over heating F150
05-25-2015, 07:34 PM
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over heating F150
son has a 2006 F150 with the 4.6. it has the tow package and auto trans, 2wd. he lives in florida, i live in maryland so trying to help him out. he has had problem lately with overheating when towing his 18 ft boat in hot weather. i know it is under the capacity so he is not overextending it, just a small center console boat and trailer. he has not had a problem before with it, weather started getting hot and now rearing his ugly head. i told him check his coolant levels, and he changed thermostat. if it was a dodge i would say radiator is clogged like mine always did every 60 k miles like clockwork. have seen pictures of water pumps with the impeller blades disintergrating so could be that, maybe clogged radiator, or even fan clutch. thing is it works good when not the usual 95 degrees or more. any pointers would be appreciated by us. if i was there, would be easier, hard to diagnose 1500 miles away and don't want him getting hosed by dealer
05-25-2015, 07:40 PM
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he didn't flush, just changed thermostat, and cap is on the overflow tank i believe. i was not a fan of power flushing as it clogged my radiator on the taurus i had, made it 2 miles before overheating, jiffly lube cost me $900 for new radiator, water pump. i am trying to locate a service manual, any ideas on line??? should he go for the flush????
05-25-2015, 07:49 PM
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hard to do, he lives in a condo and anything is a no no, i would say a flush from a jiffy lube, but like i said, they screwed me once. he did change thermostat and it was very corroded. he will try next week. if he was up here with it, i could work on it and do what ever i needed in garage.
05-26-2015, 04:40 AM
#6
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Is it overheating during idle conditions, or while driving at speed? If at idle, have him check the fan clutch; it may not be working/pulling air at idle.
05-26-2015, 05:54 AM
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actually he showed me a picture of it last night, the thermostat was cruddy, looked like mud and he said hard to get out, is original and he just bought truck for towing boat, based on picture, and what you guys said, i said take it for flush, doubt it is getting full flow thru block, just hope they don't clog radiator while power flushing it. thanks to all, will keep you posted
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05-26-2015, 11:57 AM
#10
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Corrosion of the engine block can cause it to look like mud. The previous owner may not have ever changed the coolant, or put the wrong stuff in. If he can't do it himself, it would probably be worth getting a professional flush to get that crud out. I don't mean at a Jiffy Lube, but at a trusted mechanic. These trucks also need either Motorcraft Gold, or Zerex G-05. The green, red, and cheap yellow stuff will cause the cooling system passages to corrode quickly.