Cooling problems need some input
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Junior User
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Cooling problems need some input
I apologize in advance for a long post. My truck was leaking anti freeze everywhere so i replaced the hoses thermostat gasket and cap. After this it blew water out of the cap and the upper rad hose was so hard you couldnt squeeze it. I thought i may have put the thermostat in backwards so I bought a new one and installed it after checking the haynes manual for proper oreintation. Thought everything was fine didnt leak and ran right. Tonite the temp gauge went to the top of the scale then back down up down up down and the hoses are so hard you cant squeeze them. The cap doesnt feel hot nor do the hoses. the new cap is a 13 psi which i am not sure is right as the guy that sold it to me also said i needed a 180 thermostat and the factory one is a 195 All the other gauges are steady and the engine doesnt smoke or miss no codes either ANY SUGGESTIONS WILL BE APPRECIATED
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Gateway to the West
Why anyone would tell you to drop thermostat temp? That is going to cause the thermostat to open too soon causing inaccurate ECT sensor readings.
That issue notwithstanding, what kind of breeze are you getting off the fan? You could have a bad fan clutch.
That issue notwithstanding, what kind of breeze are you getting off the fan? You could have a bad fan clutch.
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Junior User
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I put a 195 thermostat in it I thought about the fan clutch but it does it at hiway speed too when the fan isnt needed. The fan pulls hard enough at idle to suck a newspaper against the ac condenser
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2004
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Classic and well known symptoms of a blown head gasket, check coolant for combustion gases at operating temp.
You'll still be able to drive the truck, but not too far or with any sport at all. Time to save for a replacement gasket.
You'll still be able to drive the truck, but not too far or with any sport at all. Time to save for a replacement gasket.
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I have watched the radiator at operating temp although its hard with the injec tor return spraying in there but no bubbles. I hope it isnt the head gasket although it isnt that big a job to replace it just means i screwed up when i built the motor. I only have about a 100000 on this build. I may have to trailer it back to the farm where i have a decent shop and all my tools. What puzzles me is it never overheated when it leaked all over the place
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I was thinking head gasket but the gauge doesnt go up every time i load the engine up. the gauge goes up fast and returns to normal (which is the n in normal on the gauge) A 20 mile hiway drive at 65 to 80 mph it never overheated just swings up and down from (n) to (a)
Senior User
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From: Dearborn Heights, MI
Do you have any aftermarket gauges installed? The factory gauge on my 88 would be all over the place the whole time while I was driving or sitting at a light. The sending unit or gauge itself could be bad. I have installed aftermarket ones to compliment the factory ones. They are much more accurate.
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No aftermarket gauges. Tonite i checked it and it had emptied the overflow tank. refilled it and let it idle for an hour. gauge went up and down felt the upper and lower hose and the didnt seem to hot. Drove it on the hiway for 20 miles and you could set your watch by the gauge it would go up to the l in normal then fall down to n 30 seconds later it would do it again didnt matter if you were coasting or flooring it. When i got home the hoses werent hot and no water spewing anywhere. This all started when I replaced the thermostat I wonder if I got a bad one
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Lead Driver
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From: Gateway to the West
How are you going about refilling the system? It honestly sounds like you have an enormous air bubble in the system. The air pocket isn't as hot and the reduced amount of coolant is significantly hotter when it does flow past the temp sensor for the gauge.
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I refilled it the same way I have always done. Slowly add water through the rad cap, start engine and let it warm up add until it wont take anymore. Put the cap on and fill the overflow tank shut it off let it cool and check it the next day. I have heard people say you can trap air in them just never thought much about it because ive never has this problem. How do you go about getting it out
Postmaster
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From: Broken Arrow , OK
You can pull the temp sender in the intake maniflod. That is usually the highest point in the cooling system so all of the air should go through the hole where the sending unit was removed. Sometimes people say to pull the upper radiator hose from the thermostat housing and fill the radiator through it to eliminate air in the system. Your problem does seem a little odd.
Forgive me if I missed it , but , did you post the engine this is happening to?
The 351W has a funny head gasket. Sometimes they arent marked front/ back or top bottom. If you install it wrong it can block the coolant ports on one side of the rear of the motor. The really hard to squeeze radiator hoses make me think it is a head gasket issue. Especially since you arent experiencing overheating as well.
Forgive me if I missed it , but , did you post the engine this is happening to?
The 351W has a funny head gasket. Sometimes they arent marked front/ back or top bottom. If you install it wrong it can block the coolant ports on one side of the rear of the motor. The really hard to squeeze radiator hoses make me think it is a head gasket issue. Especially since you arent experiencing overheating as well.
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problem solved I think. Went to ford and bought a new thermostat (quite different from auto zones) After installing it I took extra care to get air out of the system. The radiator hose going over the top of the radiator looked to be the highest point so i bent it down and squeezed it until all the air was out. Test drive had the temp gauge holding steady on the O this is a little higher as it used to run on the N for some reason the engine seems to run better idles smoother and has more pep. Another thing I siphoned the water out of the radiator instead of draining it out of the bottom I only had to take about a gallon out to get it below the thermostat housing Thanks to everyone for the input
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