I just returned from a camping trip in the mountains and have a question about the ECT temps I see on my Scangauge. When driving on level ground or going uphill at highway speed, the temps are in the normal 190-205 range, but when I go downhill or have little load on the engine, the temps dip well below 190. Going down a pass, it went down to 175 (outside temp was about 50 degrees). Do I have a stuck open thermostat or is the cooling system just overkill? If I start the truck on a cold morning and start driving it does not warm up fully until I load the engine, even after 20 minutes of easy driving. Everything else about the truck is great-tons of power and good mileage. I should also add that when I had the head gaskets and studs done last summer at the ford dealership I had them put in a new thermostat. This issue though is just noticed in the last few weeks.
Bad Thermostat?
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I noticed what appears to be a coolant leak at the thermostat housing so I am going to replace it. I bought the part at the dealer today and will install tomorrow, I assume it's simple job of draining coolant, removing radiator hose and two housing nuts and reinstalling new one. Is there anything else that needs to be removed to gain access? Does anyone know the torque values for the two 13mm nuts? Don't want to damage the o-ring....thanks
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Ah, not quite. I had to also remove the hard lines to the fuel filter housing. Some owners were able to get the bolts out w/o but i couldn't. Be careful of the wiring to the fan clutch, they are fragile (or the clip that holds them to the rad is). I also pulled out the turbo air tube and air filter housing. Not a big deal on these trucks. Will take another 10min but give great access. Don't know the housing torque. Not very much as it is all cast aluminum just make sure the surface is real clean. Might also be a great time to flush with distilled water a couple times and refill with pure Zerex G05 (from Napa or pep boys - will need three gal - should take 2.5). The G05 is the same as the ford coolant just much cheaper. Normal operating temp is 186 to 190F.
Thank you Rock Doctor-you were right about removing a few things to gain access. I didn't have to undo the fuel lines but I did disconnect the EBP tube, and remove the air filter housing. I'm glad I did this because I discovered a rats nest in my air filter! ON the inlet side, it looked like a combination of shredded air filter material and fur. Anyway, with new thermostat and air filter the truck is running well and temps are staying a lot more consistent.
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