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Hi
Had the truck inspected by a local shop.
The tech. Mentioned he observed 22psi in the coolant during the road test.
I have no reason to disbelieve him but I keep thinking how's that possible since the cap is set to blow off at ~16psi?
What kind of test he could've done to see that?
I made my own pressure tester with gauge and 'T' on the coolant bottle to radiator hose and did not see anything
over 15psi.
Obviously I am pretty shocked since according to the shop I am looking at a big $$ repair because of leaky heads...
Not to disagree with Sean but how about this. Go back and ask for him to show you it building that kind of pressure. Surely he shouldn't mind you riding along with him during the test, should he? Then you'll see how honest he's being.
In your test the cap is venting pressure. He is most likely replacing the cap with a pressure gauge and has it set to not vent to get a true reading.
Get it up to temp, let pressure out and go drive it hard. Then the reading is accurate of how much pressure your adding driving it.
If Bismic comes around he may have some comments? If I recall he has run coolant press. tests on his truck under various scenarios and I think the highest psi he got was around 12. Correct me if I'm wrong Mark. If yours indeed is hitting22 you have two problems in my op. First is a faulty press. cap and 2nd would more than likely be headgaskets. Your truck according to what I read is not puking therefore I would be questioning your mechanic, his test methods and/or test equip.
I constantly monitor coolant pressure. IMO a normal reading would not be over 12 psi. I definitely agree w/ Grant-dieseltech - get the engine fully up to temp, carefully vent the degas bottle and see what the pressure reading does.
Bear in mind that air pockets in the coolant can cause higher pressure readings as can an overfilled degas bottle. Even a bad water pump or clogged oil cooler / EGR cooler, or even low coolant concentration can cause elevated pressures (most likely due to flash boiling on the heat exchanger surface).
Also, there have been problems with the accuracy of some gauges - some may not be rated for the temperature. I try to keep my gauge away from the degas bottle and at a slightly higher elevation.
I called another shop and asked if they can assess the engine and with me in the truck during the road test.. that didn't fly... seems the mechanics are not Ok having the owner on the truck..
So I'm at crossroads... either spend another $200 in assessment that I've got already or start saving for head gasket repairs.. or sell the truck..
If they cant do they test in front of you, walk you through the results and answer your questions with you there the whole time then I wouldn't let them touch the truck.
I've always found that showing customers test results on the vehicle and showing them the why and how behind it leads to a more confident, knowledgeable customer no matter if the result is good or bad.
If they cant do they test in front of you, walk you through the results and answer your questions with you there the whole time then I wouldn't let them touch the truck.
I've always found that showing customers test results on the vehicle and showing them the why and how behind it leads to a more confident, knowledgeable customer no matter if the result is good or bad.
Unfortunately in this city there's only 2 shops (maybe 3) the rest are dealerships..
One wanted $7000 for the heads job with ARP Studs and the other $5000 without ARP.
I just think is too much! I better start looking at nearby cities... this is essentially the price of the truck.
Alberta? Maybe we have someone that can point out a place to get it done.
Or if you find it ok to drive it come take a road trip down south and
get it done.
Recheck you pressure and also have the cap tested. If the cap is known
"good" and you coolant level is not dropping and the pressure is
in the happy zone I think your ok to wait. If it not a problem then do
the work later after you have some time to hunt someone down that will
do a good job and not charge you the national debt for a fee.
Really we should start at square one. What was/is going on with the truck
that made you take it in in the first place? Give as many details as you can.
Unless you know a mechanic well enough that they will cut you a deal, you can generally expect to pay out the nose up here in Canada for any work.
There is very little demand here, so finding a good 6.0 tech is tough. I was lucky enough to have the local stealership lead 6.0 tech grow up with my mom and he goes to my church, so I always have him to fall back on.
Hopefully finding a good tech out in Alberta is easier than out here in NB.
02-20-2015, 10:34 PM
