Intermittent overheating 2011 Edge

[higuera-tax@hotmail.com]

Hello,

 

First time posting.

 

A few days ago, the temperature gauge on my 2011 Edge suddenly hit the “H” while driving on the streets. After immediately turning off my A/C the temperature dropped back down to the middle of my temperature reading and seemed to be ok for the next hour or so. Later that day while still doing errands I had no problems with the temperature except I did have the A/C off. The next day, not seeming to be having any problems I decided to turn the A/C back on and everything seemed to be fine. Well, the next time I went out for a drive I had left the air conditioner on and when I started the car within 15-20min the temperature elevated to “H” again and I received a warning message. So for the last day or so, it seems that as long as I turn the A/C off and only turn it on after I’ve started the car for about 5-10min I haven’t had the engine overheat.

 

Any ideas of what this can be? I have very basic auto experience and would appreciate any help.

[omar302]

Cooling fan or fan module failing? They are sold an assembly.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

How many miles on your Edge? Checked for codes from the OBD port?

 

When the A/C does work without the coolant temp going to H, are the temperatures out of the vent what you'd expect?

 

Checked the condenser/radiator to make sure they are clean? You can use a foaming A/C cleaner (any home hardware store), let sit, then gently wash down with water from a garden hose (no high pressure!).

 

Coolant level at FULL when engine is cold & off? Does the cooling fan come on when you first start the engine with the A/C off, then switch it on in MAX A/C position with blower on HIGH?

 

Check coolant flow with engine running & warmed up by turning on MAX HEAT/blower HIGH then touching the heater outlet hose. Hose should be hot. Also feel the upper/lower radiator hoses. One of them should definitely be hotter than the other when engine is warmed up. That would verify thermostat.

 

The gauge itself may be faulty.

 

Pinpoint Test D: Incorrect Temperature Gauge Indication

Normal Operation

The PCM receives the engine coolant temperature status through hardwired circuitry to the cylinder head temperature (CHT) sensor. The instrument cluster receives the engine coolant temperature data from the PCM over the high speed controller area network (HS-CAN) communication bus. The instrument cluster monitors the engine coolant temperature data received from the PCM and commands the temperature gauge indication with a corresponding movement of the pointer.

 

If the instrument cluster does not receive the engine coolant temperature status message from the PCM for 5 seconds or less, the instrument cluster defaults the temperature gauge to the last setting, based upon the last known good temperature status message. If the instrument cluster does not receive the engine coolant temperature status message from the PCM for more than 5 seconds or if the data received is deemed invalid, the instrument cluster sets DTC U0100 in continuous memory and defaults the temperature gauge to cold ©.

NOTE: If DTC U0100 is set in the instrument cluster, other observable symptoms may be an inoperative speedometer, tachometer or odometer.

• Possible Causes
• PCM
• Instrument cluster

[higuera-tax@hotmail.com]

WWWPerfA_ZNOW thank you, much appreciated! With the exception of the miles (79,000) I'll be checking these when i'm off work and see what we get.

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Hope you find the culprit and send it to the boneyard!

[enigma-2]

WWWPerfA_ZNOW thank you, much appreciated! With the exception of the miles (79,000) I'll be checking these when i'm off work and see what we get.

I would lean towards the fan sensor being bad. If it happens only at idle and low speeds, it's definitely the radiator fan. (At highway speeds there's enough air flowing through the radiator the keep the engine cool).

[higuera-tax@hotmail.com]

Hi All, thank you for the feedback, much appreciated!

 

Since my original post I've done a few things and have been monitoring the A/C; I cleaned the condenser/radiator with the A/C foaming cleaner as suggested, thank you! And had the OBD port checked... used a friends home version and came back with no problems. I checked the fans a few times since after driving both on the freeway and streets and until yesterday both fans were operating and temp gauge remained in the middle. Well yesterday after driving (streets) for about 15min.. the cool air suddenly stop and started to smell inside the car. I pulled over put the A/C on high and opened the hood... sure enough the fan on the driver's side was not operating. The temp gauge shot up rather quickly and almost hit the "H" before I turned the A/C off and turned the heat to full blast. After a few minutes the temp slowly dropped back within the normal range. Today didn't seem to have a problem.

