Ford - F150 :: 1994 - Idling Slightly Unsteady / Coolant Temp Reading High Normal
Dec 1, 2014
1994 f150 with 4.9L I6; 180k mi.
Parked vehicle last night after using it uneventfully for work the day before. Upon leaving the house at 11:30 AM, I noticed that I'd picked up a new mechanical noise. Nothing major; actually wasn't sure I heard anything at all.
As I drove to the store, I noticed it was idling slightly unsteady...much less so than a missing cylinder. I resolved to check the high-tension connectors when I got home for security. I glanced down at the gauges to check and see if my oil pressure was good; I then noticed coolant temp reading "high normal."
When I got out, I noticed a small pool of coolant forming. I looked at where the puddle was forming...the radiator hose had come off! (Actually separate from the radiator connector, as one might do if draining fluid without using the petcock.) I popped the hood: no unusual smells. Nothing seemed abnormally hot. Placing a finger against the head was uncomfortable, but not painful. Spit expectorated upon the head did not sizzle.
I then called my wife, explaining the situation, and walked back home 2 miles. We then took the spare car, bought antifreeze, and added it about an hour post-shutdown. Where the car was parked seemed wetter than the light drizzle allowed; daubing a finger in it and tasting gave a slight sweet taste.
I tend to check my fluid every so often (not every day, though) and coolant was verified as "full" as recently as 100 miles ago. (I don't make a habit of crawling underneath, though, so I couldn't tell you if hose had been slowly backing off or not.)
As to cause: is it plausible that this could happen without foul play? There have been a few vandalism incidents in the neighborhood; it's also possible that I [peeved] off a neighbor recently. I'm not about to go any further than fixing, though, unless there's really no other plausible explanation.
As to the mechanical questions: How much damage was done? Did I "catch it" in time? What is suggested as far as repairs/maintenance? (I was planning on doing a compression test, and keeping a close eye on fluid levels over the next 1,000 miles or so.) Engine sounds completely normal.
View 19 Replies
Advertisement
It is a garage queen 1994 4.0 AWD with 42,000 miles in nearly perfect shape. Except for the dent in the rear on the passenger side.
I have posted a picture of the dash when going down the road. As you see the engine light is on. It comes on intermittently, pulled the codes, indicated MAF, 02 sensor, running lean/rich. Runs like a champ, no hesitation, still gets up and goes, gets the appropriate gas mileage. I replaced the 02 sensor with the original Ford Part. Didn't cause the engine light to stop going on after about 20 to 60 minutes driving, sometimes it doesn't come on at all.
Could this thermostat be running too cool and causing the engine to throw those codes? Would gladly take it to a mechanic, but seems like it might be a fishing trip with my dollars for them. Next I was going to replace the MAS myself, easily done with the original remanufactured part at a cost of 150.00, 70 for the core, but don't want to chase my tail with these engine lights on when it runs nearly perfect.
Have sprayed the MAF. Checked for air leaks anywhere. Done all the things I could do by just lifting the hood.
So the picture shows the Temp gauge barely touching the N flying down the road at 70 on a level surface, outside temp about 60. Reading the posts says they all run in the cool section of the temp gauge.
So the question is, do they run this cool? Heater works fine and the gauge goes up past the N resting before the O when going up hills on the way to Tahoe. Is this a thermostat problem on a 20 year vehicle with low mileage, or am I going to have to bite the bullet and let the mechanic go wandering through the vehicle?
View 14 Replies
Every now and then when I slow down the temp gauge drops about 1 notch below its normal 200 reading. It's nerver done this before. Car runs great and heat is strong. Is this a sign of a failing thermostat? If so, where is the thermostat located, is it hard to replace, and should I get OEM or is OTC ok? Car has 89K on it.
View 11 Replies
I have a 2006 Chevy Colorado, 5 cylinder, automatic, 4wheel drive with 62,700mi. 1st problem occurred in 2013 new thermostat was replaced then in 2015 temp. gauge shows overheating problem again. All diagnostic problems have been analyzed by mechanic and nothing further could be done. Mechanic suggests to take truck to dealer. The temp. reading still shows above normal operation and the engine compartment has signs of overheating also. If the truck driven on uphill range the temp. goes higher I refuse to drive in this condition which will surely ruin the entire engine.
View 2 Replies
The water temperature in my 97 3 liter Aerostar seems to be higher than I would expect when climbing a mountain road with the aircon on full. It was only about 75 degrees F and the elevation went from 300 feet up to 2,400 and the gauge was at 3/4 to the red zone.
I don't use aircon much here in the south Bay Area but as I recall the gauge on both my 96 and 97 Aeros was straight up during such climbs. The 96 is out of coolent so I can't compare it now.
