Gen 4 running hotter than standard operating temps

[jedross86]

Hi All,

I have a 2019 Platinum Expedition Max. The engine was replaced about 5k miles ago. Currently at 67k miles, family car, no towing.

When I got my car back from the dealership with the new motor I started noticing the coolant temps pop up on my gauge cluster when highway driving and going up inclines, which I had not once seen before with the old motor. I read into this a bit (and even posted here) and thought it might just be due to break in period. After 1k miles I had the oil changed, the coolant checked, and this kept happening. I took it back to Ford and they did some diagnostics and said the engine temps were within normal range. They did give me a print out but my wife threw it out . This today is still happening with highway driving and going up an incline and I'm really starting to worry that I'm heavily taxing this new motor and that I won't get much life out of it if this continues.

Some observations when this happens - like I said generally on an incline/hill and going over 60mph. Most of the time I actually don't see the temps spike until I crest the hill but there are times they do creep up while going up the grade. It usually occurs only for a few seconds... I'll get a reading at 232F, might creep up to 234 and then after 15 seconds or so I'm back to not seeing a temp (so under 225 I believe). I also have noticed my engine fans are running much more frequently than I recall with my old motor.

What would you all do if you were me? Any thoughts on what the problem could be (faulty thermostat? someone told me maybe a water pump problem?)?

Any help is much appreciated.

Thanks!
Justin

 

[Mr Big]

My 2019 runs around 212. My tranny goes as high as 199. There was a recall that addressed temps. Mine were higher. But since the recall was fixed, they stayed a bit lower.
Ask the dealer what thermostat was installed. They may have used a higher temp thermostat. Also, what oil do you use, synthetic or blend? I'm assuming it was changed with the new motor.

 

[jedross86]

Thanks - I will ask. Even if they used a different thermostat I am assuming this excess heat is not good for longevity?

Oil has been changed twice (about to change again next week) and used M1 full synthetic 5W-30.

 

[Mr Big]

Thanks - I will ask. Even if they used a different thermostat I am assuming this excess heat is not good for longevity?

Oil has been changed twice (about to change again next week) and used M1 full synthetic 5W-30.

There have been discussions here, that you can search for, regarding different thermostats. Many recommend going to a lower temp thermostat. I would assume that would help.

 

[3rd Expyowner123]

I have a 2018, temp gauge started showing temperatures (numerals) above the bar gauge on a trip to Colorado driving about 80mph going on upward grade. The following year saw the same thing when pulling a 21’ boat at freeway speeds. A Ford tech said this shouldn’t happen. The dealer could not duplicate, so my ESP would not cover thermostat replacement. I requested they replace at my expense, and problem solved.
BTW, transmission runs cooler when coolant temps do not get excessively high. Ford redesigned the thermostat since 2018 for our vehicles.
On a side note, my sister had a 2018 F150, which exhibited the same behavior. After replacing thermostat the problem was still present. A Ford dealer reported that the radiator had a blockage, and replaced under their ESP warranty. I have never read anything about a blocked radiator on this forum.

 

[jedross86]

Very helpful - which tstat did you have them replace with?