Funny 2011 F150 5.0 engine fan and cabin heat issue
02-10-2016, 09:25 PM
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Funny 2011 F150 5.0 engine fan and cabin heat issue
Hi All,
My 2011 F150 5.0L engine cooling and passenger cabin heating systems have started acting up in the following manner:
1. I no longer have any heat whatsoever coming into the passenger cabin when the engine is first warming up. There's no incremental increase in warmth - nothing - until...
2. The moment when the engine temperature gauge reaches the mark denoting the lower end of the normal operating temperature range, three things happen simultaneously:
a. The electrical engine cooling fans come on, full blast, and stay on until I arrive at my destination and turn the key off.
b. I suddenly get full heat in the passenger cabin.
c. I can detect a faint coolant smell, which dissipates within a couple of minutes.
3. If I keep driving the truck, everything seems perfectly normal - except that the fans stay on at full blast. The temperature gauge sits right at the midpoint of the normal operating range.
I should note that temperatures here in Edmonton have been within a few degrees of freezing lately.
Any thoughts on what I'm experiencing here? Could this be the first signs of a failing thermostat? Would an aging battery cause this (e.g., by supplying too low a voltage to the truck's engine computer)? Failing fan controller?
I find it odd that there seems to be perfect timing agreement between the arrival of heat in the cabin and the switching on of the fan. Then again, perhaps both of these facets are controlled by the computer nowadays?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions before I head to the dealership.
Jeff
My 2011 F150 5.0L engine cooling and passenger cabin heating systems have started acting up in the following manner:
1. I no longer have any heat whatsoever coming into the passenger cabin when the engine is first warming up. There's no incremental increase in warmth - nothing - until...
2. The moment when the engine temperature gauge reaches the mark denoting the lower end of the normal operating temperature range, three things happen simultaneously:
a. The electrical engine cooling fans come on, full blast, and stay on until I arrive at my destination and turn the key off.
b. I suddenly get full heat in the passenger cabin.
c. I can detect a faint coolant smell, which dissipates within a couple of minutes.
3. If I keep driving the truck, everything seems perfectly normal - except that the fans stay on at full blast. The temperature gauge sits right at the midpoint of the normal operating range.
I should note that temperatures here in Edmonton have been within a few degrees of freezing lately.
Any thoughts on what I'm experiencing here? Could this be the first signs of a failing thermostat? Would an aging battery cause this (e.g., by supplying too low a voltage to the truck's engine computer)? Failing fan controller?
I find it odd that there seems to be perfect timing agreement between the arrival of heat in the cabin and the switching on of the fan. Then again, perhaps both of these facets are controlled by the computer nowadays?
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions before I head to the dealership.
Jeff
Last edited by jkav; 02-10-2016 at 09:26 PM. Reason: clarity
02-11-2016, 10:27 AM
#2
music man
First thing to check is your coolant level. If your coolant level is appropriate, the next is to find out where the coolant odor is coming from. Not normal to be getting this smell. Easiest way to do this is to pressurize the system and see if you spot a leak. It is leaking somewhere if you are getting an odor. As far as the no heat issue, it is related to leak/nonleak issue. If absolutely no leaks are detected I would suggest a cooling system flush with a new thermostat.
02-11-2016, 10:43 PM
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First thing to check is your coolant level. If your coolant level is appropriate, the next is to find out where the coolant odor is coming from. Not normal to be getting this smell. Easiest way to do this is to pressurize the system and see if you spot a leak. It is leaking somewhere if you are getting an odor. As far as the no heat issue, it is related to leak/nonleak issue. If absolutely no leaks are detected I would suggest a cooling system flush with a new thermostat.
The coolant level was very low, so I've topped it up and things seem normal (at least for now). The coolant level has never dropped before (the truck is at 124,000 km or ~77k miles), so if any symptoms crop back up or if the smell reappears I'll be bringing it in for pressure testing.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
Cheers,
Jeff
02-12-2016, 09:45 AM
#4
music man
Good deal. I would keep checking it over the next few days just to make sure the level stays where it should.
02-12-2016, 07:44 PM
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02-15-2016, 01:04 PM
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Guarantee you are having either one of two issues. I have/had both, lol.
