Good Idea Bad outcome

Kenneth in NC · #1 07/11/05, 02:28 PM

Went to get groceries Sunday and thought I'd be sweet and cool off the Explorer for my wife and daughter. Cranked it up and turned on A/C No cool air. So I revved up the RPM's to 2000 and it started cooling a bit. So I kept the rpm's up for about 5 minutes. Then the air went hot. So I turned off the A/C and switched off the Explorer.

About 5-10 minutes later wife and daughter come out and about time they get even with the Explorer KA-BOOM
The Radiator blew up. I mean it rocked the Explorer. Scared DW and DD and several passer by's.

Called my cousin and he agreed to come pick us up and take us to house. Hmmm meats and frozen food now on fast track to defrosting / cooking in 96 degree Explorer. So wife goes back in store gets 4 bags of ice and lay them on top of food.

45 minutes later cousin shows up helps load groceries into his small not for my size person to ride in car. WE leave 1/2 of the groceries and head home. Get Explorer towed to house and there it sits.

So Good Idea "Cooling off Explorer" Bad Outcome "Blown Radiator"

My cousin thinks the Thermostat went bad and that caused the problem. The overflow tank was full but all other antifreeze/water mix was blown out.

Ever had something like that happen to you?

Kenneth in NC

sullen · #2 07/11/05, 02:41 PM

WOW glad you were not in that puppy!!
My Mom had a Volkswagen Vanagon in the mid 80's, when they first came out, and she went to start it one day, and it wouldn't. So she got in the old beater we still had, and left. When I came home from school, there were fire trucks in our yard and as I came up the hill to the back of the house, I saw the storage shed burning. The one with the OIL TANK next to it.
Turns out the Vanagon had sparked and exploded after Mom left, and burned to a hulk in the yard, taking the shed it was parked next to and almost the oil tank that was on the other side. Took me a few years to quit wishing she had been in it.....but I was a teenager then.

OldFarmGal · #3 07/11/05, 03:34 PM

"Took me a few years to quit wishing she had been in it.....but I was a teenager then."

ROFLMHO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FiddleKat · #4 07/11/05, 03:58 PM

Ken, sounds as if your not having the best of luck these days.

Certainly do hope that things brighten up for you and the family. And sorry to hear about the Explorer.
Did you say the antifreeze and water mixed? Oh never mind, I was thinking antifreeze and oil shouldn't mix...that wouldn't be good.

FiddleKat

Tracy Rimmer · #5 07/11/05, 08:59 PM

Yep -- only it was in a '74 Firebird on a back road an hour from anywhere.

Tracy

foxtrapper · #6 07/12/05, 05:46 AM

Mmhm, seen them blow before. The plastic end tank units are the most common. The psi isn't much, generally on the order of 12 psi or so. But when you put it across the entire surface area of the radiator, the quantity becomes significant. If the seam on the end tank lets go, it tends to do so completely and suddenly.

The good news is it's an easy fix, and tends to cause no damage. When you replace the radiator, do so with a solid metal unit.

DrippingSprings · #7 07/12/05, 12:42 PM

Did you notice a rise in engine temp on the gauge? On alot of newer vehicles there is a pressure swithc that will engage the cooling fan for when the ac is running. If that switch is bad the fan wont come on and it will overheat. This is mostly on dual fan models where one runs due to engine temp and the second kicks on for the ac running. If this is your setup check the secondary fan before you blow up a new radiator. Also check the orifice tube as fords are notorious about poor ac performance due to inferior orifice tubes. You can buy an aftermarket one for 14 dollars that will hold the pressure up when idling to allow for better cooling when sitting stationary. What type engine is in your ford?

Kenneth in NC · #8 07/12/05, 04:47 PM

4.0 V6 It's a 1992 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 with 210,000 miles on it.

How much trouble to change out Orfice Tube? Would the A/C loose it's refrigerant during the change?

Kenneth in NC

tnborn · #9 07/12/05, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kenneth in NC

Went to get groceries Sunday and thought I'd be sweet and cool off the Explorer for my wife and daughter. Cranked it up and turned on A/C No cool air. So I revved up the RPM's to 2000 and it started cooling a bit. So I kept the rpm's up for about 5 minutes. Then the air went hot. So I turned off the A/C and switched off the Explorer.

About 5-10 minutes later wife and daughter come out and about time they get even with the Explorer KA-BOOM
The Radiator blew up. I mean it rocked the Explorer. Scared DW and DD and several passer by's.

Called my cousin and he agreed to come pick us up and take us to house. Hmmm meats and frozen food now on fast track to defrosting / cooking in 96 degree Explorer. So wife goes back in store gets 4 bags of ice and lay them on top of food.

45 minutes later cousin shows up helps load groceries into his small not for my size person to ride in car. WE leave 1/2 of the groceries and head home. Get Explorer towed to house and there it sits.

So Good Idea "Cooling off Explorer" Bad Outcome "Blown Radiator"

My cousin thinks the Thermostat went bad and that caused the problem. The overflow tank was full but all other antifreeze/water mix was blown out.

Ever had something like that happen to you?

Kenneth in NC

Hey Kenneth,
Yes, I have had this happended to my ford explorer. I talked to someone else who also owns an explorer, and he said that the temp gauge in the explorers are known to be bad. I didn't know it till it happened.LOL We had to be towed and we left antifreeze and all on the side of the road. Actually we were towed twice in a week because of temp.gauge.problems.Talk about being hot and irritated

I am glad that I wasn't on the interstate when this happened.
BTW we fixed and sold our explorer. Be careful, the heads like to crack and the rear left brake had constant problems.
tnborn

WanderingOak · #10 07/13/05, 10:04 AM

Sounds to me like it could have been the head gasket, combined with a bad radiator cap which caused your problems. When my head gasket went, I had exhaust gasses bubbling out through my radiator overflow tank. The radaator cap is supposed to release pressure and keep your radiator from going BLEWIE like yours did. It is also supposed to allow coolant from your overflow tank into and out of the radiator. If the cap wasn't working and exhaust gasses were building up in the radiator, eventually sometheing would have to give. I don't think it was a fan T-stat, because it was a RWD, which is cooled by a belt-driven fan.

Kenneth in NC · #11 07/20/05, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WanderingOak

Sounds to me like it could have been the head gasket, combined with a bad radiator cap which caused your problems. When my head gasket went, I had exhaust gasses bubbling out through my radiator overflow tank. The radaator cap is supposed to release pressure and keep your radiator from going BLEWIE like yours did. It is also supposed to allow coolant from your overflow tank into and out of the radiator. If the cap wasn't working and exhaust gasses were building up in the radiator, eventually sometheing would have to give. I don't think it was a fan T-stat, because it was a RWD, which is cooled by a belt-driven fan.

Had a buddy come over and we replaced the radiator with a new one including a new cap. Put in a gallon of antifreeze and rest water. Rode up to Stop SIgn and by time we got back to my house the heat hand was approaching the BIG RED H.

My DW picked up a thermostat and gasket today. If I can get enough energy up I'll try to put it in over the week-end. If that don't work maybe a few well placed slugs will.