Speaking of Aluminum verses Cast Iron heres a question and this might be a problem or possibly worth opening up another thread........


SO IIRC the stock T-Stat is a 195* correct ?
Years back guys were saying to ditch the 195 and go with the 205* T-Stat.
So i did and have had nothing but 205* t-stats in since.

Im wondering if this could be posting a problem. In my honest opinion i really don't see how it could but i could be wrong.

Way i see it could be...........
Heat - could the temp around the seal be too hot for the specs at the seal ? Maybe the seal can hold 195* constant temp and say spikes up to 220 or so.
but running at a constant 205* all the time maybe not.

Pressure- The pump is pumping with a restriction. Instead of the stat opening at 195 releasing pressure and heat now its opening at 205*. Longer under pressure and with higher heat. Maybe the added length of pressure along with the difference in heat range could be doing something.
And since were talking aluminum and not cast i know heat could be expanding the al way more than the cast.

Not sure if this makes sense but if it dose id love to hear some thoughts on this. If so maybe we can post a new thread on that topic alone ?

 

I do not think a higher temp t/stat would cause multiple failures. But higher pressures from a bad radiator cap could. I changed mine to a 10 psi

 

UMMMMMMM

Well now thats a thought.......

Ive had the truck since 2006, its a 2000 and I've never replaced the cap. It appears like a stock cap since the ones I've seen on other trucks have a different sticker on the top.

What pressure is the stock cap ? and why did you got to a 10 psi ?

 

When you switched thermostats - did you buy the appropriate type?

The 96-03 water pumps require a long stem... so if you bought a 205° from the store it was a short stem for the internationals. It fits but will not work correctly in the 96-03 7.3Ls.

Just a thought! Hope you get everything fixed up.

 

Not really sure if it were Long or Short.

IIRC it was fairly long but to be honest i can't recall

 

What about at the cap ? PoolGuy mentioned above about switching to a 10psi. What is stock and why would you go to something different ?

 

A tstat or cap will have nothing to do with the water pump failing. All a bad or lessor PSI cap will do is lower the boiling point of the coolant. Water boils at 212F and by having a good cap, the boiling point is raised well above 212F. Putting on a lower pressure cap only lowers your coolant boiling point, which is not good. Most WP seal failures are from sediment in the coolant contaminating the seal. This is why having a water filter is so important. Lessor failures are from the bearings. The main reason folks install the Navistar pump is for the built in water filter capabilities.

 

Yes the theory behind psi and boiling point believe it or not is boils law you will need the stant 10238 16 psi cap $5.25

 

Cool i will just get a new cap with the stock PSI.

As for a coolant filter...... I do have one. Well i made it according to a writeup on the site..... by who i forgot. But i do have one on there and it is functional.

I have no diesel smell in the coolant or any visible residue. Last pump i did the entire system flush pulling the block plugs getting a flush kit and something like 18 gal of distilled water. Flushed it really REALLY good by hose water and then with about 14 gal of distilled. Adding CAT ELC and distilled 5050. Along with a new coolant filter.

What could be contaminating it ????? No clue.

After new fan fan clutch and pulley it could be my mind playing tricks on me but it seems to run way smoother. Just the vibration feel in the wheel and motor. Could be that the old (5mo) pump that was shot was causing it and now a new pump took that away but I'm at this point thinking it was fan clutch related.

If this pump poops out soon then I'm stumped and will be going Navistar pump.

 

Keep the positive thoughts...this is the last pump I will ever have to change!

 

I sure hope so.

 

There are a few parts that I will never buy from a cheap parts store. They are great for some things, but they sell a lot of junk too.

Water pumps, alternators, starters, pads and rotors, and any kind of sensor or actuator are all things you will never see me walk out of a cheap parts store with. These are all OEM only parts for me.

Think about it for a minute. You bought a water pump that came original with the truck that lasted for 140k or 150k miles. It's a quality made part that lasted. Why would you decide to change manufacturers and go with a cheap aftermarket part? And then on top of that - complain about what a cheap POS it is because it only lasted 25k miles?

Seems to me there is a pretty easy solution.

 

Thanks for saying what I was thinking

 

When I was in my 20s, I would snicker at the old duffer in line at the Ford parts counter buying a $145 alternator for a Ford Escort. I didn't know this at the time, but presumably, he'd already installed 47 of them from Autozone with a 'lifetime warranty'.

Now, I am the old duffer (at times).

 

HAHAHA Yea Yea y'all dusty old farts LOL

Well I'm 30 so i guess I'm getting there. Next pump if any will be oem or the navistar.