I had the exact same thing you have going on with your truck. No heat, and fan running too often. I found the coolant level was about 1 gallon low even though I have not seen any leaks in the driveway or where I park at work. I pulled off the hose from the throttle body to the air filter enclosure so that I could gain access to the plastic t-connector that connects the upper radiator hose to the thermostat. I did not see any leaks but did see evidence of dried and or sticky antifreeze residue on the lower radiator hose so I knew that it was leaking somewhere. When I grabbed the t-connector fitting and wiggled it a little, antifreeze poured out! There are chintzy O-rings inside the connector that go bad. Why in the hell they didn't use a hose with a hose clamp instead of a cheap plastic fitting I will never understand. So I bought a new t-conn fitting and when I installed it the o-ring on the upper radiator hose end started leaking! Had to go back to dealer and buy a new upper hose.....so 50 for the t-conn and 40 for the hose later, I was back in business. But wait....there's more.
I had read in another thread where some owners were having issues with the fitting on the coolant reservoir leaking as well. Yesterday I was checking on my t-conn to make sure all was still well when I decided to run my finger along the bottom of the reservoir fitting and guess what...it's wet. So I have seepage going on there as well. Someone found a vendor that makes a repair kit for that particular piece of engineering excellence so that will be my next thing to work on.
Make sure you check both of these areas and my guess is you will find the source of your leak. All that antifreeze went somewhere, it didn't evaporate.
Tim
I had the exact same thing you have going on with your truck. No heat, and fan running too often. I found the coolant level was about 1 gallon low even though I have not seen any leaks in the driveway or where I park at work. I pulled off the hose from the throttle body to the air filter enclosure so that I could gain access to the plastic t-connector that connects the upper radiator hose to the thermostat. I did not see any leaks but did see evidence of dried and or sticky antifreeze residue on the lower radiator hose so I knew that it was leaking somewhere. When I grabbed the t-connector fitting and wiggled it a little, antifreeze poured out! There are chintzy O-rings inside the connector that go bad. Why in the hell they didn't use a hose with a hose clamp instead of a cheap plastic fitting I will never understand. So I bought a new t-conn fitting and when I installed it the o-ring on the upper radiator hose end started leaking! Had to go back to dealer and buy a new upper hose.....so 50 for the t-conn and 40 for the hose later, I was back in business. But wait....there's more.
I had read in another thread where some owners were having issues with the fitting on the coolant reservoir leaking as well. Yesterday I was checking on my t-conn to make sure all was still well when I decided to run my finger along the bottom of the reservoir fitting and guess what...it's wet. So I have seepage going on there as well. Someone found a vendor that makes a repair kit for that particular piece of engineering excellence so that will be my next thing to work on.
Make sure you check both of these areas and my guess is you will find the source of your leak. All that antifreeze went somewhere, it didn't evaporate.
Tim
02-15-2016, 01:19 PM
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Guarantee you are having either one of two issues. I have/had both, lol.
I had the exact same thing you have going on with your truck. No heat, and fan running too often. I found the coolant level was about 1 gallon low even though I have not seen any leaks in the driveway or where I park at work. I pulled off the hose from the throttle body to the air filter enclosure so that I could gain access to the plastic t-connector that connects the upper radiator hose to the thermostat. I did not see any leaks but did see evidence of dried and or sticky antifreeze residue on the lower radiator hose so I knew that it was leaking somewhere. When I grabbed the t-connector fitting and wiggled it a little, antifreeze poured out! There are chintzy O-rings inside the connector that go bad. Why in the hell they didn't use a hose with a hose clamp instead of a cheap plastic fitting I will never understand. So I bought a new t-conn fitting and when I installed it the o-ring on the upper radiator hose end started leaking! Had to go back to dealer and buy a new upper hose.....so 50 for the t-conn and 40 for the hose later, I was back in business. But wait....there's more.
I had read in another thread where some owners were having issues with the fitting on the coolant reservoir leaking as well. Yesterday I was checking on my t-conn to make sure all was still well when I decided to run my finger along the bottom of the reservoir fitting and guess what...it's wet. So I have seepage going on there as well. Someone found a vendor that makes a repair kit for that particular piece of engineering excellence so that will be my next thing to work on.
Make sure you check both of these areas and my guess is you will find the source of your leak. All that antifreeze went somewhere, it didn't evaporate.
Tim
I had the exact same thing you have going on with your truck. No heat, and fan running too often. I found the coolant level was about 1 gallon low even though I have not seen any leaks in the driveway or where I park at work. I pulled off the hose from the throttle body to the air filter enclosure so that I could gain access to the plastic t-connector that connects the upper radiator hose to the thermostat. I did not see any leaks but did see evidence of dried and or sticky antifreeze residue on the lower radiator hose so I knew that it was leaking somewhere. When I grabbed the t-connector fitting and wiggled it a little, antifreeze poured out! There are chintzy O-rings inside the connector that go bad. Why in the hell they didn't use a hose with a hose clamp instead of a cheap plastic fitting I will never understand. So I bought a new t-conn fitting and when I installed it the o-ring on the upper radiator hose end started leaking! Had to go back to dealer and buy a new upper hose.....so 50 for the t-conn and 40 for the hose later, I was back in business. But wait....there's more.
