Explorer Overheating at Idle

I'm having some issues with my 2004 Ford Explorer, gasoline engine, at 226790 km. Lately, it's been overheating and taking forever to reach operating temperature. I've checked the coolant level, and that seems fine. The cooling fan seems to be working, but the engine still overheats, especially when idling or in stop-and-go traffic. I'm suspecting it might be the thermostat. Could it be a defective map thermostat?

4 comment(s)

Sounds familiar! I had a similar problem with my old Opel Corsa. It was overheating too, and the engine was slow to warm up. I suspected the thermostat too, and it turned out to be a faulty thermostat housing that was causing the issue. Has the thermostat housing being checked?

Interesting, I did not know that thermostat housing might be the issue but I will give that a good look today. How did you determine that your thermostat housing was faulty, and after replacement was the whole coolant system behaving as expected again?

Well, the mechanic ran some diagnostics and noticed coolant leaking around the housing. Once they replaced it, the overheating was gone, and my Corsa heated up normally again. Seems like you had a similar case. If I were you, I would check whether the thermostat opens/ closes correctly. If you are not comfortable with it, you should drive to a trusted workshop. Just to be sure.

Thanks for the advice! I'll definitely take a closer look at the thermostat and the housing. If I don't get anywhere, I'll take it to my local shop. I appreciate the help!

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