2.5L ('98-'01) A cork in the butthole of progress....

[Cowboy Jim]

2000 Ranger. 2wd, auto tranny. 2.5L 4 banger. Heater has suddenly quit working. The vac controlled hot water shut off valve under the hood was removed a decade ago. Have disconnected both hoses going to the core, attached a water hose and back-flushed the core til it runs clean with a hose. Flows fine, all good and clean. New thermostat (195 F). Hooked hoses back to core. Still no heat. Feel the hoses, 1 side gets hot to the touch, the other stays cold. No circulation thru the core but yet the water hose flows water thru the core without a problem. I can take a deep breath and blow my breath thru the core easily as well. Have checked the supply side from the engine and am getting water from it. This thing acts like the water pump isnt generating enough pressure/flow to push the water thru the core or that the bore is blocked...which it isnt as I flushed it and it flows perfectly fine) Have no over heat problems with the motor though. Also the blending baffle in the airbox under the dash works perfectly fine. (Years ago I cut an access panel in the bottom of the airbox for visual inspetion and made an airtight lid to close it.).

What I am finding makes no sense. Other than a 1/4 pound of C4 under the truck and stand back.....any suggestions or ideas?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Coolant low and air in the system...

 

[Ranger850]

2000 Ranger. 2wd, auto tranny. 2.5L 4 banger. Heater has suddenly quit working. The vac controlled hot water shut off valve under the hood was removed a decade ago. Have disconnected both hoses going to the core, attached a water hose and back-flushed the core til it runs clean with a hose. Flows fine, all good and clean. New thermostat (195 F). Hooked hoses back to core. Still no heat. Feel the hoses, 1 side gets hot to the touch, the other stays cold. No circulation thru the core but yet the water hose flows water thru the core without a problem. I can take a deep breath and blow my breath thru the core easily as well. Have checked the supply side from the engine and am getting water from it. This thing acts like the water pump isnt generating enough pressure/flow to push the water thru the core or that the bore is blocked...which it isnt as I flushed it and it flows perfectly fine) Have no over heat problems with the motor though. Also the blending baffle in the airbox under the dash works perfectly fine. (Years ago I cut an access panel in the bottom of the airbox for visual inspetion and made an airtight lid to close it.).

What I am finding makes no sense. Other than a 1/4 pound of C4 under the truck and stand back.....any suggestions or ideas?

visually check the water pump?
I live in North Florida, so our winters can be considered mild for most of the country.
On my '01 3.0, I drove to work and back ( 19 miles one way) all winter with no issues. When the weather warmed up, my truck ran hot, seemingly out of the blue. Checked the water pump and the impellers were all but gone. Not sure how or when that even happened, but it was shocking to see how much of the impellors were missing. apperently, it moved the water just enough to not overheat in the cold months, but not enough for the hot months

 

[Cowboy Jim]

Coolant low and air in the system...

Nope. Checked that

 

[Cowboy Jim]

visually check the water pump?
I live in North Florida, so our winters can be considered mild for most of the country.
On my '01 3.0, I drove to work and back ( 19 miles one way) all winter with no issues. When the weather warmed up, my truck ran hot, seemingly out of the blue. Checked the water pump and the propellers were all but gone. Not sure how or when that even happened, but it was shocking to see how much of the propellors were missing. apperently, it moved the water just enough to not overheat in the cold months, but not enough for the hot months

Yeah I talked to 3 mechs at a shop here locally and all 3 said that it sounds like the pump has enough to move the water so that the motor dont get hot but just not enough to push thru the heater core. Never heard of such a thing but thats about all thats left.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I had a water pump the same as ranger850. Impellers were gone.

 

[Ranger850]

I had a water pump the same as ranger850. Impellers were gone.

I don't know if you know it or not, but it is very rare that someone agrees with or validates anything I say here. Thank you.

 

[Cowboy Jim]

visually check the water pump?
I live in North Florida, so our winters can be considered mild for most of the country.
On my '01 3.0, I drove to work and back ( 19 miles one way) all winter with no issues. When the weather warmed up, my truck ran hot, seemingly out of the blue. Checked the water pump and the impellers were all but gone. Not sure how or when that even happened, but it was shocking to see how much of the impellors were missing. apperently, it moved the water just enough to not overheat in the cold months, but not enough for the hot months

Oh, had forgot. No I didnt inspect the pump as in to take it off and look at the vanes on the impeller. But in what I have heard from you and also 3 other full time mechs, they and you are all pointing to that. The volume of water coming off the pump going to the core did seem a little weak, but I didnt put my thumb over it to check against pressure. I seen flow with engine running so I reconnected it. But no luck on it working. The truck "ONLY" has 323,000 miles on it, so if its bad, I am thinking maybe go warranty it with Ford? LOL. In all truth tho, if I put a new pump on it and that dont solve it, I dont mind much really as with as long as this truck has been going, its more than due for it anyway. No telling when it was last changed. I have had the truck about 10 yrs and never needed to do anything with the water pump. So I know its at least that old.

