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1996 5.8 temp sender

guruatbol

guruatbol

Always on vacation!
OK, I don't know who the rocket scientist was that thought a freeze plug opening was a good place for a temp sender, but my 96 F150 has one.

I know that spot on the block is a good place to know the temp of the two center cylinders, but when they pop out while driving you are now waiting for a tow truck.

My question is, can I reroute the darn thing to a better spot allowing both my gauge and computer to work?

Mel

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Mel I don't think you're looking at a temp sensor. That's quit possibly a block heater (hence, it being installed in a freeze plug location).

There's actually two coolant temp sensors, one for the gauge and one for the computer. Both are located on the intake manifold. The one for the computer (the ECT), is screwed into a fitting which is just above the upper radiator hose outlet and is a two pin connector. The one for the gauge is a single post and is located on the left side of the intake towards the front edge.
 
I have the same truck and engine (which I swapped in) and have to completely agree with what Ponyman66 has said.
 
Duh, dopey me!

I of all people should know that.

Now I can just remove it. I keep antifreeze in all my vehicles anyway so no problems here.

Mel

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Ok, news on the overheating truck. The gauge is functioning fine. The coolant level was very. Low. I think I didn't get all the air out of the system.

So, I ran it with the heater on full until the thermostat opened. Since these silly gauges don't have numbers, the needle was between the N and O. I drove it for about 6-7 miles and it seemed fine so I turned into my 100 foot long driveway with a slight hill which is not as steep as the ones I already went up, and. The temp went all the way up to between the A and L. I parked it and shut it off. The coolant was bubbling into the reservoir.

I am thinking the thermostat need to be checked next.

I wondered if maybe when it first got hot, that a head gasket had blown. So tomorrow I think I am going to pick up some oil and a filter and change the oil. I have not seen anything unusual from the tail pipe. There is nothing unusual in the coolant.

What do you think?
 
still can be the head gasket IMO.

Let the car run at 1500 - 2000 rpm and see if any bubbles shows up in the radiator.

Does it push water out of the radiator through the cap ??

Its possible that this only happens when the cilinder is other load ( read driving uphill )

MHO.
 
Maybe just me but I think I would kind of be holding off on an oil change if my truck was having a possible mechanical issue.
 
Yep. Got a compression gauge today. I just have to muster the energy to do the test.

Mel

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The idea of the oil change was to check for water, but it is obvious to me now that the heads have to come off.

My first late mode top end. I don't think it is beyond me. I have done lots of early ones. I am concerned about the fuel injection though.

Mel

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It's easy. Not much more difficult than the carb engines. There are two small brackets holding the fuel injection rails to the manifold and then they pop right off the injectors. Also the upper manifold may have two bolts under the decorative cover. I know the 5.0 does, not sure about the 5.8. All the plugs only go to one sensor each so you can't put them on wrong!
 
If pulling the intake there's a hidden T30 Torx bolt dead center down in the intake. I made my own socket for this from a 1/4 T30 bit wedged into a 1/4" 1/4" drive socket. Before that I would fiddle a 3/8" T30 socket into the bolt with an extendable magnet from the side and then feed the long extension down from the top and into the socket. That was on 5.0 actually, the 5.8 was a little more room to operate and you can use your hand instead of a magnet. I think, says the guy with the special socket.
Not a huge deal but not a pleasant surprise halfway into the job. Look for that bolt and have a plan of attack that includes it. Watch out for the water hose fitting on the throttle body, those can get crusty. I did a 5.0 intake once where I left the throttle body swinging by those hoses rather than trying to successfully remove and reinstall them. Usually the intake gasket sets do NOT include the gasket that goes under the throttle body for some reason. They are dirt cheap though, grab one just in case you want it. No other EFI gotchas immediately pop into mind.
 
I got the upper intake off. WTF were these designers thinking? Did they have tiny monkey hands?

I found the torx bolt 1/2 way through it and thought, who the heck thought this was a good idea. I had a torx bit I stuck in a long screw tip for my woodworking which is magnetized and put a 1/2" drive socket on the end and my air ratchet made quick work of it.

Tomorrow I am going to tackle the rest of the disassembly. Then we will see the damage.

If money was better I would do a cam, new intake, headers and aluminum heads.

I just don't have an extra $2000.00 hanging off my money tree.

Mel

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OK, exhaust and then the heads can be removed. I had two injectors come out of the fuel rails. How do I put them back?

If it isn't hard then I should remove them all and clean them.

I knew there was a reason I hated late model cars.

Mel

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Oh, here is a pic of the torx tool I used.

Mel

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Ok now I'm going to throw something. The rear bolt on passenger side exhaust where it bolts to the pipe is a real pita to get to. I already broke a 3/8" drive ujoint.

Got WD-40 on it now and when I get back from town I'll bring back a new tool and some liquid wrench.

Maybe a sawzall is in order. Then I would have an excuse to put headers on it.

Mt son-in-law wants to put a blower stack on it with the butterflies sticking out of the hood. I like it but can't afford it.

I have to keep reminding myself that this is my tow vehicle, fishing truck and all around daily driver.

Mel

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guruatbol said:
OK, exhaust and then the heads can be removed. I had two injectors come out of the fuel rails. How do I put them back?

If it isn't hard then I should remove them all and clean them.

I knew there was a reason I hated late model cars.

Mel

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...


Mel,

They just push into the manifold and the fuel rail just pushes onto the injectors. They have small oring seals on them. There are several videos on the internet about how to soak and clean the injectors. Even some home made test benches to test fire them outside of the car.
 
I was wondering if I can delete the heat riser on the passenger side front of the exhaust.

The reason I ask is I have a set of shorty headers I could install.

Mel

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