overheating

[bluesboyst]

HI,
I have a 2003 and it is overheating... I did a stupid thing because I was on the expressway and drove it and it shut off....I let it cool and it started again. I changed the thermostat and added just water to make sure it would not over heat again. There seems to be no water flowing into the engine. I took one of the hoses that runs out of the metal heater hose and just steam was coming out. Do you think the new thermostat is opening? Hope I did not blow the head gaskets....

[tbone]

Take off the cap on the crossover tube and see if water is flowing by. Maybe it's the water pump.

[justbob]

Let's get back to the original problem before going on to the famous "you need to burp the system" quicky answer around here.

You haven't recently opened the system and it overheated on the expressway. Is your radiator clear of debris?

Moving on to current issue. Did you install the right thermostat? I have read a few times where autozone sells the wrong heat range. Installed in the correct direction?

No coolant? Why?

Finally, burp the system.

Sent from my Ally using Tapatalk

[tbone]

I'm not saying it needs to be burped. But you can see the coolant flow by through the hole at least.

[fastblackmerc]

I'm not saying it needs to be burped. But you can see the coolant flow by through the hole at least.

Correct.... no water flowing could be wrong thermostat, thermostat installed wrong, bad water pump, etc.

[bluesboyst]

Hi,
I bought the thermostat from the ford dealer..tis a genuine FORD part...$37.00 too....I drained the system to replace the thermostat. No debris in system. But it looks like I have to fill the reservoir and the cross overtube. So it was not taking that much water in the reservior so even when it gets hot and the thermo opens it would not fill the crossover tube? I put the thermo in the same way as the old one.......Tonight I will try it again....and check to see if there is flow in the crossover tube.

If the water pump is bad would it not be leaking and making noise? Or could the shaft have broken and the impeller is not turning?

[Rockettman]

...If the water pump is bad would it not be leaking and making noise?

I was wondering the same thing.

[bluesboyst]

You know I think I know what caused the overheating. Has to be air in the system....I had to repair my blower motor control module last week and I took a bit of anti-freeze out of the radiator but I also disconnected one of the heater hose and some anti-freeze came out of there also........and ever since then or around then is when the car started this overheating....When I did repair the control module I did not drive it very far and it has been sleeping in the garage since then. I just took it out on Thursday and drove about 20 miles when it overheated.....Guess these engines are a bit different when it comes to the cooling system as compared to my towncar......

[SC Cheesehead]

You know I think I know what caused the overheating. Has to be air in the system....I had to repair my blower motor control module last week and I took a bit of anti-freeze out of the radiator but I also disconnected one of the heater hose and some anti-freeze came out of there also........and ever since then or around then is when the car started this overheating....When I did repair the control module I did not drive it very far and it has been sleeping in the garage since then. I just took it out on Thursday and drove about 20 miles when it overheated.....Guess these engines are a bit different when it comes to the cooling system as compared to my towncar......

Yup, sounds like air in the system, for sure. Suggest you try parking the car with the front end pointed slightly uphill, burp, repeat (air in the system can pesky).

[tbone]

When I changed my pump and hoses, I just taped a funnel to the crossover, filled it up along with the overflow, ran the car for 20 minutes, added more fluid as necessary to keep the funnel supplied, sealed it up and that was it. No muss, no fuss. I thought it would be a nightmare after reading all the comments on .net, but it was the easiest thing I have ever done to the car.

[fastblackmerc]

When I changed my pump and hoses, I just taped a funnel to the crossover, filled it up along with the overflow, ran the car for 20 minutes, added more fluid as necessary to keep the funnel supplied, sealed it up and that was it. No muss, no fuss. I thought it would be a nightmare after reading all the comments on .net, but it was the easiest thing I have ever done to the car.

+1!

I was able to "screw" my funnel into the crossover tube.

[SC Cheesehead]

When I changed my pump and hoses, I just taped a funnel to the crossover, filled it up along with the overflow, ran the car for 20 minutes, added more fluid as necessary to keep the funnel supplied, sealed it up and that was it. No muss, no fuss. I thought it would be a nightmare after reading all the comments on .net, but it was the easiest thing I have ever done to the car.


+1!

I was able to "screw" my funnel into the crossover tube.

