2006 Ford Explorer Running hot

HALEIGH B

MEMBER
2006 FORD EXPLORER
4.0L
V6
4WD
AUTOMATIC
145,111 MILES

My truck runs hot after about 45 min to an hour after driving, the water jug that holds water to go to the radiator stays full but the radiator becomes empty after driving for some time as long as I fill it up before I leave home I have no problems if it runs hot on me and I add water it cools back down any advice on what it could be?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

If there are no obvious leaks or wet spots under the engine, the most likely cause is a leaking cylinder head gasket. To verify that, you can add a small bottle of dark purple dye to the coolant, then search later with a black light. The dye will show up as a bright yellow stain that you can follow back to the source. If a head gasket is leaking, you'll find the dye inside the tail pipe.

You can also have a chemical test performed at the radiator to identify a leaking head gasket. That involves drawing air from the radiator, while the engine is running, through a glass cylinder with two chambers partially-filled with a special dark blue liquid. If combustion gases are sneaking into the cooling system, the liquid will turn bright yellow.