• Welcome Visitor! Please take a few seconds and Register for our forum. Even if you don't want to post, you can still 'Like' and react to posts.

91 ranger overheating mystery


Beljum

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Boonies, Arizona
Vehicle Year
1991
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
Soo, I've been reading posts & topics from this sight for a good while now (like 2-3 years lol). So I figured I'd just register & post the current problem my ranger has decided to throw at me. Being my first post & what not I apologize for any noob mistakes I make or don't make?

Anyways, my 1991 ranger 3.0 has been overheating & I cant find the cause, preventing me from fixing the issue. Awhile back I mistakenly put a little bottle of octane booster additive instead of fuel treatment additive in it when i was filling up my gas on the way to to a nearby casino. Said casino is 5-7 miles out onto a reservation, so roughly 2 miles i did 45mph outta town until i cross onto the reservstion the speed limit changes to 65pmh. but i probably was going about 70ish mph for around next 5 miles until i arrived to the casino.
it started to overheat after leaving but im not sure when exactly. i noticed the temp gauge going past the "L" when i was passing the gas station i filled up at. and it was in the red by the time i parked it in my driveway about one or two miles farther down the road. i waited overnight to to essey the damage. when i started it the only bad thing was coolant leaking out of the weep hole on the water pump. so i replaced the water pump. i tried to drive it around to notice anything, it stopped leaking coolant from the w.p. but when i checked how much was in the radiator it was still loosing coolant & overheating. so i continued to replace every part of my trucks cooling system practically(please name parts i did not list) as in: i would replace a section of the cooling system, test drive it, park it, scratch my head, & repeat.

I come here seeking all of you're great knowledge & possibly cures to my overheating problem, or that it needa a whope new motor or let it go & be someone else's dilemma =/

So far I've replaced: thermostat, & thermo housing, radiator, radiator cap, water pump, temp sensor, temp switch, & ultimately i just put new heads gaskets & even new, while, remanufactured heads on it (because the old heads had exhaust valve leaks on both). i didnt rebuild the old heads because it was going to cost more to rebuild them than to just get the remanufactured ones, if you're wondering.

I got everything back together yesterday & fired it up to find out its now has stopped leaking coolant, but it still gets too hot, it takes alot longer to get too hot but the issue is still there unfortunately >.<

Sorry for the wall of text but any ideas, suggestions, questions anyone has to offer would be much appreciated. And kudos if you read all of that lol.
 
Last edited:


JP02XLT

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
466
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Location
Indiana
Vehicle Year
02
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
Check your clutch fan, Its about all that is left, also make sure your radiator is clean inside and out, they can easily get plugged as well

JP02XLT
 

Beljum

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Boonies, Arizona
Vehicle Year
1991
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
i replaced the fan clutch along with the fan blades when i got a new radiator. I was gonna use a fluah kit on it the next time i get a chance to work on it. the only other thing i could think of is maybe getting a bigger radiator? like a 2 core aluminum one or something.
 

BlackBII

Ranger Custom
Article Contributor
OTOTM Winner
TRS Banner 2010-2011
Truck of Month
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
7,895
Reaction score
982
Points
113
Location
UT
Vehicle Year
1989
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
5
Tire Size
33
Have you checked the actual temperature of the coolant?

The factory gauge should read about 200-220f at the midway point of NORMAL, but that isn't always the case.
 

JP02XLT

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
466
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Location
Indiana
Vehicle Year
02
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
Is there a chance that it is collapsing the lower radiator hose as it gets warm?

Also are you sure your getting it full of coolant and no air pockets. With the engine cool remove the cap and start the engine, top it off in the rad as it is warming up and then re-install rad cap. Add to the overflow if needed.

JP02XLT
 

Beljum

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Boonies, Arizona
Vehicle Year
1991
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
no i have not checked the actual coolant temp, would i just stick a thermometer in the radiator while its idling?

JP02XLT - no the hose dorsnt collapse. actually both the upper & lower rad hoses have alot of pressure in them yhey almost look like their gonna burst to be honest =/
 

JP02XLT

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
466
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Location
Indiana
Vehicle Year
02
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
I am going to ask you something really stupid, dont be offended, Are you sure you have the belt on correctly and spinning the water pump the correct direction? I had a Jeep we worked on that the water pump fins were plastic and the guy who installed busted the fan, the motor would get warm, then hot and all because it was not circulating like it should, The hoses had more pressure than normal as the engine was percolating like a coffee maker instead of circulating and cooling.