The reason I'm rather concerned is we are about to leave on a 2,500 mile road trip with 4 people and lots of gear through Nevada and Utah and we'll climb a lot of passes in 90 degree heat or higher.
The mileage is about 135k and the water pump was replaced about 2 years ago. The radiator was replaced at about 100k.
View 14 Replies
Its a first Generation I have had about a year, had some of the typical issues with a vehicle this old---bad connection with a relay under hood, cracked fan blade, IAC, nothing I could not find.
Temp (issue is getting worse) runs up to high end of "Normal" yet I note radiator does not seem overly hot. (to the touch).
Antifreeze tests very good and is full---no signs of leaks or liquid in the oil.
I am hoping thermostat or radiator===vehicle has been well maintained and does not show rust in the coolant, and no signs of leakage around the pump or anywhere else---coolant level does not drop.
I am planning on removing the thermostat and seeing if same issue with it removed====it should rule that out or not----
It is not boiling over but just running towards the high end of the normal area.
View 3 Replies
This is kind of a strange (minor) issue, but I noticed just recently that the outside temperature reading on my 2012 Sonata GLS is registering about 10 degrees hotter than the real outside temperature. This is driving down the road, not parked in the sun. It showed 91 degrees the other day as I was driving home from work, when the actual high for the area was barely 80.
My thoughts were that something was blocking or covering the sensor for the outside temp reading, but don't know where that sensor is located to check it...or if there might be some other way to "reset" the temp reading?
View 11 Replies
I have a 1994 Dodge RAM 1500, v8, 5.2 liter truck. A few months ago, I noticed that when it's at normal temperature, it would not crank unless I floored the accelerator. Once it cranked, it was hard to keep it idling at a constant RPM. I have to rev it up a lot to finally get it to idle by itself or to put it in Drive to move. Once it's moving, everything seems pretty good. If I stop and change gears (Park, for example), it will stall. I have also noticed this happening if I'm in Park, then turn on the air conditioning putting a load on the engine, it will stall.
When the engine is cold (sitting for several hours), it cranks fine and runs fine.
I have replaced the idle air control (IAC) valve, the throttle position sensor, the MAP sensor, the Crank sensor between the motor and the transmission (what a pain to replace), the O2 sensor upstream of the catalytic converter, and the computer (with a used one from a salvage yard. And, I had a mechanic check out the distributor cap and it's internals and do whatever he did.
I did read somewhere that the coolant temperature sensor may be an issue?
View 2 Replies
I was recently given my first Volvo. Its an 88 240dl. While driving my temp gauge climbs up to the red and sometimes hovers inside of it. It normally climbs up at stop signs and comes down on straight always then climbs right back up close to red. When the gauge was in the red i stopped the car and popped the hood open to see that the engine was not actually overly hot.
first i replaced coolant. nothing
then i replaced the thermostat. nothing
flushed radiator. nothing
Today i finally had enough and decided to switch out the water pump with a new one hoping that it would solve the problem seeing as it still had the factory one on. It did nothing. the gauge continues to climb up. I did replace one of the two senders in hope that it would fix the gauge reading but nothing.
View 4 Replies
I don't have my manual handy, wondering what the normal operating temp of the coolant is for a 1.8T B5? I believe it is 190, but want confirmation.
View 1 Replies
I have a 99 4.2L 5 speed reg. cab swb. It recently started idling high (which returns to normal at a stop after 3-5 seconds). While in neutral and in motion (coasting) the idle is around 1500-2k (idle=no throttle input from me). The first time it did this it took a while to start (7-10 seconds) and smoked like you wouldnt believe for about ten seconds. Smoke cleared, eyes returned to normal size, heart rate returned to "normal", but the high idle remains. Drives me nuts. No CEL, no codes, just a fat bald man scratching his head and a little nervousness.
View 5 Replies
I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty 3.7L that has a temperature gauge on the dash that reads an overheat when driving. The oil looks normal, there is no white smoke, no bubbling from reservoir. I have replaced the following:
Radiator
Thermostat
Water Pump
Coolant Temperature Sensor
Coolant Reservoir Tank
I am not leaking any coolant and the reservoir level has been fine. I have let the vehicle idle for 20+minutes, with no overheat. When I drive it around, the temperature gauge will read an overheat. When I stop the car and pop the hood, the engine is not overheated and both rubber hoses to/from radiator are flowing the coolant. The only thing that will bring the gauge down is turning on the heater full blast. Could this be the gauge itself being bad? Could it be a short in a wire somewhere? I had thought maybe a head gasket, but have no symptoms of a head gasket.
View 9 Replies
I have a 2004 VW Jetta 1.8T , what the normal coolant temperature should be?
