93 F-150 Overheats when A/C's on

Hey ppl, im usually on the import side of the site but i do have a 93 f-150 XL thats fuel injected.
I havent had any problems in the past month i've had it. The AC is awesome cold!
But today as it was 98 degrees, I had my AC on MAX and noticed that it was starting to overheat.... After i parked it and let it sit for a lil while i noticed that it only overheats when the AC is on.
Anyone had this problem??
PLlease hellpp!!

I had this same problem, but seem to have fixed it. I just changed to a lower degree thermostat and haven't had a problem since. Seems simple, but getting to the thermostat (5.8 liter) ain't that simple.

aw, can you give me a brief rundown?
I thought it would be the A/C compressor clutch.
My amps meter drops when i turn the ac on...
??
thanks

i drove it around today with ac on MAX and it didnt go past the R in NORMAL. I dont know why it overheated 2 days ago. i guess it was it was because it was 100 degrees.
anyone know??

11 year old vehicle. Did you ever flush the radiator? When is the last time you had the coolant replaced/ / tested?

After 11 years, your F-150's radiator WILL start getting plugged up with crud.

When your voltage gauge drops, as you turn the AC on, does the engine seem like it wants to bog down?

Does the engine sound strained? The AC Compressor might be going south on you. Take off the AC belt (can't remember if that year had individual belts, or serpentines), and try to spin the compressor by hand. It should not be TOO hard to turn.

hey, no i just got the truck.
Umm, the engine doesnt bog down. Im sure i wouldnt have noticed if ther wasnt a voltometer.
But it seems ok, but i dont know for sure becuase ther hasnt been any hot days like that.
? It stays in the normal range, but usually is on the colder side..?

Just because you just got the truck, it doesnt mean it has a new radiator....

sup, ya i know. i meant that i dont have any idea if it has been flushed.
Well, today it almost got the the (H) again. I dont think its the thermostat or waterpump, becuase it happens gradually on hotttttt days.

Imma flush the radiator myself with the flush bottle stuff you get at autozone...
Any reccomendations??
thanks

hey,
I flushed it out and still overheats slowly.
I was planning to swap out with another fresh oem thermostat but i couldnt figure out how to take it off with that one bolt on the bottom?!?!
Does anyone know how to take it out?!?
thanks

damn, not as many ford owners? Or just not as many knowledgeable people? Or maybe knowledgeable people around, but just dont want to share their experiences?
Much more help in the toyota category... the popularity of the durable automotive line? the satisfaction of the owners? the advanced knowledge of the well-known line? Who knows? but no, not tough. "Ford built CRAP" not tough. Like somone had mentioned in another thread... ford was made tough for the soccer moms and what not.
I would trade any ford for a dodge anyday. "Grab ford by the horns,,, or the ass, and kick it!" I have owned many cars but none as troublesome as the ford. I dont care about the SVT's or the supposed to be fast but looks lame Contours'. Or even the Harley Davidson promo crap trucks. No, nothing worth buying.
thanks,
unhappy,,, VERY frustrated ford owner.
But not to worry, there are plenty of egotistical people whose grandads drove fords all across the farm and would lovingly voulanteer to have the problem passed on to them.
thank you thank you... ford

91, so you are frustrated with FORDs.

Ok, Fair enough. I am sure that there are people out there who are frustrated with Toyotas, as well. I don't know where you drive your Toyota, but I can guarantee.. no... I'll put money on it, that is will not last as long as an F150 (or any Detroitt Pick-up truck) on Dirt Roads.

You see, I live in Wyoming. We have a lot of dirt service roads around here, because of the main industry, which is Natural Gas extraction. 99% of the pick-up trucks you see working in these SEVERE (-50F in the winter, +95 in the summer) conditions, not to mention roads that will turn your kidneys upside down after a while, are, in fact Fords, Chevies and Dodges. Why? Because Toyota does not make a pick-up truck stong enough to live in these conditions. Simple as that.

A lot of people are waiting to see how the new Nissan Titan will fare out here, since the T100 has proven itself unable to live long in these extremes, myself being one of them. I like the truck, but until it proves itself as well as the F series has, (or relatively close), I will not sing my $$ into a Japanese Pick-up truck.

Now, you may say what you wish. That is your perogative. But I have seen with my own eyes broken front rotors, axles falling out from under toyota trucks, and the worst one, the bed literally fell off the frame.

I'm not saying the Detriot bunch never have problems on those roads... They do. But not NEARLY as many as the Toyotas do.

I don't care what manufacter made your vehicle. Eventually, it will break down. In harsh conditions such as the ones described above, your Toyota will lead the pack in broken parts. At least in my neck of the woods.

Enjoy Toyota's "popularity of the durable automotive line" and the "Satisfaction of the owners" who put the thing in 4 wheel drive when crossing a puddle.
Because out here, Toyota is not popular for the above described reasons.

I really wish I could help you more with your overheating problem. But just like with any other motor, the overheating might just be the "surface" symptom. You may have blown head gaskets. The water pump may be so old that the impellers are corroded, and cannot move as much fluid volume as when it was fully functional. You could have a sticking fan. You could have a bad thermostat. Who knows.

Do a cooling system pressure test. See if the cooling system is losing pressure. Any shop can do this for you, and a radiator shop should not charge you anything.

If you can't take the bottom bolt out, take the truck to a shop, and pay a mechanic 5 dollars to show you how its done.

Just like any engine, things go wrong with it. Do you know this vehicle's history personally? For all you know, it may have been driven witout oil for expended periods of time. see where Im going with this?

Good Luck.

Yes, my calculations are not based on a group of workers and their personal expiriences on dirt roads but look at the baja competitions.

well. christ...

Baja? I mean, come on! You see a lot of street legal/looking vehicles competing in the Baja events? I have never seen one.

Do you realize how few similarities between a street legal vehicle and a baja vehicle there are?

You cannot base a purchase on Baja, Nascar, etc wins. Those vehicles are so different than their road-going siblings, that they are almost not related at all.

That "group of workers" as you put it, puts vehicles through more abuse in one year than even the manufacturers can think. So, instead of looking at who wins in the Baja, I will stick to my true and tried method. Look at how a real world vehicle performs IN the real world.

does this truck have a body lift it sounds like it because it only overheats when you have the a/c on. if it does have a body lift take it off or go with an electric fan............hope this helps