I would start the engine cold remove the rad cap and let it warm up, you should see it circulating in the radiator, and it should not get warm enough to be pushing coolant out. If you dont see it circulating that is going to be the issue.

JP02XLT
 

BlackBII

Ranger Custom
Article Contributor
OTOTM Winner
TRS Banner 2010-2011
Truck of Month
Joined
Aug 14, 2007
Messages
7,895
Reaction score
982
Points
113
Location
UT
Vehicle Year
1989
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Type
4.0 V6
Transmission
Manual
2WD / 4WD
4WD
Total Lift
5
Tire Size
33
Don't open the radiator when hot; it will spray hot coolant all over you.

You could get a mechanical gauge and screw it's sensor into the factory sensors location and let it idle until up to temp, watching the gauge.

You could also use an infrared thermometer aimed at the upper radiator hose(along with a few other locations; heads, thermostat housing, etc). It might read a few degrees cooler than the actual coolant, but it'll be close enough. Most ir thermometers are calibrated for black surfaces, like a radiator hose.

If your truck isn't spitting coolant or steam out of the overflow then it likely isn't quite over heating yet.
 

Beljum

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Boonies, Arizona
Vehicle Year
1991
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
no offense taken, but the belt is on correctly & the engine only rotates one direction so yhe belt only goes in one direction, but yes i got the grooves of the belt facing the grooves of the crankshaft if thats what you're asking.

And the coolant is circulating, when i have the rad cap off & engine idling i can see the coolant flowing in the radiator, its almost looks like a whirlpool effect or like when you pour liquid down a drain & it spirals around. I flushed the radiator for a good 30 minutes after i got off work lastnight & put in a new 192F thermostat just incase the old one was faulty & not opening all the way or something. I also bought a new radiator cap with the red pressure release valve rated for 13psi. But I'm @ work this morning & when I get off this afternoon I'm gonna fire it up & see if the flush helped at all or if it still overheats =/.... I'll update after i see what happens.
 

Beljum

New Member
Joined
Sep 21, 2017
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
Boonies, Arizona
Vehicle Year
1991
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
Update: So I finally got my truck running without it having it overheat!! I've been driving it for about 2 days now & it has been doing great. So the thing was that the replacement cooling fan i ordered was the wrong one & didnt notice it when i put it on but the fan blades on it were facing the opposite direction than the orginal fan. so for now i just put the original cooling fan back on it & my truck hasn't overheated since. the highest the temp gauge has gotten is halfway about between the "R-M" but thats it. Thanks for all the advice & tips everyone, I'm glad I'm finally able to drive my truck around again. It's only been down for 2 months lol >.<
 

JP02XLT

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2008
Messages
466
Reaction score
8
Points
18
Location
Indiana
Vehicle Year
02
Make / Model
Ranger
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
Good Deal, Glad you got it figured out

JP02XLT
 

Doofy

Member
Supporting Member
U.S. Military - Veteran
Joined
Jul 27, 2008
Messages
947
Reaction score
6
Points
18
Location
Alaska
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Manual
My credo
Shit Happens...Then You Die.
Yes, thanks for posting the "Fix". Good to know.
 

cbxer55

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
1,863
Reaction score
763
Points
113
Location
Midwest City, Oklahoma
Vehicle Year
1998
Make / Model
Ford
Engine Size
3.0
Transmission
Automatic
Yeah, having the fan blades facing the wrong direction could ruin your day. While idling, it would probably still work okay, just shoving the air through the radiator backwards. Don't know about anyone else, but when mine is idling with the hood up, it feels like a hurricane is circulating behind the fan. I would think that would be quite obvious. :icon_confused:

But, once you get moving, the backward moving air would become stagnant by the incoming air, thus no airflow through the radiator at all.

Glad you figured it out.
 

Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Staff online

Member & Vendor Upgrades

For a small yearly donation, you can support this forum and receive a 'Supporting Member' banner, or become a 'Supporting Vendor' and promote your products here. Click the banner to find out how.

Truck of The Month


Kirby N.
March Truck of The Month

Recently Featured

Want to see your truck here? Share your photos and details in the forum.

Follow TRS On Instagram

TRS Events

25th Anniversary Sponsors

Check Out The TRS Store


Sponsored Ad


Sponsored Ad

Sponsored Ad


Amazon Deals

Top