Overheating/coolant spitting
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2014
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Overheating/coolant spitting
I have a 94 F150 4wd 5.0 with only 90k miles and the truck has ran fine for the year that Ive owned it. The other day i noticed temp gauge creeping up. It would climb a bit, come back down, climb back up. It never really overheated as it never climbed past 3/4 of the way to hot. So i went home and the radiator was either dry or very low. However, the reservoir tank was still topped off. Anyway, so i filled ithe radiator with coolant and burped it through the system. I started the truck with the radiator cap off and it started spitting coolant. I shut it off immediately cuz i dont think this is normal. Im hoping i dont have a blown head gasket. What do you guys think? Whats the first place to start troubleshooting?
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Check for steam on a hot start up, and check the coolant for traces of fuel. (rainbow on top, gas smell) Check the coolant for a gray color with fizzy bubbles too. Got one or more of these? Head gasket.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2014
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I have neither of these and my oil looks great, no sign of coolant
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 181
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The coolant looks fine too. Just an update...I burped the system a little while ago. I started the engine with the radiator cap off. After running for 20-30 seconds, the spraying stopped and it settled. I cranked the heat on high and let it run for a few minutes. I let the engine reach operating temp and it didnt climb any higher. I did notice something though...the coolant started to slowly rise and overflow, so I stuck a paper towel in the neck to soak some up. After doing this a few times, the level seemed to settle. Then a few minutes later, it started to slowly rise again until it started spilling out again. I finally shut the engine off after running it for 15-20 minutes and the temp looks good. Is it normal for the coolant to start to slowly rise and spill over like that? Also, what should I be checking or keeping an eye on over the next few days?
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