Ford E150 Van Overheating

I have a 98 E150 Ford Van with 78,000 miles on it. Last summer I was on a trip and about a half hour into the trip the water temperature gauge moved from the normal warmed up position that it had been at every time that I drove it for the last two years. It proceeded to drift higher to a new position near the hot end of the gauge and stayed there for the next half hour. I had to stop quickly and the temperature went into the red then as I sat at the light it proceeded to cool down. I stopped at a gas station checked fluid levels everything was good. Started on my way again with city driving type conditions the temperature gauge stayed at the normal position until we arrived at our destination. Over the next few weeks the same thing occurred the water temperature would leave the normal position whenever these three condiitons can together: 1. engine had been running over 25 minutes, 2. the van traveling at over 50 mph, 3.the outside temperature is above 65 degrees. I took the van in to a dealer who told me it must be the thermostat (I told them it didn’t make sense, they said trust me), they changed the thermostat and flushed the radiator. The weather cooled off and I didn’t have any further problems, until I took a very long trip to the Rocky Mountains (in January). Where near the top of a mountain pass it over heated again, I stopped the van and let it idle and the temp dropped back to normal, I proceeded slowly and made it to the destination. No further problems for the rest of the trip (outside temp was below 50 at all highway conditions). I changed out the fan clutch. This summer the problem is back almost exactly the same as it was before. What is wrong with this van?

It sounds to me like the airflow accross the radiator is not what it should be. Under light loads, it cools well enough, but only while driving at higher loads (and speeds when you normally have WAY more then enough airflow) the airflow is reduced enough to cause this.

I would check for debris (cottowood fuzz etc) on the radiator and between the radiator and A/C condenser, flush with generous amounts of water and see if you get anything out of it. You *could* use a pressure washer, but you MUST take GREAT CARE not to fold over the fins.

I had this exact problem when towing my camper - extremely frustrating. The radiator looked fine, but was coated inside with rust and crud. You need to replace the radiator. I bought an aftermarket aluminum one and it really fixed the problem. The 351W block corrodes rust and it seems to love the coolant tubes in the stock radiator.

Try summit racing. The aluminum deals are about $500, a stock replacement can be about $350.

i am having this same problem if i drive at night when air is cooler it runs fine but during the day when it hotter out if i driver more then 30 to 45 minutes it gets hott... i have a brand new radiator.. i have also noticed when mine gets hott it pukes trans fliud out.. i'm thinking my trans filter may be clogged or something... anyone else have any ideas what would cause this other then a radiator.... dont mean to steal this thread but ,aybe this will fix both our problems.... does yours leak trans fliud????

i have also noticed when mine gets hott it pukes trans fliud out..


Where does this fluid come from? If it is the radiator, then you have a problem with the radiator. There is a small coil of cooling tubes inside the radiator where the trans fluid runs in order to provide some cooling for the trans fluid, but the water and trans fluid should NEVER touch. If this is happening you have a hole or a disconnect in the trans cooling tube inside the radiator. That new radiator you paid for was defective.

When towing, a slippage in the trans will create excessive heat. These vans usually have a auxillairy (sp?) trans fluid cooler which looks like a mini radiator in front of your regular radiator. I replaced mine with the biggest one Summit racing had. Never had a problem with trans fluid temp.

the trans fliud leaks from the converter and also spits out the fill tube... it dont leak anywhere around the radiator...

If the leak is truly from the convertor, then the trans seal is likely bad (unless you overfilled the trans). The leak could be coming from the front cover around the pump body if the gasket has become defective. The fluid would look like it was coming out of the TC because you simply can't see that well around the parts. If the leak indicates high pressure (flows quickly) then you have some kind of blockage. I am more familiar with the C4 than the AOD, but they are conceptually the same thing and have very similar parts. You need to have a trans person look at that problem before you fry your clutches and need a full trans rebuild. Running low on fluid will kill your trans in a matter of minutes. This trans costs about 4 times as much to do a rebuild than the C4 so I would urge you to have a reputable shop look at it. I was quoted $1600 for mine. The TC alone costs about $400.

Good luck.

it has only puked out few times and this was after pulling a trailer with one atv on it.. after pulling for bout an hr is when it got hott and was puking ..at night i was pulling same load it never got hott... never leaked a drop of trans fliud... i am thinking i may need a filter change hope this will fix it ..maybe my filter is dirty and not allowing flow good for them sunny days but is good enough for them cooler nights...