Hello all, doing a little digging here. I have a 2016 F150 XLT 5.0L 302A. I recently had a reservoir leak that lead to an entire coolant system replacement...long story. After the replacement I towed my camper from TX to SC as I have done before only this time my truck began to overheat. It has never done this before even in the heat of summer. I took a video of the issue and showed it to the local mechanic in SC. He quickly diagnosed that it appears the shop in TX replaced my radiator with the non-towing package option. He also showed me the Heavy Duty Towing Package radiator for the 5.0L on Rock Auto and said this is likely what my truck had before. I am trying to verify on my own that this is the case. I have purchased a build report through Marti's Auto Works but am still waiting on the report. Is there a way to determine that my truck originally had the heavier duty 4 core radiator that appears to come with the heavy duty tow package? Did the Tow Package offered with the '16 150 offer a heavier duty radiator from the factory? Any info helps as the company who originally did the work said if verified they will replace the incorrect radiator with the correct one and honor their original warranty. Thank you!

 

I took a look through the Ford towing guides.
There are no upgraded radiators listed for F150's through 2015,2016,2017
In 2018-19-20 the radiator upgrade is only applied to eco boost V6 motors.
I would think a dealer could run your VIN and find out for you.

 

Go there https://www.tascaparts.com ​​ or https://parts.ford.com/en.html and put in your VIN it will tell you what Radiator you need

Or go to a Ford Dealer and ask

 

Unless the radiator installed is totally inadequate, which shouldn't be the cast if it fits in the bay, it will not be the sole cause of overheating. Yes it could contribute but I don't know modern vehicles to 'overheat' that easily.

Can you tell what what actually happened. The term 'overheated' is broadly misused lately.

So because you had a reservoir leak, the shop you had the word done at replaced all hoses and the water pump, thermostat and radiator? And these parts are all Ford parts as far as you know?
I do not want to strongly point a finger, but Dorman radiators that are made to fit by the shop by cramming it in and aligning things best they can could be an issue.

What other checks have been done? The new shop checked the coolant level and used a hydrometer confirming it has an adequate mix?
This has to be more than a "did I get the wrong radiator" situation with as much work as has been done and limited information to go by.

 

Thanks! I'll take another look. When I go to various parts sites like RockAuto and others they list a heavy duty 4 core radiator for the '16 5.0. Thats the answer I need for the shop to replace based on the other mechanics troubleshooting.

The whole story is I went in for the leak and they performed a pressure test and went through the whole system. They found the leak at the reservoir but said the lack of flow and air in the system caused by the leak (it was bad) caused the pump to start failing. They also said the thermostat was bad. This was the first work done. On my way home from this the truck overheated (the gauge infront of me that has a C and H was pegged at the H and the truck gave me an overheat warning). It didn't seem like they burped the system so after doing so things appeared to be back to normal except that on the freeway the truck would start to overheat (see above explanation of what I'm calling overheat-let me know if there is another way for me to determine in the cockpit that the vehicle is overheating). Also the fans would be on constantly while rolling around town. This was even happening when it was 70DEG outside. Never happened before.

I took it back to Christian Brothers and they again went through the system and told me the radiator was clogged up and they'll need to replace it. Again they did not burp the system but after doing so seemed back to normal. Fan would kick on after 20min on the freeway and stay on a bit once I got off but nothing like before and my gauge wouldn't move. I thought we were good and chocked it up to good ole Gulf de Mexico humidity.

Then I tow said trailer to SC. The overheating that occurred (see above explanation) would only occur going 60-65 mph in 5th gr. If I downshifted to 4th gr the gauge would fall back from H to the middle like it usually rides. Also if I sped up to 72ish. It would not overheat in 5th gr. I showed this to the mechanic which led him to think it was an airflow issue. We looked at the parts list and there is a 4 core HD radiator (this one supplied by CSF) for the 150. He then looked at the one they put in my truck which is a 2 core. We verified by looking at widths of mine and the one in his F150.

I contacted CBs and they said I could take it in to any location to verify it has too small of a radiator and they'll replace. Before I take it in I wanted to be sure that my truck was supposed to have a 4 core HD radiator and they replaced it with the wrong one. Knowing CBs if I am wrong they'll charge me for bringing it in at all. Only reason ill be taking it to them is to have the work done correctly and the warranty they provide.

 

Thanks for that update.
Every week it seems, somebody complains of an overheated truck that is 5 degrees hotter than they remember it being before.
if your truck alerted you and went to reduced power mode then for sure.

Sounds like the shop did a lot of chasing down an issue but still can't be sure they tracked it down.

I can't remember if a CHT (cylinder head temp sensor) will cause these problems. What I do not recall is if the gauge pegs if the sensor is bad.
It might be worth purchasing a thermometer gun and point it at the radiator to take note of the temperature.

Side note: A heavy duty 4-core radiator as a replacement option does not mean it was also a standard option. I updated the radiator in one of my trucks because thats what we used to do when temps got out of control. I had issues living in Michigan but today on every vehicle since, none of them run hotter than they should in 110 California heat with A/C on. I had a poor mix of cooant or something because for the first 2 years it worked perfectly until I flushed the coolant at one point.

I thinks fans will run continually on high, but the gauge remains normal, if the high side A/C pressure switch is faulty.


I could see the extended heat may contribute to a weep hole issue of a water pump. Do you know if your water pump was leaking?
An all of a sudden bad thermostat?
I mean for all of those things to fail together, or so soon on a never vehicle like this is not super common.

Is the shop reputable?

 

There is a HD radiator for the max tow trucks, but OP shouldn't need it if he didn't have it before.

CHT sensor is a good thing to replace to rule it out.

Were there any differences in the tow? Locking out the same gears? Similar temp and wind?

 

Alright new radiator was installed and helped but didn't solve the problem. I have thought CHT but have shifted toward serpentine belt and tensioner. Has anyone ever heard of these parts causing overheating? My symptoms are while driving (even just cruising down frwy) in 6th gr temp will climb when I let off the gas. When I put my foot back in temp will go back down. Same thing while towing (towed from SC to FL) however issue is obviously worse and will lead truck to overheat. While towing if I am in 5th temp will climb. If I downshift to 4th (and just stay out of 5th and 6th) temp is fine for the whole ride. I just end up cruising at 2200 rpms the whole trip.

I purchased the Haynes Manual which has some trouble shooting help. One of the items is check serpentine belt and tensioner. Symptoms are overheating (i wish it had more detail on exactly what this looks like) and low battery issues. States water pump doesn't move as fast (possible reason higher rpms solve my problem??) and battery doesn't charge as well because alternator isn't moving as fast.

What brought me here was that when I would stop to fill up after towing and would restart the truck it would have a hard time turning over to the point it almost wouldn't. I thought it was odd because the whole electrical system was checked by Ford and everything checked out ok.

Anyone had these issues or had a serpentine belt cause overheating at lower RPMs??

 

Your last few descriptions about overheating/hard starting would suggest to me a possible timing issue. Overly advanced timing will cause engine to run hotter as well as hard start condition when hot. Not saying that's your main culprit, but might want to check your engine timing to confirm.

 

Thanks! But have you heard or had these issues with the belt and tensioner before?