94 ford explorer ticking overheating

Asked by paragonwoman Aug 28, 2012 at 01:22 PM about the 2004 Ford Explorer XLT V6 4WD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

three days ago my 94 ford explorer started making a ticking clicking sound. seemed when i pushed the gas pedal
it got worse. stopped after a few minutes. the. the next day was driving and the temp gauge ran into the red. smoke
came out and i pulled off the road. then later tried to drive it to get it home and it cut off at a stoplight and wouldnt
start up. nothing. not even turning over. left it there till today and it started up. didnt drivre it, scared of making it
worse. please help

1 Answer

2,455

first, check your oil levels, then check anti-freeze (with engine cold, not running). The "smoke" may have been anti-freeze if you have a leaking water pump, split heater hose, etc. That would account for the overheating. The "not turning over" is a little unusual, unless the engine got so hot it temporarily siezed. Doubtful, and you would have heard some "clicking" when you tried to start it, etc. If you have oil and anti-freeze in it, and can get it started, watch for anti-freeze to begin to circulate in the top of the radiator when the engine warms up. Just leave the radiator cap off and watch for fluid movement. If it starts to move when the engine warms, that tells you the thermostat is opening (it may be stuck shut) and the water pump is working, circulating coolant. Try to determine the location and type of smoke. If it is a "sweet" smell, and the smoke is white, it is probably anti-freeze. If it is a bluish smoke and smells of oil, it probably is. Look for visible signs of oil on the engine, around the valve cover, dripping onto the exhaust from somewhere, etc. If the smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe, you have to go back to color and odor to determine what it was. Good Luck!

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