View 1 Replies
For reasons I can't figure, the Temp gauge on the wife's Explorer is shooting from normal to high in just seconds. Then, it drops back to normal. When I looked at it this afternoon, I noted 2 things.
1) There was no sign of a coolant leak or overheating.
2) There wasn't ANY coolant in the tank!!!!!!!
The truck has evidently been running fine while this is going on.
View 5 Replies
My radiator gave way on the highway, and by the time I noticed it the temp had maxed out the gauge and all the coolent was gone. So, I only have 90k on my '94 Camry and I'm debating whether to tackle repairs and perhaps a rebuild if necessary. What's the likelihood that there's damage to the rings, bore, crank, valves, etc due to the overheat? How much repair am I potentially looking at and what can I check without a tear-down? I'd like to get it running again since I just invested in new struts, brake calipers and MS and tires (not to mention that it has been pretty-much worry-free until now), but I want to know whether it's even worth my while.
View 6 Replies
My 94 is suddenly seeing small coolant loss with no apparent leaks, temp goes up on dial now when idling, more frequent white smoke from tailpipe. My wife ran is bone dry of coolant when water pump failed 6 mo ago. Mechanic replaced water pump, timing belt and warned that there could be head damage that may appear in a few months. Is this what I am now seeing or should I start with something else?
View 3 Replies
I have a 2006 350. When I am pulling my camp trailer (about 12,500 lbs) up a grade I hear a fan or blower turn on and I get a high pitched squeal. It will also have a beep and my in dash display will say high engine temp. I have a bullydog pmt programmer (i tow with it in stock mode) the display will show my coolant temp at about 180 degrees. If I pull over and let it idle for about 2 minutes the warning clears and the temp gauge returns to normal. the display reads about 180 degrees the whole time this goes on. I know the engine is not over heating so why do i get this warning and squeal?
View 4 Replies
My CEL came on and the code said Coolant Temp Sensor High Voltage. Since there are 2 sensors, and my gauge isn't reading off, about 200F constantly, I assume the bad sensor is the water pump sensor. Also, is there a diagram of the sensorny locations and the easiest way to access them to swap them out. I have already purchased the sensor and gasket, just don't want to replace the wrong one or screw something else up in the process. It appears to be an easy job.
View 7 Replies
Ok, I own a 1990 Volkswagen Jetta GLI that I bought from my neighbor about 4 months ago, and recently, it started having problems. It's idling very high, around 1,500-2,000 rpms, it's leaking coolant, not from the bottom of the reservoir but from the top, and it's slightly overheating. Oh yeah, the speedometer stopped working. I've recently taken it to the shop twice, the first time to get the reservoir replaced, and the second time to get radiator replaced.
I have had problems with it stalling in the middle of the highway during traffic because it over heated. I commute daily to and from college and I want to make this car last as long as possible as I do not have the means to buy a new car. I have noticed that there seems to be a build up of air in the reservoir. I witnessed it leak, and there was a hissing sound coming from it. Also with the speedometer, the light doesnt turn on for it and that there is a clicking noise coming from it. Any tips?
View 5 Replies
First background: G2 car has 215,000 mi and recently got P1121 scan code, so I replaced the coolant control valve. that's when high coolant temp and no cabin heat started.
on CCV top nipple connected to hose that had a dot on it and hose goes under inverter cover on right, next nipple down went to hose slightly to left of first hose, bottom hose goes to thermus can. initially ran car in diag mode with high heat, no heat in cabin.
so I got a Autel 519 scan code reader and I see now that the only code is a P0505 (idle air control malfunction)
taking car down my road for short test run, I turn off cabin heat completely and watched the ECT. after a while it climbs to around 220, then while engine is running quickly goes to 245F then 260F. At that point in time (around 245F) the high temp indicator lights up, temp stayed at 260ish so I return home. With car in park, cabin heat off - the temp returns back down to 220F. if I rev the engine temp again climbs.
I have gone through all suggestions, open radiator bleed valve, manually 'pumped' coolant hoses, turned on/off high heat in cabin and finally with car off removed and jumped the CHS multiple times for about 20secs.
Have purged the coolant system over period of days and coolant appears to be full as level is near top of radiator cap, no bubbling, no gurgling.
However 2 mentioned problems continue... I am starting to suspect coolant thermostat but it would seem strange that it would go at precisely the same time as coolant control valve.
View 10 Replies
I have a 2004 Grand Prix and it is displaying the symptoms of overheating but the temp gauge is not going above normal operating temp. I replaced the thermostat twice, and after driving for about 10-20 mins coolant comes out of the overflow. I'm at a loss, I'm thinking temp sensor(?) But I don't want to keep throwing unnecessary money into it. The fans work fine, the heater blows as it should.
View 8 Replies
