7.3 IDI w/ banks turbo overheating

franklin2

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That is interesting. And I see the way it works.
Wonder if it would be the same for a horizontal tube radiator...

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

He did not specify a particular style radiator. So I assume it would work on any style radiator.
 

Cole Roberts

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Just in case anyone is curious or anyone else reads this thread; I ended up pulling the radiator to get it boiled and pressure tested and they told me at the radiator shop that the radiator was no good. So I bought a new copper radiator and figured I might as well do a water pump whilst I’m in there. So at the end of the day I did a thermostat, radiator and water pump. As well as a fan clutch. Truck has been running good and cold (190 degrees) I have been doing some freeway towing with it recently on warm days and I have been pushing it a bit to see if I can get it hot. I was able to get up to about 210 on a pretty good grade on the freeway towing about 4K but once I crested the grade and was cruising at about 65 the engine temp quickly dropped to 190. I still don’t think my fan clutch has turned on yet though. I figured maybe since my radiator was clogged and not pushing heat off of it onto the fan clutch that that was preventing it from clicking on? If I can’t get it to turn on I will either try bending that coil or getting the original operating again. Unless it turns out that I don’t really need it.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Sorry for the late reply. I just got it all figured out and put back together. The bad radiator didn’t cause me much issue during the cold winter months.
 
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franklin2

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Just in case anyone is curious or anyone else reads this thread; I ended up pulling the radiator to get it boiled and pressure tested and they told me at the radiator shop that the radiator was no good. So I bought a new copper radiator and figured I might as well do a water pump whilst I’m in there. So at the end of the day I did a thermostat, radiator and water pump. As well as a fan clutch. Truck has been running good and cold (190 degrees) I have been doing some freeway towing with it recently on warm days and I have been pushing it a bit to see if I can get it hot. I was able to get up to about 210 on a pretty good grade on the freeway towing about 4K but once I crested the grade and was cruising at about 65 the engine temp quickly dropped to 190. I still don’t think my fan clutch has turned on yet though. I figured maybe since my radiator was clogged and not pushing heat off of it onto the fan clutch that that was preventing it from clicking on? If I can’t get it to turn on I will either try bending that coil or getting the original operating again. Unless it turns out that I don’t really need it.

Thanks for all the help and suggestions. Sorry for the late reply. I just got it all figured out and put back together. The bad radiator didn’t cause me much issue during the cold winter months.

That is a common complaint with the new fan clutches, the factory ones may have been the same way. They don't kick in till you are getting close to 230F. You will know it when it kicks in, it makes a terribly loud roaring noise under the hood.

Most of them are locked after they sit overnight and are first started in the morning. Is yours loud in the mornings?
 

Cole Roberts

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That is a common complaint with the new fan clutches, the factory ones may have been the same way. They don't kick in till you are getting close to 230F. You will know it when it kicks in, it makes a terribly loud roaring noise under the hood.

Most of them are locked after they sit overnight and are first started in the morning. Is yours loud in the mornings?


It is not loud in the mornings. And I haven’t checked the resistance when hot vs cold. I liked the thread that 79jasper posted about adjusting the bend in the coil to try and get it to click on sooner. I will most likely try that in the near future. Hopefully after I fix my oil and fuel leaks. I have a fuel leak that appears to be coming from the line that is up behind the turbo? I will need to pull the turbo to access it. Anyone know of a decent thread related to that. Maybe the fuel supply line or the return line back to the tank?
 

IDIBRONCO

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You probably won't have to pull the turbo off. You should be able to get to the leaking line by removing the air filter box. It may be tight getting to it, but that's MUCH better than pulling the turbo and then finding out that you didn't have to.
 

Cubey

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That is a common complaint with the new fan clutches, the factory ones may have been the same way. They don't kick in till you are getting close to 230F. You will know it when it kicks in, it makes a terribly loud roaring noise under the hood.

I'm pretty sure RV's newer Motorcraft fan clutch (a rockauto closeout deal in 2019) kicks in sooner than 230, but I could be wrong.
 

franklin2

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I'm pretty sure RV's newer Motorcraft fan clutch (a rockauto closeout deal in 2019) kicks in sooner than 230, but I could be wrong.

If you are using the crappy factory gauges, you probably won't know. If I remember correctly, when the factory temp gauge gets to about 3/4 the way up, it should be kicking on. Any further and the gauge will suddenly peg from the overtemp switch kicking on. I have to question Ford engineering sometimes.
 

Cubey

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If you are using the crappy factory gauges, you probably won't know. If I remember correctly, when the factory temp gauge gets to about 3/4 the way up, it should be kicking on. Any further and the gauge will suddenly peg from the overtemp switch kicking on. I have to question Ford engineering sometimes.

I have one of these, with the probe in the factory water temp gauge port because it was easier to reach on the van chassis engine than the dummy light port.
https://www.iequus.com/8242.html
 

franklin2

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I have one of these, with the probe in the factory water temp gauge port because it was easier to reach on the van chassis engine than the dummy light port.
https://www.iequus.com/8242.html

That gauge looks great. I always liked the 270 degree sweep (the needle goes around in a almost full circle). It spreads the numbers out better.

Anyone who cares about their truck should have aftermarket gauges on it.
 

Cubey

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That gauge looks great. I always liked the 270 degree sweep (the needle goes around in a almost full circle). It spreads the numbers out better.

Anyone who cares about their truck should have aftermarket gauges on it.

Usually the mechanical gauges have the wide sweep, while electric don't. I have their electric one on my F250. It's also good since it has 240 as a number and major marker:

https://www.iequus.com/8262.html
 

chillman88

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@Cubey I was under the impression those gauges were "less good and more cheap"

I assume they're working well for you? I still need to get some but I've been putting it off because of the expense of "good" gauges. If they're working well for you I might try them.
 

The_Josh_Bear

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@Cubey I was under the impression those gauges were "less good and more cheap"

I assume they're working well for you? I still need to get some but I've been putting it off because of the expense of "good" gauges. If they're working well for you I might try them.
FWIW I have "dueling" coolant temp gauges in my cab, one in each head. Main gauge is an Autometer Phantom but secondary is a mechanical Equus. They are accurate and read very close together. I've had the Equus longer, at least 7 years and likely closer to 10.
So yes cheap, but I would say it does a good job. The full sweep will be more accurate too. Both of mine are full sweep.
 

Cubey

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@Cubey I was under the impression those gauges were "less good and more cheap"

I assume they're working well for you? I still need to get some but I've been putting it off because of the expense of "good" gauges. If they're working well for you I might try them.

Yep. They show temps one might expect based on conditions for IDIs, so I'm guessing they are accurate. The RV showed higher temps by about 10* before the new fan clutch and thermostat, so I think it's safe to say it's pretty accurate. Low speed and light throttle on the highway temps went from 190 to 180 with the new parts. High speed went from 200-210 to 190-200 on average. Sometimes it lingers around 198ish on the highway depending on wind or incline and throttle position, which makes sense regarding the thermostat spec.
 

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