Explorer overheated, but engine wasnt hot
 

Any help would be appreciated
My 94 explorer drives around town fine, no prob. But as soon as i got on the freeway, it overheated. Weird thing is , my gauge said the engine was hot, but when i pulled over, and opened the hood, i felt around and it didnt seem like a car that was over heating. So i thought well maybe the gauge isnt working. My fuel gauge doesnt work either, so i kept driving, thats when i noticed there was smoke billowing behind me. My engine was obviously overheating. Now both the radiator and the overfill tanks are empty. So it leaked out fluid. Maybe a hose burst, i dont know. Where do i go from here.

This explorer was sitting for about 1 year. Not being droven.

Welcome to FTE.

Try filling the cooling system with plain water and check for leaks.

This is very basic stuff--I take it you are not someone who works on vehicles much?

You may have run the whole thing dry. That usually results in some permanent damage. Sometimes not.

Check for leaks. If something leaks, repair or replace. Then run it and see how it runs.

Unless the engine has locked up, the worst would be warped heads. 2nd worst is a blown head gasket.

Best is it runs another 100,000 miles.

Good luck.