OK...car question...

[The Poojer]

so my older(92 ford explorer) car runs fine, just a question....the temperature runs in the lower quadrant when i am driving....if i am at a stop light, it will 'quickly' jump up to about half-way, and if i sit in traffic or in really hot weather it may jump to 3/4....never leaving the 'normal' range, mind you....is this an indication that i should tend to my thermostat/water pump or is the fact that when i am in motion it is in the low register, mean that perhaps my head gasket is more along the lines of my problem...just curious....other than this 'minor' issue the car runs like a charm at just north of 200K

[Jim in Anchorage]

Of course it goes up siting at a light. You no longer have 50 Mph outside air rushing over the radiator. That's a pretty good jump through. Check the fan clutch and see if the radiator has cool[plugged] spots. Water pump not out of the question-turn the heater on siting in drive at idle. No heat=bad circulation.

[The Poojer]

thanks for that response and i should have added....i always have the heat on for fear that without it it will over heat....even without the heat on it never gets above half-3/4..i just get too nervous to let it get that high....btw...the heat works like a charm...which kind of sucks when its warm outside.....i will look into the fan clutch...never heard of that before...figured the thermostat/water pump was a nice easy(ie...cheap) fix

 

Of course it goes up siting at a light. You no longer have 50 Mph outside air rushing over the radiator. That's a pretty good jump through. Check the fan clutch and see if the radiator has cool[plugged] spots. Water pump not out of the question-turn the heater on siting in drive at idle. No heat=bad circulation.

[Jim in Anchorage]

thanks for that response and i should have added....i always have the heat on for fear that without it it will over heat....even without the heat on it never gets above half-3/4..i just get too nervous to let it get that high....btw...the heat works like a charm...which kind of sucks when its warm outside.....i will look into the fan clutch...never heard of that before...figured the thermostat/water pump was a nice easy(ie...cheap) fix

If you can get at the radiator[sometimes the AC Condenser covers it] bring the engine to operating temp. and feel with your finger for cold spot's which would be a plugged tube. The fan clutch should be locked on a hot engine, freewheeling on a cold one. I suspect the radiator

[DC Tom]

If you can get at the radiator[sometimes the AC Condenser covers it] bring the engine to operating temp. and feel CAREFULLY with your finger for cold spot's which would be a plugged tube. The fan clutch should be locked on a hot engine, freewheeling on a cold one. I suspect the radiator

 

Fixed. That's kind-of important.

 

Last time I had something like this happen on a car, it was a bad thermostat on the fan. Of course, that was an '86 Saab, which model has the single most unique set of problems I've ever seen in a car, so it's almost certainly something completely different in a Ford.

[Jim in Anchorage]

Fixed. That's kind-of important.

 

Last time I had something like this happen on a car, it was a bad thermostat on the fan. Of course, that was an '86 Saab, which model has the single most unique set of problems I've ever seen in a car, so it's almost certainly something completely different in a Ford.

Thank's Tom I assumed Poojer had some comman sense

[ExiledInIllinois]

Have you ever replaced the radiator? 1992 is a pretty long time... The cooling fins gotta be come off in hunks if you touch them.

 

For under a couple/three hundred bucks you can replace the radiator, themo, and hoses... It really isn;t that hard to do... Then again, is old and everything holding it on may be corroded. See what happens then... God knows it needs it!

 

Water pump is cheap... But not cheap (or easy if you do it yourself) to get to... Just like the timing belt. When you are in there, change the timing belt too.

[Nanker]

I had an overheating experience with my 96 Explorer. Thermostat stuck in the closed position. I was fine on I-95, but when I pulled off the highway it quickly went into over-heated range. Got lucky and found a garage in Bayonne that could and would fix it on a Saturday.

 

Thermo is a very cheap fix - if that's the problem. It's a logical place to start. When WPs go, they (usually) have a bad bearing which can emit a rattle (2 second/cent diagnosis). The fan is electronically controlled and only goes on when the thermostat calls it to action. Let the "vehicle" idle in your driveway until it gets warm/warmer, open the hood and see if the fan turns on when the engine heats up. If it does - and the temp doesn't drop from the cooler air being pushed past the cooling fins - you've got a circulation problem - which as others have said could be the pump or blockage in the radiator.

 

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[ExiledInIllinois]

I had an overheating experience with my 96 Explorer. Thermostat stuck in the closed position. I was fine on I-95, but when I pulled off the highway it quickly went into over-heated range. Got lucky and found a garage in Bayonne that could and would fix it on a Saturday.

 

Thermo is a very cheap fix - if that's the problem. It's a logical place to start. When WPs go, they (usually) have a bad bearing which can emit a rattle (2 second/cent diagnosis). The fan is electronically controlled and only goes on when the thermostat calls it to action. Let the "vehicle" idle in your driveway until it gets warm/warmer, open the hood and see if the fan turns on when the engine heats up. If it does - and the temp doesn't drop from the cooler air being pushed past the cooling fins - you've got a circulation problem - which as others have said could be the pump or blockage in the radiator.

 

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.

 

I still stay with a vehicle that old... Change the radiator too... It is only about 70 bucks... If he never replaced it, it has to be kaput... What else can it be?... Still talking under 500 bucks even if he gets a mechanic.

[The Poojer]

therein lies the problem, and thats what the nurse in the emergency room said last night when i came in with 2nd degree burns on both hands.....

 

Thank's Tom I assumed Poojer had some comman sense

[The Poojer]

thanks for all the replies...i have only had the car for about 15 months so i have no idea what has and hasn't been replaced...its nice to hear that the work would be relatively inexpensive...i need to make friends with someone up here that has automotive knowlege

[Jim in Anchorage]

therein lies the problem, and thats what the nurse in the emergency room said last night when i came in with 2nd degree burns on both hands.....

