i have a little trouble keeping my engine below the half point on the temp gage. i have flushed the radiator, back and forth, new thermostat, and new antifreeze, as well as added super cool to the coolant, it runs good now but i am on a mission to make it run cooler, any ideas? btw its a 3.0 flex fuel.

 

also new waterpump

 

install an Efan.
something that moves more air.

 

Does it still run warm? You could verify actual temp with a temp gun. Other then that, I think there was a bulletin out about chemically flushing the 3.0s due to buildup.

 

if you look at some of the pics of my truck, you'll see that i also have about 3 inches oh gap where the shroud is, that i am going to open up a bit.

 

it runs warm if i get on the throttle on a hot day

 

Between the shroud and the rad? where the fan sits?
You shouldn't have any space between there. the closer the shroud is to the Rad, the better the air movement in there. you don't want air to go around the fan, you want it to go thorough it.

 

not on the fan on the front bumper, like the space to get air into the engine where the shroud used to be

 

I would start with the chemical flush recommended

 

The water pump, was it the high flow type like a BeCool Pump.

I know you do not have a 5.0L but when I did my first Ranger/5.0L swap and removed the front air dam I found that at speed, the air stopped flowing through the radiator and in turn the engine heated up, mostly on the highway; the truck never overheated but got extra hot.
(Ran the heater full on to help with the cooling.

What happened was, air was coming in from beneath the truck and stopped the air flow in the radiator, the faster I went the more it got hot.
Around town it was OK.

I raised the back of the hood about 1.5”, to increase the flow through the engine bay and in turn through the radiator; sort of a poor mans crowl induction and the temps dropped 15 degrees.
My temps never went above 195 after that.

Just thinking out of the box but just for grins lift the back of the hood and see if it does anything for you, also it is free except for some washers and longer bolts.

 

have you confirmed what the actual temp of the truck is vs what the pointless guage says? if your just trying to go cooler, you going to ruin your fuel economy and the motor wont get up to proper temp. find out what the highest temp you get is when driving (exact number) before you dive into the system.

An E-fan is a good idea, but not if you have the wrong thermostat (my guess) or you have no problem at all and its running at the correct temp.

 

I wouldn't recommend this long-term, but you could just take the thermostat out.

I did this in a civic once, when the thermostat went out in the middle of nowhere on a hot summer day and it started to overheat. I was nowhere near an auto parts store, but I had some tools in the trunk and stopped at a gas station and bought some coolant. Took that bad boy out, filled it back up with coolant, and drove nice and cool about 200 miles to get back home.

 

I agree that you should verify the coolant temperature to see if you have a problem. The gauge, at
least on my 93 Ranger, has no temperature markings. A simple thermometer with a metal probe
and markings up to ca. 220 degrees Fahrenheit should do as a rough test.

Note that running too cool is not a good idea. Your gas mileage will decrease if the engine
temp. is too low; the oil must get hot enough to drive off condensates from combustion (water,
fuel).

 

ok update! i put in a 5.0 radiator and now on a 100 degree plus day with the ac on doing 70 down the highway. it keeps under half no matter what. runs eay better, and it has more power.