Fix4Dirt '98 XLT

[410Fortune]

I have a piece if brake line I bent a small 90 degree at the tip, it attaches to my air compressor and air gun… very useful for blowing out cooling stacks on bulldozer, trackhoe and explorers!!!

 

[Josh P]

I have a piece if brake line I bent a small 90 degree at the tip, it attaches to my air compressor and air gun… very useful for blowing out cooling stacks on bulldozer, trackhoe and explorers!!!

Genius idea!

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Infared thermo
They are cheap!
Very useful
Can check each cylinder temp at manifold
Can check various temps throughout the cooling system
Could be a miss? Lean fuel? Things that cause an engine to run hot

One more thing how does she roll? Any drag in the brakes or drivelines?

LTFT is within +-5%, no misses that I can tell. No drag that I can tell...

Check the radiator inlet and outlet hose with a infrared thermometer to see what the temperature spread is.

Within 5 degrees of each other.

Seeing that Fix uses the truck on a fair share of trails, yes to the garden hose from the back side. Mud, dust and fine fine gravel are enemies.
I even just remove the radiator and use a pick every 20k-there is a lot to be mined from it.

Yes! Did that

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Im thibking theres a leak in the heads or gasket somewhere because after pulling up hills for a while and what not the upper rad hose is still able to be squished and I can open the rad cap just fine. Maybe it opens up when pressures are highest (higher rpm/load) since at idle when I tested for combusiton gas nothing came up. Ive flushed the system and nada. WP works as it should. Belt doesnt seem like its slipping...

 

[CDW6212R]

Okay, still a lot of air on the system; how old is the radiator cap? The cap and thermostat sometimes don't work when brand new. When you change one of them, you go through the same process of verifying that they work right. They rarely do fail, but it happens occasionally, and when brand new also.

I have had each turn out to be bad, and were Motorcraft parts. One was a cap that came from the Ford dealer in about 2012 or so. That one didn't hold pressure, I discovered it when working on the AC of my Mountaineer. I changed the heater control valve, and took the cap off first to begin that. There was a good bit of air under the cap, the coolant should be right up into the cap at all times, even when cool.

The cap is supposed to only allow fluid out under pressure, so it sucks it back in when the coolant cools each time. So you should never have trouble getting the air out, just run the engine a few normal times, and the air is pushed out a little each time.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Rad cap is a known good one, tested that and the tstat.

Ive never had an issue bleeding it before Ive tried nose in the air everything all the air seems to come out, but when its under higher load it seems like theres a pocket. Also there is a tony bit of harder black crud that I found again so I dont know if thats carbon from the wngine or not

 

[410Fortune]

Where was the black crud? Lower hose?

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Up by the heater core. I also saw it by the thermostat housing, so I'd think its circulating.

 

[CDW6212R]

Something is going on with that cooling system. Unusual overheating is very bad, that's the big worry ultimately. But the constant air in the system is a symptom of something else, and that is probably causing the overheating.

Either there is a leak that you haven't found yet, causing the excess air, or something simple like the cap is letting air get in regularly. You better hope it's the cap or a gasket like the intake or thermostat housing, because the other possibilities are bad, such as the head gaskets. With my Explorers, when cold I can always open the radiator cap, and the coolant is right up to and inside the cap.

I'd keep watching everything for anything new or different, while still working to get air out of the radiator. The method of "burping" it has nothing to do with the excess air, or the overheating. Under normal operating conditions, there's nothing special to do in filling the radiator fully. These are not weird like a Subaru with various coolant hoses higher than the cap or fill point.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Something is going on with that cooling system. Unusual overheating is very bad, that's the big worry ultimately. But the constant air in the system is a symptom of something else, and that is probably causing the overheating.

Either there is a leak that you haven't found yet, causing the excess air, or something simple like the cap is letting air get in regularly. You better hope it's the cap or a gasket like the intake or thermostat housing, because the other possibilities are bad, such as the head gaskets. With my Explorers, when cold I can always open the radiator cap, and the coolant is right up to and inside the cap.

I'd keep watching everything for anything new or different, while still working to get air out of the radiator. The method of "burping" it has nothing to do with the excess air, or the overheating. Under normal operating conditions, there's nothing special to do in filling the radiator fully. These are not weird like a Subaru with various coolant hoses higher than the cap or fill point.

Yes. I've been scouring all over and I cant see any leaks externally. I did notice when I filled it and drove it for a while I came back and I was down a bit on water. I dont see anything leaking down or into one of the valleys, nor do I smell any coolant burning off like I did when the tstat housing leaked before the saga started. I refilled and Ill see how long I can go on that. Because if it continues to go down... it has to go somewhere.....

I used to be able to do that, but this time I paid close attention and its a few inches down. Ill check all the sealing again, but I can't see anywhere air could be getting in or coolant could be getting out. Unless its internal somewhere

 

[CDW6212R]

Did you already smoke test it, I thought I read of that a while back? I think given the time this has gone on, the smoke test might be the best way to find where the leak is going.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Did you already smoke test it, I thought I read of that a while back? I think given the time this has gone on, the smoke test might be the best way to find where the leak is going.

I smoked out the vacuum lines a few years back! I can put some through the cooling system and see.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ah, then that could be the next step to take. I wonder how much pressure it'd take to get smoke to show a leak from the cooling system.

 

[Josh P]

Within 5 degrees of each other.

That's not good. Should be 10 to 15 degrees. I'm not sure what to advise, does seem like a lot of air in the system.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Thanks yall for all your advice. I got some more things that Ill try like pulling the plugs seeing if steam cleaned etc

 

[410Fortune]

5 degrees? What were the temps

Should be more
Like 15-20
Degree change going through the rad

 

[Josh P]

5 degrees? What were the temps

Should be more
Like 15-20
Degree change going through the rad

I'm wondering the temps also. A spread above 10 degrees is considered ok, 20 degrees would be a perfect condition cooling system

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Sorry yall that I just saw this. Hoping to be able to work on it tomorrow a bit. athat said not looking too good saw a few bubbles come up into the overflow yesterday

 

[Josh P]

Sorry yall that I just saw this. Hoping to be able to work on it tomorrow a bit. athat said not looking too good saw a few bubbles come up into the overflow yesterday

Sounds like you might need a 302

 

[Turdle]

Sounds like you might need a 302

A bottle of k seal will tell. Might even get you going for a bit while you acquire parts.

Edit.
If you try k seal, make sure to bypass the heater core with a double ended barb nipple until the product has a few heat cycles to set up. Then, reconnect heater core and refill coolant.

Not going to hurt anything at this point. If you have a head lifting at temp, or, a heat crack, this might fix it temporarily. Either way you gotta get the engine out.