djfllmn

iTrader: (1)

the gasket and filter comes as a kit...get a good quality one either from rock auto or napa

qdeezie

A few points of clarification on transmission fluid.

Depending on the year of your transmission, Ford likely spec'd Mercon or Mercon V (check the dipstick, it'll tell you).

However, Mercon was made obsolete. Mercon V superceded Mercon. So, for the purpose of this conversation, there are two Mercon specs. Mercon and Mercon V. Mercon V will work with vehicles spec'd for either Mercon or Mercon V.

With regards to aftermarket fluids, aftermarket manufacturers formulate their fluids to work on a number of vehicles. Dex, Dexron, Dexron III or Dexron VI are GM fluids. Basically a Dex/Merc fluid is a fluid that will work on both Fords that are spec'd for Mercon (but not Mercon V unless otherwise stated) and GMs that are spec'd for Dexron.

Hope this clears some things up.

brentwrmiller

Thanks for this. I ended up holding off on the transmission flush until I return to NY.

I drove ~500 miles to my parents house and experienced two issues:

1. The engine wouldn't fully turn over each time I turned the ignition. Was told to improve the battery connection which I detail below. Turns out the wires and connections were in pretty bad shape, as shown below.

2. Same overheating problem that I experienced on my last drive down South. I replaced the thermostat after that, but same problem. I'm not leaking any coolant though. What's next on the cross-off list for potential causes? Could the power issue noted above have anything to do with it?

---------

1. I picked up a couple small wire brushes and a can of dielectric grease. I disconnected the battery, brushed all wires and terminals, and coated everything in the grease. I reconnected everything and she is starting like a champ. Seems to have solved the starting issue.

2. TBD on the engine overheating. Only happens when I'm idling at a stand-still for 15 minutes or more.




truck in driveway with dog





corroded wiring





cleaned wires and terminal, with dielectric grease

Manuellabour247

I can't remember, but have you drained then flushed your coolant in the radiator? If not it might be a start. Also make sure that you don't have a lot of fins bent over. That can cause and overheating while idling. When was the water pump changed last? About the only other thing to check would be your coolant mixture using a gauge. Should be 50-50 or 40-60. Anything outside that isn't really recommended.

brentwrmiller

Thanks, I did a full flush when I changed the thermostat. Pretty murky fluid.

Not sure about the water pump. I'm going to buy top-of-the-line radiator pressure cap tomorrow to see if that does anything.

fltdriver

Cap won't change anything unless it's allowing fluid to spill out/pass to reservoir continuously.

If nothing is leaking and it's overheating while driving then you probably have a failing pump, could be the radiator but it's usually the pump, especially if it appears to have been in there a while. Pumps are fairly cheap but the kicker is that the fan clutch should be changed at the same time as the pump, making both options about the same price wise. Personally, I would do the pump and consider switching to an E-fan (would be the same price if not cheaper than a new clutch and will make the next WP replacement much cheaper) simply because I've owned 8-10 vehicles and only replaced a radiator on one (plastic tank sprung a leak) but have had to change water pump on all but 2 of them. Water pumps go bad on the regular, radiators can last a lifetime if they aren't all dented/smashed, not clogged up, and not leaking. I've seen rad's that look like some fat chick sat on them (huge area of bent fins) that still cooled just fine.

This is something that you can hold off on doing until it warms back up so long as nothing is leaking, running a little warm in winter is actually good for you (keeps you warmer) just keep an eye on temp and any long trips plan for a few cool down stops just to be on the safe side.

On the E-fan, I would recommend doing the conversion. I'm not one to go modding a vehicle, I trust the manufacturers engineers a lot more than an aftermarket company or a bunch of gear heads in a garage. That being said, this is probably one of the best things I've done to my truck; runs way quieter, 1-2 mpg gain, temp hasn't gotten above where it always sat with the mechanical fan. I initially thought it would be a good idea to run the e-fan constantly because she gets most of her miles in town, stop and go, towing a light/medium load, but as winter got closer I decided to just put a switch in so I could turn it on when I wanted or needed and have only had to flip the switch once or twice in the past month. Right now low speed is switch controlled, High speed has thermostat controller and connected to the AC system.

All you need for the conversion is:

2 relays and harnesses ($5-got mine out of a JY, came in a two relay waterproof case)
temp controller (<$20 at autozone)
fan (I used a dual fan off of an 04 Sebring $40)
Some wire
Inline fuse or fuse tap

brentwrmiller

Just went out to the truck and the battery had enough juice to flash the dashboard, then completely died.

What's the move? Should I test the battery at an auto parts store? Am I able to re-charge or should I buy new?

Any recommendations for new batteries? [MENTION=195090]alheim[/MENTION] suggests Interstate, but I don't trust him

fltdriver

Pull the battery and take it to an auto parts store. They can tell you what % of charge it will hold as well as charge it for you. If possible, depending on the age of the battery, you could try to take it somewhere that sells that brand just in case an exchange is possible.

As for brands, eh..., I've honestly never had any problems with anything I've gotten from orielly's and pretty much every auto store carries batteries that have 1 or 3 year full replacement warranties. They used to had 5 or seven year warranties but think most stopped doing that.

Thought I killed my battery a couple times by leaving lights on all night but jump started it and drove it for like an hour and the battery charged right back up and held a charge, I do have a 130amp alt though. That would be another suggestion, after getting the battery situation figured out run the truck by an auto store and have them test the alt to see if it is starting to fail. If it is I would recommend ordering one online, got my TYC 130 for $110 shipped to my door from rockauto. Some will say it's better to buy local because if something goes wrong you can warranty it the same day, I look at it like: might as well buy something with better quality than the store brand and not have to worry about warranty replacements, mine does have a warranty though and I saved my old one just in case it does go out I have something to throw in while waiting on replacement.

Big_Mikey_Mike

Interstate Battery, the brand first endorsed by Henry Ford in 1932, and later by his only son Edsel Ford. Only put the best in your truck.


Kidding aside, any new battery (of the appropriate size) should work well for you. Lead plates are lead plates. You can't recharge a battery that has outlived it's useful life (totally sulfated etc.), but if the battery is fine and died for other reasons, it can be recharged, either with a charger or by running the truck (via the alternator). (Charging the battery with the alternator by jump-starting & running the truck is sometimes not recommended, i.e. on BMW's, but doing it this way on a relatively-simple 90's F150 would be fine.)

You may want to check your charging system (alternator, voltage regulator, & all wiring connections etc.), because it is somewhat unusual for a battery to die with no advance warning and for no reason. Fuses too (check for corrosion & good electrical contact). Basically, the battery may have had enough juice to start the truck, but the alternator (or poor connections) wasn't generating enough power to keep it charged, causing the battery to die as you drove.

http://arrc.ebscohost.com/ebsco_stat.../8852bg56L.jpg

http://beta.motorist.org/uploads/pub...terysystem.jpg

If I had to bet on this though, I'd say it's just time for a new battery, and add an alternator to your to-do list. Under $100.

brentwrmiller

Went out there this morning and the truck started fine. It was snowing yesterday, so it was very cold. I'll start with testing the battery, then hit the alternator, then check fuses and connections.

I cleaned the terminal (as noted above), but that doesn't seem to have taken care of the issue.