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Transit keeps overheating

I have Ford Transit and use it to transport personal possesions to France. It is 3280 Kg GVW and was fully loaded on our last trip. On the return journey on Sunday if I went over 70 mph the water temperature gauge moved into the red zone. The outside air temperature was 35 C. I stopped at a service area to check the water level and it was just over max, probably due to expansion.

We did not have this problem on the outward journey although it was cooler. Please advise possible causes of this problem and how to rectify it.

Asked on 20 August 2012 by Shiraz

Answered by Honest John
Inadequate cooling for the load and the ambient temperature. Probably needs a separate engine oil cooler. Or, since it's 11 years old, could be that the radiator is partially sludged up and not cooling at maximum efficiency. Give it and the heater matrix (switch the heater to max) a thorough flush.

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