I have a Ford truck that is only used for pulling a 3 horse gooseneck trailer, it has 74,000 miles and this problem has just started during the last couple of times I have used the truck hauling horses. On both occasions, I drove truck and trailer in the am for 3 hours without a problem. On my return trip after 30 mins. my truck had overheated and I had to pull off to cool it down, it took 45 mins. I then put more anti-freeze in and continued - within a couple of miles it did it again, I pulled over again and was advised to put the heat on and fans and that seem to solve the problem. I have taken it to a Ford Dealership and they cannot solve the problem. I called Ford today and they suggested that the next time have the problem to pull over and call road side assistance, the problem with that is that I usually have this problem on a Saturday or Sunday night when there are no Ford dealerships open. Has anyone else had a similar problem and what was the answer
This does not nee dto go to a Ford dealership for repair. There are a number of tests that a shop can run to test all the various components of the cooling system. It does not need to be overheated to diagnose it. I recommend that you try a different shop.
Since putting the heater and fans on helps draw heat out of the coolant, this would suggest that your cooling system is not working as it should. There are many possible reasons for this, and as mountainbike says, any competent repair shop can do radiator work. Before you drive it any more, check your coolant level according to the procedure in the owners manual and make sure it is filled to the correct level and with the correct mix of water and coolant (both pure water and pure coolant are wrong except in an emergency).
The problem might be caused from a partially restricted radiator.
In the morning, the ambient temperature was cool enough to remove the heat from the radiator so the engine didn’t overheat. On the return trip later in the day, the ambient temperature had risen to the point where it couldn’t remove the heat from the radiator, so the engine overheated. When the heater is turned on, this acts as a secondary radiator thereby assisting the restricted radiator in removing heat.
A quick way to check for a restricted radiator is, get the engine up to operating temperature and shut the engine off. Using an infrared thermal gun, point the gun at each individual core on the radiator. Those cores found to be cooler than the majority of the cores are the ones that are restricted.
Tester