 

If I'm reading correctly, sounding like its the fan. Would this be replacing the fan sensor only, the complete fan assembly or are they all one of the same?

 

Thanks again. Cheers!

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

Time to replace the fan assembly most likely:

http://www.amazon.com/TYC-622040-Replacement-Radiator-Condenser/dp/B0041TNK44/

Notes: Components Included: Control Unit, Configuration: Radiator and Condenser Cooling Fan Assembly, Connector Quantity: 1, Connector Terminal Quantity: 3, Connector Type: male, Fan Blade Material: PA+GF, Fan Type: Dual, Package Contents: Radiator & Condenser Fan Assembly, Shroud Included: Yes, Shroud Material: PA+GF, w/o TOW

Limited Lifetime for non-commercial use

 

http://www.amazon.com/Dorman-621-392-Radiator-Fan-Assembly/dp/B0074DFTKM/

Notes: w/Air Conditioning, wo/Trailer Tow Package, 100% NEW, Fully Assembled for Ease of Installation

Dorman limited lifetime warranty

 

Tow package assemblies cost about $100 more.

[akirby]

There is a DIY procedure posted by Autom8r - good info there.

[higuera-tax@hotmail.com]

Wow thank you all, very much appreciated! Def saving some $$

[Edge_Beast]

My POS Edge just did this today. I can truly say I am sick and tired of this #/!&*ing vehicle. If its not one thing its another. I am out of town with the vehicle on a mini vacation and it couldnt of have happened at a worse time.

[danmooreski]

Hey there,

New member here!

 

I am really hoping someone can help as our Ford Edge is our only vehicle with two working adults and a child!

 

We are experiencing an intermittent overheating issue on our 2011 Ford Edge SEL. I replaced the radiator fan assembly first because this all started when I noticed that one of the fans wasn't working. After replacing the fan assembly (which included the fan controller module) all was well until it overheated again a few days later. At that point I figured it was the thermostat and went ahead and replaced that. Everything was good for a few days until it overheated again. I took the car in and had the cooling system flushed and again it overheated. I took it back to the same shop and they told me it had an air bubble in the cooling lines and they were able to "burp" it and remedy the problem. That seemed to do the trick for a whole week until this past Saturday, it overheated again. I am totally stumped as to where to go from here. There aren't any check engine lights so I don't know if there are any codes on the OBD.

 

I am noticing that the fans don't seem to be coming on when they're supposed to but this only happens sometimes. Every time we start the car it's a guessing game whether or not the fans are going to come on. If we start the car up and the fans turn on a couple seconds after, they work the entire time the car is running which is great. If they don't come on, it seems like they turn on for a second or two and then turn off (this cycles a couple times and then they just stop altogether). Any help is greatly appreciated!

[WWWPerfA_ZN0W]

How many miles on your Edge? Which brand of fan assembly did you have installed? Sometimes you have to use the new fans with the OEM controller to make them work happily together. If the Edge does not have a tow package, the controller could have been installed in reverse. The tow controller has 1 connector on 1 side and 2 on the other side, whereas the nontow has 1 on each side. Sometimes the controller connection is loose and has to be secured with duct tape (!).

 

Did the shop check the coolant for oil/combustion gases? They should have been able to pull codes from the PCM, even if no check engine light was set.

[danmooreski]

How many miles on your Edge? Which brand of fan assembly did you have installed? Sometimes you have to use the new fans with the OEM controller to make them work happily together. If the Edge does not have a tow package, the controller could have been installed in reverse. The tow controller has 1 connector on 1 side and 2 on the other side, whereas the nontow has 1 on each side. Sometimes the controller connection is loose and has to be secured with duct tape (!).

