2017 Expedition EL Overheating while towing

[ediddily]

IF your mechanically inclined perhaps inspect your radiator(s) to see if they're plugged up with road grime/debris. Check the reservoir tank on fluid level. Remove the belt and see if the pump/fan wiggles. If you hear slight clunking when wiggling, the bearing is most likely failing. Check the fan clutch (if it has one) if there is resistance to the spin it should be fine. If it spins freely, then the fan clutch is probably going out. Perhaps the thermostat was installed upside down? Any leaks found under the car? Easy way to determine if coolant is that it doesn't evaporate.

Also, sometimes its the littlest, cheapest things that make the biggest difference.....like the reservoir cap. It may not be releasing the excess pressure.

When you're towing uphill keep in mind its not a race, it should be slow and steady. You must drive to your cars capabilities. When I tow my 23' TT at 6500lbs with my 07 XLT (5.4 Triton V8), I don't floor it. I make sure the engine runs somewhere around 40-60% capacity as to not blow anything up. Its better to make it up and over the hill and all the others at the other side of each valley.

I was driving around with a pinhole leak in the radiator and un-pressurized system for nearly 10 years. Only until recently the pump starting crying (weeping), so I did a whole cooling rebuild. Now the hot air from the heater will burn you up close its so effective.

Are you having someone else fix your stuff? Its hard to trust some shops these days.

 

[Timo2824]

IF your mechanically inclined perhaps inspect your radiator(s) to see if they're plugged up with road grime/debris. Check the reservoir tank on fluid level. Remove the belt and see if the pump/fan wiggles. If you hear slight clunking when wiggling, the bearing is most likely failing. Check the fan clutch (if it has one) if there is resistance to the spin it should be fine. If it spins freely, then the fan clutch is probably going out. Perhaps the thermostat was installed upside down? Any leaks found under the car? Easy way to determine if coolant is that it doesn't evaporate.

Also, sometimes its the littlest, cheapest things that make the biggest difference.....like the reservoir cap. It may not be releasing the excess pressure.

When you're towing uphill keep in mind its not a race, it should be slow and steady. You must drive to your cars capabilities. When I tow my 23' TT at 6500lbs with my 07 XLT (5.4 Triton V8), I don't floor it. I make sure the engine runs somewhere around 40-60% capacity as to not blow anything up. Its better to make it up and over the hill and all the others at the other side of each valley.

I was driving around with a pinhole leak in the radiator and un-pressurized system for nearly 10 years. Only until recently the pump starting crying (weeping), so I did a whole cooling rebuild. Now the hot air from the heater will burn you up close its so effective.

Are you having someone else fix your stuff? Its hard to trust some shops these days.

You should be able to max throttle it up hills, even at max payload, and the engine should never overheat. I still think it was a water pump, but the op never came on here to say what fixed it.

 

[ediddily]

Yeah you could floor it, but mine's an old gal and I wouldn't want her to blow like having a bad case of diarrhea.

 

[JasonH]

Ford derates the towing capacity at altitude. It's something like 2% every 1,000 feet above sea level. The Ecoboost will tow in higher gears rather than downshifting, which increases load on the engine and works the turbos very hard. I have a warped driver side manifold that I suspect is due to towing in higher gears rather than downshifting. Ford has released an updated stainless steel manifold that should be more durable and less susceptible to deformation. There is also an aftermarket stainless manifold from Full Race that uses individual runners and is port matched to the hotside inlet on the turbos.

 

[Brons2]

If the vehicle never overheated before the belt break event and subsequent overheat, I would be looking at the basics like testing the coolant for exhaust gas, the testers are cheap. If that passes, then pressure testing the cooling system, radiator cap, and so forth.

I see that you are now dropping a gear when it hits 230, why not drop a gear at the start of the hill? Maybe it will never get to 230 if you do that. But anyway.