Yes, that is what I said. Further clarity… Do not use the car’s gauge to diagnose a cooling problem.
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The 1995 Ranger has a coolant temperature sensor for the gauge that is down low by the oil filter. It measures the input temperature, and the gauge doesn’t stay steady. Maybe it would with an OEM thermostat. Then the ECU temperature sensor is located at the top by the coolant output. It is reported by a scan tool. Ford is strange.
I’m thinking there may be a blockage in the circulation of coolant. Try driving again and then parking in the driveway with the hood closed for 4 minutes with the fan unplugged. See if it overheats as badly again. If not then the fan isn’t the problem. Engines mildly overheated all the time in the past. The big issue is with an aluminum cylinder head that trashes the head gasket when it happens.
Where is the thermostat in this engine? If it is at the cold water input from the radiator then doesn’t it rely on hot water in the coolant bypass pipe to operate the thermostat?
That would be good information for someone who has a 1995 Ranger but this is not one of those.
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Are you saying I’m lazy for not finding information on the vehicle in question? I think you’re right.
This web page has a black and white diagram near 4/5 of the way down that shows the thermostat housing. Ford Mustang GT 2005-2014: How to Replace Thermostat | Mustangforums
It looks like a sticking thermostat would cause this exact problem. It appears that hot water from the crossover hose on top goes past the thermostat. When the thermostat activates it directs the cold water coming out of the radiator in from the bottom hose. The water goes out the side in to the engine by the oil filter.
I wonder how people get these diagrams. Do they have access to a mechanic’s repair manual database?
The year, make and model are IN the title. How much easier can it be?
Which makes no mention of Rangers. The wiring diagram I posted is off a free web page I found with the information. There are pay services that offer these or you can buy the manual.
What does this have to do with anything? Just jumping on the band wagon with VOLVO-V70?
You asked the questions… I answered.
Why did OP let motor idle so long during buying process? Fear of overheating? Seems like he was really concerned about extended idling issues
Your engine did not overheat this morning if the coolant wasnt boiling.
Do you think an engine could idle for 30 minutes with a closed thermostat? Also, the vehicle was driven for 20 minutes and only overheated when stopped.
IJust a thought… did you bleed the air out of the system after you added more antifreeze.
Just went out to the car again. I turned the AC on full blast and looked at the fan but it wasn’t running. I also checked the fuse for the cooling fan relay (40A) and it looked fine not blown. So this means the fan motor or relay or switch has to be the culprit then?
Open the hood, open the relay and fuse box … Note my handwriting on the two fan relays… Hi and Lo.
Do THIS with a jumper wire or even a paperclip. You don’t even need the key turned on. Does the fan run? Yes - Try the other relay. Jump the same 2 terminals. Does the fan run?? No? Replace the fan. This will take you longer to find a paperclip than test.
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Thanks for this. My apologies but I am (almost) completely clueless when it comes to fuses/relays…so just to clarify a few things:
1.) Is the fan supposed to come on both times when jumping the fan hi and fan lo relay connectors?
2.) If the fan comes on in either instance from jumping the high and low relays then can we conclude that the fan itself isn’t bad and replacing the other relay that didn’t turn on when jumped should fix the problem?
3.) But if the fan does not come on from jumping either relay then do I replace the fan? (Or maybe both relays are bad…)
4.) Since the front wiper and cooling fan relay are the same kind can I just switch them around and see if the fan works (and if the wipers don’t work then that would mean the relay is bad for sure)
You jump one relay at a time not both together if that is what you were saying. It may be time to just let someone check it out.
If the fan comes on and you determined a bad relay, you can substitute any of the others that have the same number. $5-10 for a new one.
- yes, but one at a time
- yes, but relays are cheap, replace both
- yes, if the fan works, it WILL come on by jumping it
- yes you can swap relays to find the bad one, I’d recommend it! The wiper relay is a good choice.
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In the winter, maybe. There is always some bypass flow, for example through the heater core. The starting temperature of the coolant could be quite cold, depending on the capacity of the cooling system and what the engine block is made of, that could be quite a bit of thermal mass. During cold, windy weather, it is possible that the amount of heat removed by the environment would be sufficient to keep an engine from overheating at idle speed, even if the fan(s) aren’t working, or the coolant isn’t flowing properly.
Can’t speak to OP car’s specifics, but on my Corolla, idling in the driveway from cold, engine compartment fan will turn on within 15 minutes, even w/hood up and cool ambient temp. If fan doesn’t turn on, engine will soon overheat. If everything is working correctly, fan turns on when dash coolant temp gauge is a little over half-way. It appears on OP’s car the powertrain control module turns the fan relay on based on the reading from the coolant temp sensor. Good idea above to ask shop use their scan tool to verify the coolant temp sensor is measuring correctly. Coolant temp sensor isn’t a common failure item b/c no moving parts so doubt that part has failed, but function could fail due to a broken wire or connector problem .
OP, if you are not comfortable debugging this issue, don’t defer getting it fixed. Overheating cause very expensive engine damage. Instead suggest to ask a shop for help on the diagnosis. They’ll tell you which part is the problem, then you can replace it yourself if you want.
I follow all the steps in both of the videos below but when i’m trying to pull the old fan out there are 2 lines (that probably have coolant in them) that seem to be connected to the fan that are preventing the old fan assembly from being removed from the car. This makes no sense as the fan itself doesn’t hold any coolant. So why are the lines connected to it? And why do the videos not mention anything about them? Looks like they just remove the airbox, move the coolant reservoir, remove 2 bolts for the fan assembly and then it pulls right out. Is it different for 11-14 or something? I am wiggling the assembly and it’s loose and almost out but it’s just stuck on those 2 lines. Both of the videos don’t say anything about those 2 lines and say just pull the fan right out but I don’t wanna break anything
You must remove the transmission cooler line bracket from the fan shroud, remove the bolt.