 

Did the shop check the coolant for oil/combustion gases? They should have been able to pull codes from the PCM, even if no check engine light was set.

Currently, I am at almost 86,000 miles. I am not sure of the brand of fan but I bought it from RockAuto. I will check the controller connection tonight.

As far as the shop goes, they did not inform me of any checks on the coolant. They only told me that they changed the fluid out and then had to vacuum the air out of the lines.

 

Thanks for the reply!

[enigma-2]

They only told me that they changed the fluid out and then had to vacuum the air out of the lines!

Curious, how does one vacuum air out of a coolant system?

[PaulSchott]

Check the connection to the fan controller. This could have been the initial problem. If the contacts are burned they will overheat and loose connection. This circuit carries high amps and needs to be clean and tight. Next time it doesn't work try moving the connector around. WATCH THE FAN BLADES!

[danmooreski]

Vacuum wasn't the correct term my apologies. They got the air out of the cooling system.

[akirby]

The proper term is "bleeding the system" to remove trapped air.

[danmooreski]

Whatever the term is, the work was done. Thanks.

[danmooreski]

Check the connection to the fan controller. This could have been the initial problem. If the contacts are burned they will overheat and loose connection. This circuit carries high amps and needs to be clean and tight. Next time it doesn't work try moving the connector around. WATCH THE FAN BLADES!

So yesterday the fans turned off while I was driving, for the first time ever. I pulled over and while the engine was running I moved the connector around and it did nothing. I turned it off and started it up again and that seemed to work. Later on it did it to me again so I turned it off and on (a couple times) and that worked. So it seems like once it resets the fans come back on. Could this be a sensor of some kind?

[reddsedge]

Hey all, new here so I'm hoping to see some info that might help me...

I am having the same exact problem as damooreski above^. I too have a 2011 Edge SEL with about the same mileage as danmooreski (85,000 plus) Originally I noticed that the AC was blowing at the same velocity, but the air would get "warmer" when I stopped for a few minutes or put the car in park but left running. I thought it was because I am S. Florida & it has been very hot. This happened for 2 days before I noticed the temp gauge rising quickly. When I shut off the AC, the gauge dropped to normal. I took it to Ford for a coolant flush but that has not fixed the issue. They mentioned that it could be the fan, but returned the car to me stating the flush fixed my problem, so I assume they checked the fan while they had it. It is possible that while they were checking that it wasn't a time when the problem was "showing it's ugly head" I've done a lot of driving since getting the Edge back from Ford, including a 2 hour in each round trip... the problem happened once during the trip.

So this is a very intermittent issue. I have not changed any parts, checked for any hoses or scanned for any codes YET (and I've never actually overheated) , but is seems based on the other good folks having this issue, changing parts and such might not be the issue.

Where do you pros suggest I start? Thanks for your time.

[akirby]

Put the A/C on max and see if both fans come on. If not they're defective.

[PaulSchott]

Check coolant level.

If the problem occurs when the car is standing or in slow traffic and not when it is moving it probably is the fans. On the road you get enough air going through the radiator and condenser to remove heat.

The fan and controller are sold as a unit. Check the connector to see if it is burnt and intermittent.

[enigma-2]

I had a problem (2009 MKX) of not cooling at idle (classic fan problem) and took it to my dealer. They checked the AC system and found it a little low on refrigerant (they told me that it was common to loose a small amount of coolant over the years). They evacuated the system to check for leaks and refilled. Then they changed the fan assy. Covered under the extended warranty but said the total bill would have been between $700-$800.

 

Others have reported problems with aftermarket fan assemblies (not working properly, noisier, vibrations, etc.) You might also consider pricing Motorcraft. Costs more, but your assured of not having any problems.

[OLA]

Please my 2012 ford edge is behaving the same way. Please how can I resolve this.