Too close for comfort!!!

[BacNBlak]

So this weekend had a close call with (another) blown motor.

Let me start by noting that I have Flex-a-lite Efans installed for about two years now and an Aeroforce Interceptor gauge.

Me and my GF were coming back from a Haloween party and had pulled off on a back road and were getitng a little frisky on a back road on the Eastern shore of MD. I wasnt sure just how frisky, so I left the truck running. Well, it went pretty far for pretty long and we got rudely interrupted by the sound of my truck idling really rough and broken. I push her over and see the temp gauge PEGGED on HOT and the aeroforce read 258 coolant temp!!!! the tranny was at 247!!! I shut her down, checked under the hood to find the fan controller had no ignition signal (box was fried). It was in the 50's that night so I cooled it for a little and then started it and drove it to cool it down to a normal temp. All conditions normal now, and fluids look, smell fine!! Gotta give some thanks to Mobil 1 lubricants. 258 degrees shoulda smoked that engine. :shrug:

Anyone else have a similar experience? It wasnt good, but damn, this is a tough engine. I drove it back to VA Beach a day later with no issues (so far).

 

[gen2lightning]

wow bro u got lucky..... it wasnt in higher temps!

 

[whiteonblackL]

lucky

 

[BacNBlak]

oh...I KNOW!!! Luck is an understatement!

 

[Lord Tauk]

That sucks.

Did the stock temp gauge even move up to H? Just wondering.

 

[slammedi'am]

got lucky

 

[WhiteBolt]

It would be wise to change your tranny fluid ASAP, or you may have to rebuild it soon.

Here's some paragraphs from this web page..... Why ATF Wears Out

" It doesn’t take long for the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) to heat up once the vehicle is in motion. Normal driving will raise fluid temperatures to 175 degrees F., which is the usual temperature range at which most fluids are designed to operate. If fluid temperatures can be held to 175 degrees F., ATF will last almost indefinitely -- say up to 100,000 miles. But if the fluid temperature goes much higher, the life of the fluid begins to plummet. The problem is even normal driving can push fluid temperatures well beyond safe limits. And once that happens, the trouble begins.

At elevated operating temperatures, ATF oxidizes, turns brown and takes on a smell like burnt toast. As heat destroys the fluid’s lubricating qualities and friction characteristics, varnish begins to form on internal parts (such as the valve body) which interferes with the operation of the transmission. If the temperature gets above 250 degrees F., rubber seals begin to harden, which leads to leaks and pressure losses. At higher temperatures the transmission begins to slip, which only aggravates overheating even more. Eventually the clutches burn out and the transmission calls it quits. The only way to repair the damage now is with an overhaul -- a job which can easily run upwards of $1500 on a late model front-wheel drive car or minivan.

As a rule of thumb, every 20 degree increase in operating temperature above 175 degrees F. cuts the life of the fluid in half!

At 195 degrees F., for instance, fluid life is reduced to 50,000 miles. At 220 degrees, which is commonly encountered in many transmissions, the fluid is only good for about 25,000 miles. At 240 degrees F., the fluid won’t go much over 10,000 miles. Add another 20 degrees, and life expectancy drops to 5,000 miles. Go to 295 or 300 degrees F., and 1,000 to 1,500 miles is about all you’ll get before the transmission burns up.

If you think this is propaganda put forth by the suppliers of ATF to sell more fluid, think again. According to the Automatic Transmission Rebuilders Association, 90% of ALL transmission failures are caused by overheating. And most of these can be blamed on worn out fluid that should have been replaced. "

 

[Hilander]

Damn! Did you get any check enging lights? The normal one would be cylinder temp overheated. I know because my electric waterpump went out on my old motor.

 

[BacNBlak]

The engine temp warning light was on, no audible alarm. MY BAD (cough cough) for not seeing the light.

The stock gauge was PEGGED!!!! It took a few miles of cruising for it to come off the peg.

Dont read me wrong fellas. Im not at all proud of this or bragging, just stating, this is a tough motor Fords gave us and maybe running synthetic fluids (which I WILL change WHITEBOLT) may have saved me a motor swap.

 

[BacNBlak]

And tranny rebuild

 

[LightningClint]

What are you doing about the burned up controller?

 

[BacNBlak]

Call Flex-a-lite and get a couple more. Should be low drama...

 

[hillman]

this also happened to me to about a week ago after driving for a couple of hours. my coolant gauge pegged, CEL came on, and it went in the fail safe mode or whatever its called. i turned it off, let it cool down, and have been driving it fine ever since. do i still need to get any fluids changed?

 

[AZ ERIK]

I have 2 flex-a-lite fan controllers sitting in my toolbox, both failed within a year, both melted.

Spal controller man!