your getting.

 

they have the same gauges till about 95 or so. i put remote start on mine, have it set to run 25 mins, come out and get in and it isnt even to the c yet after that long

 

by the way, i replace the radiator cap too and my truck only has 80,000 miles

 

I've had the same problem for 4 or 5 years now. I've replaced the thermostat, hoses, flushed, filled, etc. etc. As far as I can tell, everything is as it should be, but it will heat up to just past the lower edge of normal. I've resorted to the custom cardboard radiator shroud too. That helps quite a bit. Even with that, it does kill the gas mileage, but at least I have heat! In the summer I average around 23-24 mpg. It is down to 18-19 right now with the recent cold weather.

On the updside, I never have to worry about overheating in the summer

 

i have found something out today, if i put my heater on cold and turn off the fan, the truck heats up good (have cardboard on radiator also) but if i put the heater on and the fan, the temp slowly drops to the cold mark, i even tryed a new heater core like someone else sugested and it does the same thing.

 

ps it isnt just the gauge, i checked it with a thermo lazer temp gun

 

That's to be expected - your heater is essentially another radiator inside your truck. Keeping the heat and fan on help to dissipate more heat from your engine - leaving them shut off will definitely help warm it up for you. I've just learned to live with the spring and fall "changing of the cardboard".

 

how can the heater cool the whole engine on low ?

 

In a normal vehicle, it would not matter much at all. With these Rangers that barely warm up to operating temps. having the heater on makes enough difference to cool the engine. I'm not sure why, but it does. Mine does exactly the same thing.