Yesterday, my Trac started running hot while I was driving it. Pulled over and notice coolant was spewing from thermostat housing. Could this alone be enough to cause the engine to run hot? And when I say hot, it was 253+ degrees easy. I'm just hoping I don't have a water pump issue at the same time meaning that I'm falsely believing this is the source of my problem. All OEM parts with 173K miles. I'm hoping that this is thermostat and thermostat housing issue. I've read all the past post on replacing it but no one has mentioned that their Trac was overheating from a cracked/leaking thermostat housing.
Engine Running Hot (Overheating)
- Thread starter Curtis F
- Start date
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It appears that I simply didn't put enough coolant back in after my incident yesterday leading to it overheating again as I tried to isolate the problem. With the coolant topped off, the engine warmed up to "normal" temp and held while the coolant blew past the housing causing a nice pool underneath the motor. Looks like I'll be replacing the housing, stat, probes, etc.
Johnny O
Well-Known Member
It could be just a leaky gasket. Might as well replace everything though.
Curtis,
You may have filled the cooling system, but they often trap large amounts of air, and it is always wise to run the engine a while to let the trapped air escape and then add more coolant...some vehicles are notorious for trapping air and you may have to burp it several times over the next few days to ensure all the air has been expelled.
PS: Also make sure you have your heater on full heat while running the engine to insure you expell any air that might be trapped in the heater core.
...Rich
You may have filled the cooling system, but they often trap large amounts of air, and it is always wise to run the engine a while to let the trapped air escape and then add more coolant...some vehicles are notorious for trapping air and you may have to burp it several times over the next few days to ensure all the air has been expelled.
PS: Also make sure you have your heater on full heat while running the engine to insure you expell any air that might be trapped in the heater core.
...Rich
Last edited by a moderator:
Chris Taylor
Well-Known Member
Yes, as long as it's losing coolant, it could overheat.
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- What engine do you have?
- V6 engine
- What year is your Sport Trac?
- 2005
- What Generation is your Sport Trac?
- 1st Gen Owner
Lower thermostat housing failure is extremely common with the Gen 1 ST's.
Overheating doesn't necessarily cause them to split, it's just a poor design.
Not a difficult repair providing you have the proper tools, parts, and patience. GL
Overheating doesn't necessarily cause them to split, it's just a poor design.
Not a difficult repair providing you have the proper tools, parts, and patience. GL
Thanks for all the advice. I'm halfway through the R&R of the housing. It hasn't been too bad although getting the right most sensor out and working the heater hose and small hose off leading to the pump seem to have been the most challenging. Installing the lower housing and the sensors wasn't too bad. I think I'm through the most difficult points at this juncture.
Replaced the housing and thermostat with no leaks and the cooling system appearing to be back to normal. Once again, thanks for the help/advice. I must say, my ST has been a very reliable animal after 9 years of use and 173k+ miles of driving. This has been the biggest issue I've had to date and certainly nothing I would complain about.
