Engine Fan -running hot? How to clean the Radiator?

[smahones]

I have a 2021 with a 2.7. Since winter went away it seems my engine fan kicks on almost always. I’ve been watching my temperatures (I wasn’t watching before the fan started kicking in) and seem to be quickly up in the 220 -230 range. Anyone else notice this?

I went through a ton of mud before this started and I’ve washed out everything multiple times trying to see if that was the issue. (5 hosings/power washes/seven engine washes in and a little mud still comes out).

Sponsored

 

[PWillette]

My 2.3 is running +/-210ish...220-230 seems high and the fan running a lot is a good indicator she might be running a bit hot. Any chance mud/dirt/debris made it to the radiator? Doesn't take much to reduce air flow.

 

[smahones]

My 2.3 is running +/-210ish...220-230 seems high and the fan running a lot is a good indicator she might be running a bit hot. Any chance mud/dirt/debris made it to the radiator? Doesn't take much to reduce air flow.

I’m sure there was mud in there…..any idea how to wash it out the best (other than just repeated cleansing)?

 

[dgorsett]

My 2.3 runs with three or 4 'blocks' on the coolant temp gauge under the speedo. The oil temp and trans temp with actual numbers usually run around 200ish after full warm up. When off road or hilly highway the trans temp will run 220ish. I'm considering this normal, no worries. The fan runs when it runs. Coolant temp on my old LJ 4.0 was 210 no matter what.

 

[PWillette]

I’m sure there was mud in there…..any idea how to wash it out the best (other than just repeated cleansing)?

I hate mud, gets stuck in every crack/crevice and hard to remove once it's dried and baked-on. Pretty much wash & repeat but I'd stay away from the radiator with pressure washer. Would help if you could access the radiator from inside the engine bay to flush it to the outside vs. from outside the truck trying to force it through the radiator. I know the engine bay is extremely congested so this may not be an option. If you can get a light inside the engine bay pointed out through the radiator you should be able to at least confirm if it's getting plugged up with mud/debris.

 

[2021WILDTRAKCDH]

I have a 2021 with a 2.7. Since winter went away it seems my engine fan kicks on almost always. I’ve been watching my temperatures (I wasn’t watching before the fan started kicking in) and seem to be quickly up in the 220 -230 range. Anyone else notice this?

I went through a ton of mud before this started and I’ve washed out everything multiple times trying to see if that was the issue. (5 hosings/power washes/seven engine washes in and a little mud still comes out).

Check if the electric louvers are opening. Mine was a little hot (like 225-230) and I cleaned the louvers with gentle water and soap. My temp dropped down to 198-205 pretty much all the time except long uphill climbs. Still the temp on mine only gets 220 at the highest. Imo. I had some mud dirt in louvers …not sure. But it seems better after cleaning.

Imo. Too much electronic crap on these broncos. Something Else to fail. Do we need active louvers ??? Good luck

 

[Paul Gagnon]

Often the only way to really get the mud out is to remove the radiator and hose it down from both sides. You can also lay the the radiator back in it's mount and do it that way, though it is not quite as effective as completely removing it.

 

[iamcris]

Compressed air does wonders for cleaning radiators, coolers , condensers. Use a wand or nozzle. Amazon air wand radiator cleaner.
Also there will be a lot of dust, clean it outside.

 

[smahones]

Check if the electric louvers are opening. Mine was a little hot (like 225-230) and I cleaned the louvers with gentle water and soap. My temp dropped down to 198-205 pretty much all the time except long uphill climbs. Still the temp on mine only gets 220 at the highest. Imo. I had some mud dirt in louvers …not sure. But it seems better after cleaning.

Imo. Too much electronic crap on these broncos. Something Else to fail. Do we need active louvers ??? Good luck

That actually did happen right away, but those started working again after hiding out. Thank you.

 

[66GT]

Check if the electric louvers are opening. Mine was a little hot (like 225-230) and I cleaned the louvers with gentle water and soap. My temp dropped down to 198-205 pretty much all the time except long uphill climbs. Still the temp on mine only gets 220 at the highest. Imo. I had some mud dirt in louvers …not sure. But it seems better after cleaning.

Imo. Too much electronic crap on these broncos. Something Else to fail. Do we need active louvers ??? Good luck

I have had to start watching my temps all the time. Overheated once and vehicle shut down. Didn't have the "gauges" screen up... so don't know how hot it got on that incident.

The issue wasn't unexpected, as I've got a huge area of my grille's airflow blocked by a winch and bull bar.

The control box on the Apex 12k is huge, so I'm relocating it underhood. (Going to have to move the "guts" of the control box to a separate project box to make it fit nicely... it's sooo unnecessarily ginormous.)

I have been on a lot of ridiculously terrible sand/moondust terrain lately, and I'll stake a bet that the grille louvers are sticking (hadn't considered that). I've washed out the radiator and changed the air filter, but temps keep creeping up to 232-234 on sustained climbs (4L 20°+ grades) and 228-230 on high-speed mountain pass runs.

That seems hot AF.

Building a military-themed overland trailer off of a 1T truck bed frame that's not going to be light, so I'm obviously concerned about the problem getting worse, not better.

1. How hot is "too hot" for the 2.7? Tired of pulling over and waiting for the temp to come down under 220° before continuing to run her hard.

2. I don't see the point in active grille flaps on something of this nature. Would much prefer they stick "open" rather than closed... or remove them entirely. Maybe there's a FORScan solution to keeping them open at all times?

3. Does anyone know of a proven aftermarket solution for cooling under load? (Note: Going back to your "too much electronic crap" comment... I ponied up for a lifetime bumper-to-bumper on a vehicle I never plan to sell... so I am leery about any mod that may affect that.)

Thanks for your advice.

 

[1970AMCAMX]

Depending on what kind of mud you got in it, just spraying with water may not cut it. I know some of the mud I've gotten into has a bunch of other nasty/oily stuff in it.

Get some all-purpose cleaner/degreaser (like you can get at an auto parts store not household stuff you get at a supermarket) and dilute about 50/50 with water. The ratio depends a lot on what brand you get but the good stuff is a pretty strong base - not as strong as drain cleaner but some are pretty close.

Make sure the Bronco is cool and spray radiator out real good with water (you want it damp with the mud not dry when you apply it), spray the radiator down as best you can with the cleaner and let it soak (do this in evening or morning when it's cool out so that the cleaner doesn't dry out to fast while it soaks), then rinse it out. may need to do this a few times.

Sponsored