Okay, so you basically used the funnel as a reservoir to backfill the system while you were burping, correct? Slick idea! :up:

[babbage]

Okay, so you basically used the funnel as a reservoir to backfill the system while you were burping, correct? Slick idea! :up:


Slick Idea indeed I wonder where that came from. :rolleyes:

FORD 4.6L DOHC REFILL/BURP PROCEDURE
Back To Homepage (http://reischeperformance.com/index.html#anchor)
This procedure is based on a collaboration of information from the forums, the Ford TSB and personal experience. I’ve only included what I feel is relevant in order to refill the system properly as quickly as possible. The general concept here is that air will accumulate at the highest point in the system which is the crossover tube.
http://reischeperformance.com/Images/cap.jpg
1) Car must be parked level or on a slight incline with the front higher is even better.
2) Remove the radiator reservoir cap and crossover plug.
http://reischeperformance.com/Images/plug.jpg

(The crossover plug is normally removed with a ¼” socket drive but is frequently found to be seized. You can damage your ratchet if you apply too much force to remove it. It may be necessary to use a pair of vice grips around the edge of the plug and, in extreme cases, heat it with a torch. I recommend the use of anti-seize or grease on the crossover plug threads upon reinstallation. It is never necessary to tighten the crossover plug much, just snug it, there is an O-ring to seal the system.)


3) Fill the reservoir just past the full line. It is best to add antifreeze (3/4 gal is about 20% concentration) or any additives at this time. Cap the reservoir and you should not need to open the reservoir again. In fact ALWAYS CHECK AND FILL THE SYSTEM AT THE CROSSOVER PLUG after verifying the reservoir is full. (Warning: Do not rely on the reservoir bottle to degas the system or indicate coolant level. The reservoir may show normal level even when there is a large amount of air in the system. There have been those who have lost engines due to not adding coolant at the crossover plug.)
4) Get a funnel and wrap some tape around the tip in order to make a seal with the crossover tube opening. Screw the funnel down into the crossover threads until the funnel seats in firmly.
5) With the reservoir capped, continue adding coolant at the funnel until the funnel fills up an inch or two. Squeeze the upper radiator hose a few times to force air pockets out of the piping.

http://reischeperformance.com/Images/funnel.jpg
6) Start the engine and let it idle but occasionally rev the engine a bit to dislodge any trapped air. Add coolant to keep the funnel full if necessary. You will notice many large air pockets escaping at first but eventually the level will rise in the funnel as temperature goes up expanding the coolant. Keep the engine running just until the thermostat starts to open a bit. (About 170-172° with our thermostat) When this happens the upper radiator inlet will be warm to the touch. (It is normal for tiny air bubbles to still be escaping out of the funnel- this happens because the system is open and unpressurized.)
7) Shut off the engine but be ready to add coolant because the level in the funnel will drop as soon as you do so. Quickly unscrew and remove the funnel, top off the coolant and reinstall the crossover plug only snug. (This is done to keep coolant from being expelled because stagnant coolant in the engine becomes heated and starts expanding again) A common mistake is to run the engine too long which creates excessive heat and, instead of dropping, the coolant level rises in the funnel when the engine is shut off. If this happens just reinstall the plug quickly to minimize coolant loss.
8) After 40 min to an hour the engine will still be warm. Slowly remove the crossover plug but use caution because there may still be a little pressure in the system. Top off the coolant again but this time do not reinstall the plug.
9) After 3 to 5 more hours the engine will be completely cooled down and you will need to top off the crossover once more. Reinstall the crossover plug then verify that the reservoir is full. DO NOT OPEN THE RESERVOIR CAP WITH THE CROSSOVER PLUG REMOVED.
10) You may drive the vehicle normally. Make sure the engine reaches full operating temperature. Best to do some highway cruising and/or the engine should see some mid-rpm speeds at minimum.
11) Later or the next day when the vehicle is completely cold again: Do not start the car and do not open the reservoir. Just top off the coolant at the crossover again. If you have to add more than an ounce or two of coolant then repeat this step again after another heat cycle. (For those who want to get every bit of air out you can repeat this step a few times until you can add only a capful of coolant.)

[SC Cheesehead]

Slick Idea indeed I wonder where that came from. :rolleyes:


FORD 4.6L DOHC REFILL/BURP PROCEDURE

Ha! Okay, missed that one! :o

Any way you cut it, GREAT idea!

[babbage]

We need a sticky for that web article.

[tbone]

Yes, of course I got the info on here, did not mean to say it was my idea. My point was that people still said it was a pain to get all the air out. And I did not follow all those steps.

[fastblackmerc]

Okay, so you basically used the funnel as a reservoir to backfill the system while you were burping, correct? Slick idea! :up:

Yep, filled the coolant tank, closed it, then ran my electric water pump while keeping the funnel full. After there was no air in the crossover tube I ran the engine till it at operating temp and filled the crossover tube if necessary.

[bluesboyst]

Yup that was it. I opened the plug put in the funnel... followed the directions and no more overheating. Boy, I never would have figured that out.....Now I know....Thanks for all the info...

[bluesboyst]

Burped the system.. All is fine now...I would never have figured that one out...A bit different than normal cooling systems....Thanks for all the help :banana::beer:

[fastblackmerc]

That's what some of us are here for.............. help.

[SC Cheesehead]

Burped the system.. All is fine now...I would never have figured that one out...A bit different than normal cooling systems....Thanks for all the help :banana::beer:

Yup, that they are, glad you got the issue resolved.