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thermostat and overheating

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  GTyankee 
#1 ·
the guy that owned my truck before me used to tow and i overheat going up small grades. whats the stock thermostat? no engine codes or driving problems. just dont want to overheat my truck.
help a girl out :)
 
#2 ·
Are you asking what temp is the stock tstat? It is 195 I believe. It may be a little higher, say 200 or 205 at the most. I just swapped mine with a 180 and I have the original, I can look and see if you need me to. Are you sure the tstat is the issue?
 
#3 ·
You have to be very careful with overheating a 4.7 as it usually leads to head gasket failure or warped heads. Check your oil fill cap for moisture and check the coolant level. If the level is full and the oil looks normal then start the truck with the radiator cap off and squeeze both hoses to try and get any potential air out of the system. Turn the heater control on full blast and switch it to defrost, which should open the t stat. Factory is 195 degrees, but that won't cause overheating, unless its stuck closed. At operating temp you should feel the hose go from cold to hot almost instantly, indicating the tstat opening. If it stays cold then replace the tstat. In the 4.7 I believe it's located in the lower rad hose meaning you need to drain the rad to replace it.
 
#4 · (Edited)
When i buy an old beater, no matter what brand, i usually don't know the history.
First thing i check out is the cooling system, hoses get checked for age, radiator gets drained, i pull the heater hoses off at the front & make sure the water flows through the heater core, if when i am draining the radiator, there is a lot of crap coming out with the coolant, i either run more water through it, or drive to a radiator shop for their opinion.
If they say that it is borderline, i pull the radiator & take it to them, or if it looks like it is a real hassle, i leave the whole vehicle with them.

I don't mess with running a so so cooling system in the desert.
When i lived in New England, i didn't worry much, lots of water & trees for shade, unlike the Mojave & our other deserts, where people won't stop unless your lying on the road
 
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