I had read in another thread where some owners were having issues with the fitting on the coolant reservoir leaking as well. Yesterday I was checking on my t-conn to make sure all was still well when I decided to run my finger along the bottom of the reservoir fitting and guess what...it's wet. So I have seepage going on there as well. Someone found a vendor that makes a repair kit for that particular piece of engineering excellence so that will be my next thing to work on.
Make sure you check both of these areas and my guess is you will find the source of your leak. All that antifreeze went somewhere, it didn't evaporate.
Tim
Fantastic - many thanks for these pointers. The cost-cutting measures you've described sound pretty pitiful.
You're absolutely right that the antifreeze had to have gone somewhere, and pretending that the problem is solved by refilling the tank is living in a fool's paradise. I'll check out the spots you've identified and let you know what I find.
Cheers,
Jeff
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02-15-2016, 01:29 PM
#8
Senior Member
Can you post some pics of these connections?
Guarantee you are having either one of two issues. I have/had both, lol.
I had the exact same thing you have going on with your truck. No heat, and fan running too often. I found the coolant level was about 1 gallon low even though I have not seen any leaks in the driveway or where I park at work. I pulled off the hose from the throttle body to the air filter enclosure so that I could gain access to the plastic t-connector that connects the upper radiator hose to the thermostat. I did not see any leaks but did see evidence of dried and or sticky antifreeze residue on the lower radiator hose so I knew that it was leaking somewhere. When I grabbed the t-connector fitting and wiggled it a little, antifreeze poured out! There are chintzy O-rings inside the connector that go bad. Why in the hell they didn't use a hose with a hose clamp instead of a cheap plastic fitting I will never understand. So I bought a new t-conn fitting and when I installed it the o-ring on the upper radiator hose end started leaking! Had to go back to dealer and buy a new upper hose.....so 50 for the t-conn and 40 for the hose later, I was back in business. But wait....there's more.
I had read in another thread where some owners were having issues with the fitting on the coolant reservoir leaking as well. Yesterday I was checking on my t-conn to make sure all was still well when I decided to run my finger along the bottom of the reservoir fitting and guess what...it's wet. So I have seepage going on there as well. Someone found a vendor that makes a repair kit for that particular piece of engineering excellence so that will be my next thing to work on.
Make sure you check both of these areas and my guess is you will find the source of your leak. All that antifreeze went somewhere, it didn't evaporate.
Tim
I had the exact same thing you have going on with your truck. No heat, and fan running too often. I found the coolant level was about 1 gallon low even though I have not seen any leaks in the driveway or where I park at work. I pulled off the hose from the throttle body to the air filter enclosure so that I could gain access to the plastic t-connector that connects the upper radiator hose to the thermostat. I did not see any leaks but did see evidence of dried and or sticky antifreeze residue on the lower radiator hose so I knew that it was leaking somewhere. When I grabbed the t-connector fitting and wiggled it a little, antifreeze poured out! There are chintzy O-rings inside the connector that go bad. Why in the hell they didn't use a hose with a hose clamp instead of a cheap plastic fitting I will never understand. So I bought a new t-conn fitting and when I installed it the o-ring on the upper radiator hose end started leaking! Had to go back to dealer and buy a new upper hose.....so 50 for the t-conn and 40 for the hose later, I was back in business. But wait....there's more.
I had read in another thread where some owners were having issues with the fitting on the coolant reservoir leaking as well. Yesterday I was checking on my t-conn to make sure all was still well when I decided to run my finger along the bottom of the reservoir fitting and guess what...it's wet. So I have seepage going on there as well. Someone found a vendor that makes a repair kit for that particular piece of engineering excellence so that will be my next thing to work on.
Make sure you check both of these areas and my guess is you will find the source of your leak. All that antifreeze went somewhere, it didn't evaporate.
Tim
02-16-2016, 09:56 AM
#10
Senior Member
Next pic is where mine was leaking at thermostat connection....when I moved this end by hand coolant poured out. It was not visibly leaking otherwise but the evidence that it had been was seen below on the lower hoses below.