Overheating issues...

[slravene]

no the two ends of the water pump did not spin free of each other...but they had almost no resistance to spinning the entire "turbine" thing. With the flick of the wrist it would spin for quite a while. The new one had much more resistance. I had removed the tstat out of the equation before i changed the water pump and it was no help.

That 192 degrees is obviously not at the temp where it is overheating. That test was a "*******" test (for a lack of a better word). We could not get the truck to run hot sitting in the shop idleing with AC on full blast. That 192 is at a little above 1/2 on the guage...driving it home it would climb to well above that, so im certain that is really of no value.

The radiator is fairly old i guess. Cartainly hasnt been replaced in the last 6-7 years. Im sure that hose water has been used some times as fluid (mixed with antifreeze). Im with you on the clog in the system, but my problem is trying to locate that clog.

 

[budwich]

Thanks for the "clarification"... sorry for asking for the "back track" but just wanted to be sure. So right now, you have a new pump, new fan clutch, new thermostat, flushed rad, and the problem still exists. As I indicated go without a thermostat for the time being as opposed to replacing it with a lower value one since from your earlier test running with no thermostat didn't help. In terms of the pump, even though the other one spun freely (both side at the same time) that doesn't mean much.... the new one has resistance because the bearings need a bit of "work" before the "free themselves up".

A light bulb just came on... maybe.... Its your lower rad hose. Its collapsing to closed or almost closed from the suction caused by the pump trying to draw the water up into the motor. As the hose gets old, the rubber can't maintain its body integrity under the vacuum force. In the "old days", the manufacturers use to put a wire coil in the lower rad hose to help it maintain its opening. Now a days with newer rubber compounds and synthetics, they don't do this. Ssssooo, on your next test run, take a look at the lower hose. Since your truck is lifted you should be able to access it from underneath very easily. Probably grab it when you first start it up to see how it feels, then run it (with no thermostat and no A/C) and see how it feels and then run it with A/C til it gets near your problem area and see how it feels again. Hopefully, that is your problem. I have see a "partial collapse" of a lower hose on a vehicle before. Actually related to your lift, there may be some strain on the hose causing it to kink.

 

[slravene]

I will do both of those tests when i get a chance. There arent any kinks in the hose i dont think. It does take about a 90 degree turn however towards the water pump...is this stock (normal), or should i get a shorter hose to eliminate the "L" bend?

The radiator wasnt ever flushed professionally. I just powerwashed it front and back until clear, and then ran the hose through it. There was no pressure involved in the actual flushing part. Should i change this?

Would the hose be compressed all the time or just under acceleration? Ive heared several people mention the hoses, so I guess that is next after the thermostat if that doestn fix it.

 

[Charger]

I have the same problem

: :fire: :fire: I have the exact same condition on my 94 .It only gets hot at interstate speed which I drive everyday.All the components except the lower hose is new.I had the same results as you. I can drive all day in 115* AZ heat as long as I keep it under 2200rpm. If you resolve this please e mail me I have been fighting this problem for 4 years. Gets real bad running with the heat on when the outside temp is over 100* I have ask many techs for advice and none can give me the resolve. Thanks in advance.

 

[budwich]

The "L" bend is normal. Check the hose for "squeezability". If its old, it will probably squosh pretty easily. Perhaps you have a "combination event".... a little plugged rad and soft hose resulting in the pump sucking up all the water it can and the hose collapses a bit making it try to suck even harder for more water..... like squeezing a straw when you suck on it.... once it loses it "circular integrity", it basically collapses but springs back as soon as the "suck" is gone. If you go to the part store and squeeze a new one, I am sure you will see / feel the difference. Again, try the test as such suggested to see if you feel any differences at various times / conditions. Ultimately, I don't think the hose is that expensive versus a replacing / rodding the rad... so it might be an cheaper option. Good luck.

 

[slravene]

how much does radiator rodding cost? A new radiator is only like 170 or so...

 

[budwich]

I don't know but it probably is about the same..... in the old days when labor was cheaper and rads were still about the same price (ie. $200), a rad shop would like try to do the rodding. They have to take off the tanks... again in the old days, they were solder on. Rodding probably took a couple of hours labor.... which as you can see today at labor rates in $75-90, it doesn't take long to "eat a new rad"....... but if you had some sort of special rad, it could still be worthwhile to rod if you have a clog. Personnally, I think clogs are rare with the improved antifreeze stuff assuming that you haven't added "bad water" or "special products" for leaks.
I guess my question to you would be... when you did you DIY flush (assuming a water hose thing), did you notice a difference in flow rate in versus flow rate out... ie. was the hose on "full" but the stream out was only a "trickle"????

 

[slravene]

nah it was a pretty even "water in water out" distribution.

I just really wish i could figure this crap out. Ive tried all I know to try (except the things you have mentioned)

 

[budwich]

Well don't feel to bad as it appears that you are not alone as there are number of thread in and around this type of problem. Most are about at the "replace the rad stage" but I would still do the "no thermostat test" with your new pump and check the lower hose at various stages of heating up. Might want to try (no a sure method) but tie a cord or something (worm clamp???) around your lower hose and insert a piece of plastic (like a wire, nail, or such) between the cord and the hose. If the hose collapses while you are driving towards your "overheat" condition, the plastic may fall out to indicate to you that the hose collapsed even though you might not have seen it happen by the time you stop / slow down..... probably not a "sure fire" indicator but who knows.

