Cooling Fan not going high speed when idling - truck starts to overheat

[mike199]

Have you checked that the A/C condenser in front of the radiator is not clogged with dirt or debris and the radiator fins are clear of debris? How high is the temperature gauge reading? Have you tried removing the tune?

Yes the AC condenser was checked and radiator is clean. Picture shows the gauge after 40mins with ac on, outside temp at 24C. It will go higher but that's when I either keep the gas pressed if I need to keep idling when my tools are being powered or turn the engine off.

Yes, I had 1st tune for 80k when it started happening, got the dealer to flash it to stock, no change, then I got another tune.

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[Rp930]

Dumb question. Who idles their truck for 30 minutes at a a time?

 

[mike199]

Dumb question. Who idles their truck for 30 minutes at a a time?

I idle anywhere from 20mins to 4 hours almost daily due to the kind of job I have.

 

[RangerBill]

Yes the AC condenser was checked and radiator is clean. Picture shows the gauge after 40mins with ac on, outside temp at 24C. It will go higher but that's when I either keep the gas pressed if I need to keep idling when my tools are being powered or turn the engine off.

Yes, I had 1st tune for 80k when it started happening, got the dealer to flash it to stock, no change, then I got another tune.

Are the air deflectors around the radiator still in place and haven't been removed?

Is the battery voltage dropping during the extended idle period?

Check that the CHT (cylinder head temperature) and ECT (engine coolant temperature) sensors are reading correctly (verified by a scanner tool). They should read close to each other. The P0217 code is set by the ECT according to the shop manual.

 

[Friday yet?]

Dumb question. Who idles their truck for 30 minutes at a a time?

I cringed even reading it.

 

[airline tech]

Ok,
To tie both issues together, I suspect a possibility that since AC is not working and the fan control issues may be tied together.
I suspect a voltage drop @ idle and the fan is not receiving proper voltage.
Does the AC work when driving ? or does it only go inop when @ idle?

Either way, the power circuit ties in off of Fuse #12, Its a shot in the dark here, but this is a possible area to check.
Something on the circuit is pulling down power and its more noted @ idle (Low RPM) when the wonderful BMS system is down to 12.2 volts, it may be dropping lower than that on this circuit and the fan does not have the voltage available to power.
Wire checks will confirm, and has the support tube for the fan been damaged and or the harness to it.

I will need to put together a T-Shoot (connector) diagrams for both the Fan and AC Solenoid.
The solenoid is C1110 but its location is not clear, I was wanting to suggest disconnect that connector to see if the Fan started operating normally.

Plus, has the battery been tested?

 

[Grandaccess]

Sometimes I idle more than 30 min a day, I notice my MPG goes way down back under 20mpg, when I dont have to idle a lot it slowly creeps back up .1 at a time ...
2 years of my abuse the only time I got it to over heat when it blew the lower Rad hose
I dont think it will tonight its 59F in my part of NY.

 

[mike199]

Sometimes I idle more than 30 min a day, I notice my MPG goes way down back under 20mpg, when I dont have to idle a lot it slowly creeps back up .1 at a time ...
2 years of my abuse the only time I got it to over heat when it blew the lower Rad hose
I dont think it will tonight its 59F in my part of NY.

I know you said to test on cold engine, I will do that later tonight when I get home but when it started overheaating today ect and cht were the same, not sure what voltage I should be seeing for some those values here though. And why ambient temp is 10c different then ambient SAE temp.

Never had an issue with the battery and voltage is around 13.6-13.8v when when it's overheating.

 

[mike199]

AC is working just fine when driving

 

[mike199]

here are values with engine off and cold

 

[RangerBill]

I know you said to test on cold engine, I will do that later tonight when I get home but when it started overheaating today ect and cht were the same, not sure what voltage I should be seeing for some those values here though. And why ambient temp is 10c different then ambient SAE temp.

Never had an issue with the battery and voltage is around 13.6-13.8v when when it's overheating.

Not sure what control module voltage is reading. Do you have a battery voltage PID that you can monitor? I see that Fan 1 duty cycle is 0%, so that would indicate a slow fan speed commanded.

 

[airline tech]

There are 2ea PID displays for Ambient Temp - Raw and Filtered
I am going to ASSUME that HP Tuners is calling Filtered data (SAE)
Raw Data is a direct read of the Ambient Sensor and Filtered is what is displayed on the IPC and Sync screens it uses a algorithm to filter out heat soak.
The most important thing for that sensor - is after driving for a few miles - does it match actual outside temp (as parked) it is picking up engine bay heat and sun beating down on the hood etc.

I think that they should be close to the same reading (Raw and Filtered) - I would have to hook up scanner and check to be sure and see what kind of mismatch they have.

I would also have to check for Fan Operation - Fan Desired and Duty Cycle and actual Fan Speed- to see what is normal PID readings, I have looked at that before but forgot what was displayed.

Just a confirmation and clarification as with your statement of AC works when driving.
You say the radiator is clean, have you pulled the upper cover and visually looked down between the condenser and radiator?
That is a common space for leaves and road debris to get caught up in and block airflow, the radiator cannot be cooled properly plus the condenser cannot dissipate the heat from the Freon.
This also increases the pressure of the freon and then the High Pressure Switch trips off the compressor clutch.
When you are driving you are forcing the air across them and at idle it only has the fan.

So you have good charging voltage @ idle and the Idle RPM is good.
Then we need to verify that the Fan and AC Solenoid are receiving that same battery voltage.
So with Key On Engine Off - check battery voltage @ battery
Then disconnect the fan connector and check pin #1 to ground and then check AC Solenoid connector pin #1 to ground.
Do they both measure - the same voltage readings as the battery voltage?
You want them to be the same or very close.
I do not think this is the issue, but you can eliminate this circuit with a simple voltage test with meter.

I STRONGLY feel that if you have not physically checked the area between the Condenser and Radiator - you will find leaves etc - blocking the airflow, causing both issues.
This makes the most logical T-Shoot sense - if everything operates normally when driving as the temp sensors may not be reading the correct temperature, radiator surface area is holding the temperature at a higher temp than the CHT and ECT measure, thus improper fan speed control.


Fan Connector

AC Control Solenoid (Mounted) on the back side of the AC Compressor

 

[4x4 Ranger Man]

In a Ford Ranger, the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor typically outputs a voltage that varies with temperature, providing a signal to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to regulate various engine functions. Normal operating temperatures usually fall between 195°F and 220°F (90°C to 105°C), with corresponding voltage readings around 0.75V to 0.04V. If the voltage reading is outside this range or if the temperature gauge reads incorrectly, it could indicate a problem with the sensor, wiring, or the PCM itself.

If I am understanding what I am seeing your ETC is out of range.

 

[RangerBill]

In a Ford Ranger, the engine coolant temperature (ECT) sensor typically outputs a voltage that varies with temperature, providing a signal to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) to regulate various engine functions. Normal operating temperatures usually fall between 195°F and 220°F (90°C to 105°C), with corresponding voltage readings around 0.75V to 0.04V. If the voltage reading is outside this range or if the temperature gauge reads incorrectly, it could indicate a problem with the sensor, wiring, or the PCM itself.

If I am understanding what I am seeing your ETC is out of range.

His engine isn't running, so a low ECT reading would be expected with a cold engine. It also almost matches his CHT reading, which it should.

 

[4x4 Ranger Man]

His engine isn't running, so a low ECT reading would be expected with a cold engine. It also almost matches his CHT reading, which it should.

If I am reading correctly then it should read between 0.75V to 0.04V is that not correct? The one above it is running and not reading correct.

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