I said touch the radiator, not the exhaust manifold I am not familiar with explorers[or "exploders" as they were called in the trade] But if as Nanker Say's it has a electric fan [unusual in a RWD vehicle] yes, ck it as he said. Should come on at about 220 degrees. T-stat easy to check. Start it cold and put your hand on the upper rad hose[i shudder to recommend this in your case ] When the T-stat opens the hose will suddenly go from cold to hot.

[Steely Dan]

therein lies the problem, and thats what the nurse in the emergency room said last night when i came in with 2nd degree burns on both hands.....

 

 

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Bufcomments]

so my older(92 ford explorer) car runs fine, just a question....the temperature runs in the lower quadrant when i am driving....if i am at a stop light, it will 'quickly' jump up to about half-way, and if i sit in traffic or in really hot weather it may jump to 3/4....never leaving the 'normal' range, mind you....is this an indication that i should tend to my thermostat/water pump or is the fact that when i am in motion it is in the low register, mean that perhaps my head gasket is more along the lines of my problem...just curious....other than this 'minor' issue the car runs like a charm at just north of 200K

You can go online to get some free advice from various car care boards. Google Ford truck repairs and it will lead you to some good ones. When I had my 90 Ford bronco I used those boards alot and was able to make many upgrades and repairs myself.

[ConradDobler]

A coworker of mine has a mid '90s F150 pick up that showed many of these symptoms. It turned out that the water pump impeller had disintegrated, there were no blades left to circulate the coolant.

[McBeane]

so my older(92 ford explorer) car runs fine, just a question....the temperature runs in the lower quadrant when i am driving....if i am at a stop light, it will 'quickly' jump up to about half-way, and if i sit in traffic or in really hot weather it may jump to 3/4....never leaving the 'normal' range, mind you....is this an indication that i should tend to my thermostat/water pump or is the fact that when i am in motion it is in the low register, mean that perhaps my head gasket is more along the lines of my problem...just curious....other than this 'minor' issue the car runs like a charm at just north of 200K

 

Ford's last that long? Are you sure it's really a Ford....

[ExiledInIllinois]

Ford's last that long? Are you sure it's really a Ford....

 

 

F ound

O n

R oad

D ead

 

 

F ix

O r

R epair

D aily

[MarkyMannn]

so my older(92 ford explorer) car runs fine, just a question....the temperature runs in the lower quadrant when i am driving....if i am at a stop light, it will 'quickly' jump up to about half-way, and if i sit in traffic or in really hot weather it may jump to 3/4....never leaving the 'normal' range, mind you....is this an indication that i should tend to my thermostat/water pump or is the fact that when i am in motion it is in the low register, mean that perhaps my head gasket is more along the lines of my problem...just curious....other than this 'minor' issue the car runs like a charm at just north of 200K

 

Lots of great advice. Now here is the correct answer Seriously too.

 

I had experience with my mother's 94 Ford Contour. Same thing I assume as yours. The Ford water temp guage is not calibrated, that is, showing the actually degree readings. Just shows what normal and hot as I recall. The guage range too is very small, like maybe 20 degrees but you don't know that. So it can take some real wild swings, and the more you now watch it the more paranoid you get. The key is that it never moves out of normal. And yes, sitting at a stop for a minute or so, that thing will climb so much you will panic, but it is OK. If you had the owner's manual, it will basically tell you the same thing

 

Your Explorer is OK, believe me, but a flush at those kind of miles is never a bad thing either

[The Poojer]

let me add another thing i forgot about...during warm weather, if i am driving for an extended length....45 minutes or so....if i turn the car off and try to restart it within say 15 minutes, it is a really rough start...sputtering etc...eventually starts with the gas pedal almost floored....again....i understand a n 18 year old car isnt expected to start and run as well as a new car, just trying to get a feel for what i am dealing with...again, thanks for all the info...when it comes to cars, i am pretty much at the mercy of those that lick their chops when they see me coming....and i don't mean that in a good way

 

Lots of great advice. Now here is the correct answer Seriously too.

 

I had experience with my mother's 94 Ford Contour. Same thing I assume as yours. The Ford water temp guage is not calibrated, that is, showing the actually degree readings. Just shows what normal and hot as I recall. The guage range too is very small, like maybe 20 degrees but you don't know that. So it can take some real wild swings, and the more you now watch it the more paranoid you get. The key is that it never moves out of normal. And yes, sitting at a stop for a minute or so, that thing will climb so much you will panic, but it is OK. If you had the owner's manual, it will basically tell you the same thing

 

Your Explorer is OK, believe me, but a flush at those kind of miles is never a bad thing either

[Cynical]

I had an overheating experience with my 96 Explorer. Thermostat stuck in the closed position. I was fine on I-95, but when I pulled off the highway it quickly went into over-heated range. Got lucky and found a garage in Bayonne that could and would fix it on a Saturday.

 

Thermo is a very cheap fix - if that's the problem. It's a logical place to start. When WPs go, they (usually) have a bad bearing which can emit a rattle (2 second/cent diagnosis). The fan is electronically controlled and only goes on when the thermostat calls it to action.

 

On a 92 Exploder, the cooling fan is mechanical and belt driven.

 

Let the "vehicle" idle in your driveway until it gets warm/warmer, open the hood and see if the fan turns on when the engine heats up. If it does - and the temp doesn't drop from the cooler air being pushed past the cooling fins - you've got a circulation problem - which as others have said could be the pump or blockage in the radiator.

 

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.