 

[agzaretzka]

Another idea...

i was thinking...shouldnt the temperature read different at the top and bottom of the radiator? Since they are both reading the same doesnt that mean the water isnt getting cooled off correctly?

First, aren't these cross-flow radiators? Big temp differences would be right and left sides, not top and bottom.

The other idea I had, since you said it wouldn't overheat sitting still at the shop, is that the transmission might be causing the overheating. Don't know if you have an automatic or not tho.

 

[slravene]

just figured out what it was....




Blown Head Gaskets. Son of a...

Pops doesnt want to fix it (or pay the $1300 to fix it) and wants to get rid of the truck, and since he pays the truck bills while im in college... I dont really blame him either. So i guess out with the old...

Im going to part this one out I think especially since i JUST spent a ton on gears and such. I figure i can make my gear money back from selling the axles. However I MAY keep the 8.8 and use it toward my next build (gotta throw some thoughts around.)

Anyone got any Idea what I should ask for prices for the larger things?
-Locked and Geared 8.8 (discs, Aussie Locker, 4.10 gears, fresh rebuild, all new internals, 550 miles since rebuild, fresh Lucas Gear Oil)
-Geared D35 ifs chunk (4.10 gears, fresh rebuild, all new internals, 550 miles since rebuild, Fresh Lucas Gear Oil)
-Gear/Locker work done by Carolina Rock Shop here in Charlotte, a leader in custom builds and a VERY reputable shop. So no Shortcuts on the axles.
-Sliders (Again, built by Carolina Rock Shop)
-All body panels, etc....

What about selling it outright with the Blown Gasket...what would be a fair price then?

 

[shamaal]

I'm curious why the problem's a blown head gasket. I'm not questioning it.

With a blown gasket I would think there would have been other symptoms like white smoke, rainbow water and loss of coolant.

There are quite a number of other intractable cooling problems lately. Perhaps a compression test should be part of the troubleshooting.

 

[slravene]

thats what I thought too. No water in the oil, no smoke, and the truck still runs perfectly.

That being said im sure the leak is super slight and not a HUGE deal at the moment. I will drive it for a few more weeks until i get a new car and then Ill start to part it out i guess.

 

[Blee1099]

thats what I thought too. No water in the oil, no smoke, and the truck still runs perfectly.

That being said im sure the leak is super slight and not a HUGE deal at the moment. I will drive it for a few more weeks until i get a new car and then Ill start to part it out i guess.

Before you decide its a head gasket, if you have a Harbor Freight near you or can order/rent tools, rent a compression tester and test each cylinder.

 

[slravene]

well i took it to a shop and im pretty sure they ran compression and thats how they knew. Im going over there tmw to pick it up and will ask more in depth then.

 

[shamaal]

I'm not convinced that the heads and the overheating are related. The heads could very well be bad, compression tests are easy to run.

As an engineer I have this compulsion to run this down to the exact cause, no matter what it costs you

Good Luck

 

[reserved50]

my 4leaker exploder has been losing coolant for a year, now it was getting into the red zone for temp, 3 fire rings on the head gasket were blown and one head cracked between the valves ( 3rd time? its blown a gasket in 300,000kms), the stop leak lowered the temps for a while, another symptom was it sputtered when first started cold because the coolant/water wouldnt allow the spark to fire in that cylinder. If you want to keep driving also remove the thermostat or cut out the center of it.

 

[slravene]

I picked up some Block Sealant stuff today that will hopefully get me back up and running safely for a while until i can figure out when and how im going to go about stripping the truck.

 

[shamaal]

my 4leaker exploder has been losing coolant for a year, now it was getting into the red zone for temp, 3 fire rings on the head gasket were blown and one head cracked between the valves ( 3rd time? its blown a gasket in 300,000kms), the stop leak lowered the temps for a while, another symptom was it sputtered when first started cold because the coolant/water wouldnt allow the spark to fire in that cylinder. If you want to keep driving also remove the thermostat or cut out the center of it.

R50, were you getting steam from the exhaust or oil in the radiator water? Is it getting hot when the coolant is full or as a result of the coolant leaking out? I'm not questioning the diagnosis, just trying to understand the heat transfer without other symptoms.

 

[reserved50]

no problem :fire: , haha kidding


no steam ( when i removed the heads one piston was steam cleaned like new and one plug also)

no oil in the rad

got hot after I lost about 2 liters of coolant in about 100kms(into the red). It did rise even when full of coolant, the temp gauge, about 1/8" above normal after a few weeks of driving like this

When I removed the lower intake there was a coffee like sludge under it, but no water showed on the dipstick or on an oilchange

...BUT the dead giveaway since this has happened before was when i ran it till fully warm with the rad cap off, it kept purging bubbles after it was warmed up and also when I did a pressure test cold it held pressure perfectly, the hole/ gap opened up when the block heated, so I bought the head set a few months in advance knowing it'll blow soon :roll:

I lied I picked up the redone core heads I sent to be machined and they said the other head was cracked between the valves also, 400 in rebuilding heads, 250 in headset, 50 in bolts, and 60 I bought core heads for, also got new wires, coolant etc, so close to a grand in parts