 

[Cowboy Jim]

I don't know if you know it or not, but it is very rare that someone agrees with or validates anything I say here. Thank you.

Also, this is a farm/ranch service truck that I am building. At this point, body and paint is the only thing left to do, aside from this heat issue. But this list of mods to date are as follows: The truck has a 4" suspension lift. P235/75R15 (30x9.50 basically) Yokohama GeoLander mud terrain tires. The rear axle was swapped out to a larger 8.8 Ford rear axle out of a Ford F150 that was cut and narrowed to fit the Ranger's width, and then had 4.88 gears with a Yukon locker installed. Custom 1 ton springs added to haul the 1800lbs of tools in the bed. Additional mods include a Reindeer 9500lb winch, dual batteries, an 8000 watt DC/AC inverter with 3 Renogy 200AH batteries running it. A Renogy 4 panel solar array that charges 40 amps to the 3 inverter batteries. Also I have a 'deadman' switch in the cab I can switch to tie the custom 150 amp alternator's output to the 3 inverter batteries if more current is needed. Lighting is all handled with dual LED light pods on the reverse lights. In addition to a set of 3 stage AuxBeam lights in the grille tied onto the high beams circuit. Also added a set of aftermarket mirrors that have a spot and flood light combo in the front of them them that are also tied to the high beam circuit. Low beams are handled with aftermarket projector headlight assemblies that house a pair of fan cooled 22,000 lumen LED lights and is also assisted with a pair of aftermarket 12,000 lumen projector driving lights in the bumper. Custom winch bumper with matching back bumper. Rear facing 24" Rough Country dual row LED light bar for inconsiderate drivers that come up behind me with high beams on.

The only thing left is to build a custom bed for it I have planned and then going to get the truck sprayed in a desert tan colored bed liner. That dont and wont show scratches when I am going thru brush and such on the ranch. (I do have current pics if you want to see)

 

[Uncle Gump]

Of course we want to see...

Back to no heat... I've never seen a waterpump with worn out or slipping impeller that would keep the engine cool.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I just remembered, the impeller was loose on the shaft, not impellers gone. And it would keep the engine cool enough while idling and putzing around, but when I was racing it would over heat within 1.5 minutes. That engine had a new pump put on and it ran in my work ranger for a couple years before the magic smoke left the dash harness. I'm really surprised that I didn't have head gasket problems or cracked heads. Engine was starting to push a bit of blue but wasn't bad. I may rebuild it later.

 

[scotts90ranger]

If the system is pressurized and one side is hot and the other cold then the water pump is moving and there is flow, that just means that the heater core is working and removing the temperature across it's fins...

My '97 only has heat and the coolant temp gets into reasonable range when the outside temp is above 50F, I've changed everything but the water pump but I just remembered the thermostat fit in the housing didn't seem right like there was too much room and no seal so it might need a new housing... right now I just blocked off 2/3 of the radiator with a cotton rag.

If the water pump was not pumping you would be getting high coolant temperatures assuming there was any flow to get coolant flow past the coolant temp sensor. I would check the temperature of stuff with an infrared temp gun, the thermostat shouldn't get close to opening until around 190F so check the thermostat housing and the top radiator hose along with the two heater core hoses. My guess is the temp in the heater core is pretty low and just doesn't have much to give in heat...

 

[Cowboy Jim]

Of course we want to see...

Back to no heat... I've never seen a waterpump with worn out or slipping impeller that would keep the engine cool.

I have been working on this truck for about 6-8 months, building it while working out of it. I am currently at the stage where I have all of the mechanical stuffs done...other than this water pump. Body and paint is next. So please dont cut on me for it not being pretty....yet. Part of me doesnt want to make it look good as that will attract attn to it AKA thieves.

 

[cj8281]

The system pressurizing has nothing to do with the water pump but simple expansion of the coolant heating up.
My '85 had the original pump on it at 169XXX miles. Seal still good but since I was there (changing out the timing belt) I changed it out. Also the thermostat and housing but that was because the housing had a hole through it.
Nice looking truck.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

What type of work do you do?
Any write up of the solar install?