Hi all and thanks in advanced,

I own a 2001 Ford Ranger XLT 3.0L V6 Manual Trans and it's pushing 230K
I have recently been having issues with the coolant getting to hot and a high idle when shifting. I have an OBDII blutooth transmitter.
If anyone here has a spreadsheet or something of correct values for a ranger engine that would be amazing. But any advice would help honestly.

Thanks

 

Welcome to the forum

I assume you have checked coolant level in the radiator in the morning, cold, and its always at the top NO AIR in radiator at all?
If coolant is low then you have a leak

If no leak then when does it overheat?
If its normal temp when driving at speed but starts to heat up when driving slow or stopped, then Fan Clutch may be bad, its not locking up so not enough air flow thru radiator when stopped


Idle speeds
On cold start engine should idle at 1,100rpm or so
After a few minutes it should drop to under 1,000
After 5-8 min it should be down to 750 with manual trans

If this is not happening then IAC(idle air control) Valve may not be working, its stuck open, this will set a code you can read


OBD2 data are ranges, there are no exact numbers to match, that's not what they are made to do
The computers used in vehicles are not like "computers" you use, they are calculators, which is actually what "computer" means, it computes air:fuel ratios on the fly, and in some cases gear shifting for automatics, and that's all it does
But it has no "interface", the OBD just sends you what computer is seeing from sensors and what its calculations are moment to moment
If computer "sees" something out of its pre-set range/voltage it will set a code

 

I just check my radiator and it is bone dry, the funny thing is my coolant reservoir is complete full.
The overheating is a new occurrence, but I was just testing it and it stays at idle just fine
but if you apply any load say the A/C or rev it a tad the temp rose as well

In hindsight an empty radiator is the likely culprit
Now i just need to find where its leaking

For the record The A/C and heat work fantastic

Should I just fill the radiator with distilled water and turn the engine on and wait ?

 

To refill you should pull off one heater hose at the firewall, this lets the air out that's trapped behind thermostat, when coolant starts to come out of hose and heater core put hose back on, a little air won't hurt

Yes, you can use regular tap water if you want for now when looking for the leak, distilled water should be used for coolant mix or when topping up for long term use
For temp use tap water is fine, the reason you don't want to use it long term is because it has minerals(salts) in it, and over a few years that causes corrosion
Distilled water = minerals removed, "bottled water" is not distilled water, it actually has minerals added, lol

The 3.0l engines liked to leak out of a metal elbow on the front of the engine, it would rust out


The reservoir tank works when radiator and engine system is sealed, if there is a leak then no coolant can be pulled back in to the radiator from the reservoir, air is pulled in from the leak point instead