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1989 E350 with 351W overheating

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Old Apr 17, 2017 | 08:33 PM
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brewerkz
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1989 E350 with 351W overheating

Helping a friend with an E350.

Start up and idling with the radiator cap off, it slowly but steadily spills over coolant for about 2 minutes (no air bubbles), once the thermostat opens, coolant blasts out. The temp gauge comes maybe 1/4 up in temperature at the highest.

It has a new radiator, not sure about water pump or thermostat.

video ( noise is water hitting fan)

https://www.facebook.com/100006344026460/videos/vb.100006344026460/1935203453367770/?type=2&theater
thoughts on possible causes ? We think we have ruled out head gasket (no exhaust smell, air bubbles in coolant, discolored oil)
 
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Old Apr 17, 2017 | 09:03 PM
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Wildman25's Avatar
Wildman25
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You running just straight plan water?? Looks likes it in the video.

Plan tap water will have a lower boiling point over coolant.

Dash gauge not moving, could be the sending unit is bad.

These 351W's have had problems with the impeller rusting/breaking off the shaft inside the water pump.

With the cap on (closed system) bring the engine up to temp, and shut off, see if the top return hose collapses, if it does, check to see if the spring was installed inside the hose.

Check to see if the fan clutch is slipping.

[A slipping fan clutch is often overlooked as the cause of an engine overheating problem.]

CHECKING THE FAN CLUTCH

A good clutch should offer a certain amount of resistance when spun by hand (engine off, of course!). But if the fan spins with little resistance (more than 1 to 1-1/2 turns), the fan clutch is slipping too much and needs to be replaced.

If the fan binds, does not turn or offers a lot of resistance, it has seized and also needs to be replaced.

Fan speed can also be checked with an optical tachometer, by marking one of the fan blades with chalk and using a timing light to observe speed changes, and/or listening for changes in fan noise as engine speed changes.

You should also try to wiggle the fan blades by hand. If there is any wobble in the fan, there is a bad bearing in the fan clutch, or a worn bearing on the water pump shaft. A bad water pump bearing will usually cause the water pump to leak and/or make noise, but not always. Remove the fan clutch and see if the play is in the water pump shaft. If it feels tight (no play or wobble), replace the fan clutch.

^above is "borrowed" from a web site
 
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