Glad you're motoring, Jarrett. And congratulations on "getting hitched" too!

 

Could have very well been, but I have no idea. I have never heard of a bad cap causing pressurization to the system...losing coolant maybe, but not the OH and pressure and bubbles. I still think it was a bad cup or bad gasket just due the fact that you had coolant in that cylinder twice after doing injectors. Either way, if Charlie has decided to get his S*** in gear and go back to work, go with it!

 

Thanks Nate! It is an experience for sure.

Glenn and Byron, I don't know.... It's a mystery to me. All I know is I haven't overheated yet and the thermostat is cycling like it is supposed to so yeah

Today's woes include a cracked trans cooler (brand new one from Amazon), and making a mess at work lol... Hopefully this is the last thing that comes up.... Not likely lol

 

I have found that no powerstroke (3-7.3's, and 1-6.4) I've owned ever keeps the coolant level in the "operating range" on the degas tank. I've changed caps on all of them at some point in time, and changed the degas tank on a couple. In a word, yes, you could have had a cap fail to hold the recommended pressure. Generally, if you have a failure in the engine in any way, you'll have contamination either in the oil or the coolant, or both.

 

And your troubles are just beginning! Just joking, congratulations! Glad your truck decided to straighten out.

 

Thanks guys

John, what was concerning is this motor was rebuilt by a less-than-knowledgeable shop before I bought it so I really have no faith in their work.. They put two of the push rods in upside down and at least one of the cups was leaking after 20k miles. As of right now, I am still finding leaks from when I installed the rad/wp/hoses/trans cooler, etc. Once I stop leaking coolant, I will be able to tell for sure if the pressure problem has been solved. I think i tracked down my last leak this morning so I should be ok.

Tom, thanks for the warning! Honestly, it has been a great adventure so far, but she's not too fond of the weather right now... I'm actually kind of surprised she hasn't figured out a way to strap the space heater to her back so she could carry it around with her while she walks around the house ...

 

Wow! The truck is looking good. I know that you used a 3.5" RSk in the front, but what size blocks did you use in the rear to level it out. Thanks

 

Hey Nate, thanks for the kind words! I measured very carefully and came up with 6" blocks in the rear. I replaced the stock f250 2" blocks with the 6" ones, ending up with 4" of lift.

It sits exactly level, but the front springs are brand new and the old ones have 285k on them so I think if the rears were fresh, it would have a slight rear-high rake.

 

Congratulations Jarret, and glad your rig is working good, I still thinking it was just air trapped in the cooling system.

 

While I wish that were the case Adam, that doesn't explain the coolant in the cylinder that started this whole mess.

I just ordered a pressure gauge that I'm going to rig up to monitor coolant pressure. $10 on amazon, I have the hoses and fittings, just for peace of mind.

 

Congrats on getting married bud!

I'm not sure if the cap on the degas bottle caused your issue, but I know a bad radiator cap can cause overheating. The coolant will boil quicker if the system is not under pressure. That 15 or 16 psi of pressure is just enough to keep it from boiling if the rest of the cooling system is working properly. In your case, the coolant in the cylinder would be what concerned me. Glad its doing good now though. You should hook up the trailer and get it in a good hard pull when the weather warms up and see how it does.

 

Thanks Bill. I think that I definitely had two DOA degas caps. This one is finally holding pressure.

However, I almost think that it is still making too much pressure. I guess all I have to do is wait for that gauge, hook it up, and take it for a test drive.

 

If the cap on the degas bottle is doing its job your gauge won't ever tell you anything. It would tell you if the cap were bad, but that's about it. Even if you're pressurizing the cooling system from an issue in the motor somewhere, you'll never see more pressure in the cooling system than the rating on the cap (assuming it works like it should). Gauge is a good test of the cap, but that's about it.

 

I was thinking that before it heated up and got to op pressure, if I got on boost and it shot up, I would know there was a leak.

Maybe my thought process was off?

 

You may be able to tell something based on how the pressure appears. If the pressure spikes quickly instead of building slowly, you might well assume that there is a leak somewhere, but having not performed that test on a well-sealed engine, I can't say for sure, I guess. I am pretty sure that some of the oil testing labs out there can also test your coolant for the presence of combustion gasses or fuel. You might look into that as well, as that would tell you where to start looking.

How many miles are on this truck now?