2014 4.0 exhaust question

So yesterday my truck’s a/c light started blinking 5 minutes into my 20 minute drive home, I turned it off and back on and it never blinked again on the way home. However it did overheat a few times and the a/c would warm up but as I would speed up the temp would go back to normal and the a/c would get cold again. I checked both the coolant and oil, they both are clean. The radiator seems to be full of coolant. At this point I’m leaning towards the fan but I’m not sure.

I did take a video of my exhaust pipe while I started the truck this morning before I left for work to check for any white smoke as a precaution but I can’t seem to get the video to attach.

https://youtube.com/shorts/JL1tIP5DA7A?si=R1fTzKGwJDWGipU1

This link should work, can yall let me know if this smoke looks suspicious?

 

I should add that it has the K&N intake that was installed by the previous owner so it may just be getting too much air? Like I said I’m new to all this and trying to learn as I go. Any help is appreciated!

 

could be fan clutch
could be water pump
could be plugged radiator

 

When you say, "it overheated", do you mean your temp gauge spiked and then went back to normal?

If coolant level is good (check both the overflow reservoir and your radiator WHEN COOL), it sounds like a sticking thermostat.

This is definitely not due to your K&N intake.

 

I know the overheating isn’t from the intake I meant the “smoke” from the video. But yes the temp spiked and went back down as I got up over 20-30mph

 

Thats not a thing. The ECU monitors all the important data points (such as air flow and temp etc etc) to control fuel, spark timing, etc. Hence why we have the Check Engine Light if the ECU detects something out of place with those sensors or values its reading. Also FYI 2014s are not known for bad head gaskets.

First thing to check as mentioned above is the coolant level. When engine is COOL open the rad cap and take a look. Just because the level is good in the overflow bottle doesn't necessarily mean its good in the rest of the system. Also want to check the radiator isnt blocked or full of mud/silt. Pretty common if you (or previous owner) drove lots of muddy dirt roads. The fine silt accumulates between the rad fins

How many miles on the truck?

 

Is it overheating only at idle/slow speeds?
If it is then you likely have a fan clutch that isn't working properly.

 

Fan, as stated above, check the fan clutch also make sure there isnt abunch of road FOD blocking the air from going thru the radiator and exchanger. Does it have the OEM mechanical fan?

 

Also for future refence: turning the heat on full blast can help cool the engine in certain situations. If you're low on coolant, well there's not much you can do about that..

But if coolant level is good and the radiator was blocked for example, turning the heat on max could be just enough to get you a few more miles down the road without major damage

 

Yeah when I checked the coolant I checked the radiator it was full. It hasn’t done it today so I’m assuming

Yeah I checked the radiator and it was full of coolant. It hasn’t done it today, it was exceptionally hot yesterday though so I’m thinking maybe the radiator is blocked. The previous owner definitely did some off roading in it, the skid plate had considerable amounts of debris in it. I cleared what I could and will try to take the skid plate off tonight and get the rest and see if the radiator needs cleaned up too.

 

Get a garden hose sprayer in there. Flush back to front. See what comes out. If its super nasty & muddy looking that may be the issue. Or at least part of the issue

Its not a fun job, but if you take the fan shroud loose (ideally take the whole fan and shroud out) you will have plenty of room to flush the entire thing if needed

 

Thank you!

 

I've had my A/C light blinking plenty of times before. It never happened to me until I moved back to Texas and started experiencing a lot of rain. My suspicion is that the A/C clutch is slipping and/or belt slippage causing the compressor not to be spinning at the rate it's supposed to.

It's unlikely that its your radiator, fan clutch or water pump. When you press the A/C button it causes the magnetic clutch in the compressor to engage. Speeding up will make your A/C colder because the compressor is now working faster. It's driven from one of the belts, faster engine speed means faster rotation of the belts.