well recently my truck has been running hotter than normal. it used to run around 196 to 198 while cruising and around 199 while in traffic. now she is running 202 to 210 on the freeway constantly. i have seen her go to 216 on occasion. she has run 225 a couple a times which is to hot. i have pulled the radiator and taken it to a shop for cleaning. they said it was spotless inside. removed the water pump top look at it. in perfect shape. checked the hoses-good. also flushed the system and installed a new cap and thermostat. still having the same problem. going to change the sender tomorrow and see what that yields. also thefan clutch is working good. kinda stumped right now.

04f150 supercrew fx4 5.4

 

There's one thing that affects temperature more than anything else: timing.

How rich/lean is the truck running? Are you noticing a change in fuel economy? Have you pulled a spark plug or two to inspect what's going on? Also, check the transmission fluid as the tranny can also affect engine timing/load.

 

i do have a custom tune init which i am going to put it back to stock today and see if there is a difference. tranny temp is at 160

 

Did the change in temps occurr with some other event...did this start right after you installed the new tune?? How long have you had your temp gauge?? Long enough to really get a feel for how the motor runs under different conditions and outside air temps?? Althought 225 is not normal from what you've seen and obviously something is going on to change it, 225 is not too high and will not hurt that motor.

 

no the tunes have been in for months. the truck i have had since it had 10,000 miles on it. 54'000 on here now.i am thinking it has something to do with the sensor or wiring. just trying to get ideas.

 

You say the fan clutch is good, but did you replace it with a new one or just eyeball it to see if it is turning. It has been my experience that many fan clutches that are deemed good by clients (because they are turning) are really not turning enough RPMs to produce the required airflow across the radiator. The only real way to determine if the fan clutch is good is to find out the RPMs and see if that compares to the mfr specs. Besides the timing mentioned above, thats about the only thing left in the cooling department.

 

He said temps have increased on the freeway also. For the freeway temps, condition of the fan clutch is completely irrelevant above about 35-40 mph as the fan does nothing anyways.

Why do you think it has something to do with sensors or wiring?? There's nothing really that a particular sensor will do to influence how hot a motor runs...unless said sensor is causing one of the conditions (lean/rich) already mentioned.

 

i was wondering if it was reading wrong on the sensor. today i replaced the fan clutch. things done so far are;
1. new thermostat and oring
2.new temp sensor
3.new radiator--old one was beat up some from 4 wheeling on the bottom
4.new fan clutch and belt.
i went on a trip today with temps in the 50's and 40's. on the freeway she ran 212 to 214 all the way. she will cool down to 208 while cruising slow. the only thing still the same is the water pump but it is not leaking nor is it loose either. the bearings are good as well. not sure what is causing the heat as of yet. even took the tune out and there was no change.was trying to fix it myself but am leaning towards takingit to the dealer soon.

 

anybody else with ideas????

 

Do you have a XCal II try data logging it to see comp temp reading,
mine reads 192 to 198 got to 206 one time at capital raceway
also I have a 180 stat installed not the factory 195 stat

 

-
stop throwing money at it

 

A cooler thermostat is not going to do anything and you don't want one. The fact that it's running warmer on the freeway is odd. Sorry I don't have any ideas, but that means something...just don't know what. The only time mine runs warmer on the freeway is pulling the trailer. Any other time, even at 100* outside, she will still run 195-200 on the freeway. I'm not positive but I don't think a water pump has to leak or have a loose shaft to be bad. It can still be inefficient if something is wrong with the impeller or the shaft internally. A possibility, yes.

What kind of water temp gauge do you have?? Is it mechanical or electrical? I don't know if those temp sensors for the gauge go bad or not, never used one. Is it possible it could be bad or not grounded and sending erroneous info?? Just thinking.

 

Have you explored the possibility of a bad sensor (or sensors) giving you a false reading? Run the engine to operating temp, then put a thermometer into the coolant tank and verify the readings you've been getting (take the pressure cap off before you start it).

 

i have an autometer temp gauge on it that is in the block. it will read slightly lower. i have changed the sensor already. tonight it was 38* outside and she was still running 210* on the freeway at 65. beginning to wonder if the computer needs to be reflashed or if something else could be causing it. just kinda stumped at this time. i will put my fluke meter in the coolant tomorrow and see what that is reading. stop throwing money at it. i replaced the radiator due to it having 50,000 miles on it and i ran over a piece of wood that did damage the bottom slightly. a thermostat,gasket,and temp sensor were good parts to replace to chase a problem that has me stumped. i have yet to put a water pump on it but that is all that is left.the other thing i can try is putting a pressure gauge on the cooling system and get it to operating temp and see what the reading is.

now where the heck is quinton been.

 

come on guys there has to be some more ideas