2003 Overheating under load
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2003 Overheating under load
My son drives a 2003 Exp. with the 4.0 It ran hot on him the other day and he and my father in law decided it was the fan clutch since it seemed to only get hot when it was under a load. After they installed the new clutch and let it idle until it reached operating temp he headed home and didnt make it 3 miles before it started getting hot again.
I replaced the thermostat and water pump ( 250K miles and never changed either to my knowledge so I figured even if this wasnt the problem, it was still overdue ) and I also tried flushing the radiator. When I opened the drain on the radiator, nothing would come out, Not a drop. Pulled the drain **** all the way off and it was covered with what look like mud. This stuff was thick too. Thicker than molasses. Anyway, I finally blew enough air and water through it that it started draining. Thinking that the clutch wasn't the problem, I took the new one back off and put the old one back on so I could return the new one.
Filled it up with coolant and started it up, let it idle and took off up the road. Everything was fine. Drove it all day yesterday, no problems, Then today, it starts running hot again. When we were trying to get it home, the temp seemed to run up when going up a hill or accelerating but going down a hill or letting it coast, the temp would drop back down.
My next plan is to take it to a radiator shop and have the whole system flushed by a pro to see of a blocked radiator or water jacket is the problem.
Also noticed, when I turn on the control inside from a/c to heat, it makes a continuous "popping" nosie from under the dash and the air wont get warm. Not that we need the heat but I was wondering what that could be ( blend door problem? ) and if that would have anything to do with the over heating?
I replaced the thermostat and water pump ( 250K miles and never changed either to my knowledge so I figured even if this wasnt the problem, it was still overdue ) and I also tried flushing the radiator. When I opened the drain on the radiator, nothing would come out, Not a drop. Pulled the drain **** all the way off and it was covered with what look like mud. This stuff was thick too. Thicker than molasses. Anyway, I finally blew enough air and water through it that it started draining. Thinking that the clutch wasn't the problem, I took the new one back off and put the old one back on so I could return the new one.
Filled it up with coolant and started it up, let it idle and took off up the road. Everything was fine. Drove it all day yesterday, no problems, Then today, it starts running hot again. When we were trying to get it home, the temp seemed to run up when going up a hill or accelerating but going down a hill or letting it coast, the temp would drop back down.
My next plan is to take it to a radiator shop and have the whole system flushed by a pro to see of a blocked radiator or water jacket is the problem.
Also noticed, when I turn on the control inside from a/c to heat, it makes a continuous "popping" nosie from under the dash and the air wont get warm. Not that we need the heat but I was wondering what that could be ( blend door problem? ) and if that would have anything to do with the over heating?
Last edited by Jimmy22; Jun 3, 2012 at 09:50 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 16,568
I believe you are on the right track to have the system flushed to remove as much corrosion as possible.
If that doesn't solve the problem , you may have to replace the radiator or have a head gasket issue.
The popping noise is most likely the blend door problem and that should have no effect on the engine temp.
If that doesn't solve the problem , you may have to replace the radiator or have a head gasket issue.
The popping noise is most likely the blend door problem and that should have no effect on the engine temp.
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