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So it's not boost, but the timing of the fuel delivery may be increasing the combustion pressures. Or temperature if the head is hot spotting and micro boiling. Just SWAGGING.
Update on this. They pulled the heads and there are no signs on head gasket leak. Heads were pressure tested good. I looked at the head gaskets too and there were zero signs of a leak. There is no way it was EGR cooler because the back of the EGR cooler wasn't even plugged. If there was a rupture it would have been pushing coolant out the back of the EGR cooler. He's putting it back together this week with the coolant return kit, regulated fuel return, and I got the Odawg ported intake manifold for it too.
So what ever came of this issue? Did the coolant return lines fix the pressuruzed cooling system issue? I am having the same issue and if the crossover lines fixed this I want my new heads to have the heads drilled and tapped for the lines from the shop so I don’t void the warranty.
The coolant return kit solved my problems as well as provided other benefits. I don’t get excess pressure anymore under any load and my coolant temp also stays much cooler than before the return kit. I can run the truck hard in relatively hot temps and I’ve yet to see coolant temps top 200 when not pulling a trailer. To me it’s a no brainer if you trust the guys installing or are certain they’ll replace the head if they screw up drilling and tapping the head. I did the Driven Diesel coolant return kit.
I'm also considering drilling and tapping the front of the heads. In my mind that would fulfill Pete's thoughts, and my original thought of what this was going to do, getting more coolant through the heads.
The coolant return kit solved my problems as well as provided other benefits. I don’t get excess pressure anymore under any load and my coolant temp also stays much cooler than before the return kit. I can run the truck hard in relatively hot temps and I’ve yet to see coolant temps top 200 when not pulling a trailer. To me it’s a no brainer if you trust the guys installing or are certain they’ll replace the head if they screw up drilling and tapping the head. I did the Driven Diesel coolant return kit.
I decided to go with UCF heads since they have a great reputation and actually answer a phone unlike other shops. I will call tomorrow and see if the 12 month warranty is voided by this modification. I think it’s a null point because their warranty states their heads are only warrantied for stock trucks and mine is far from stock with larger injectors, turbo etc.
Lots of guys seem skeptical about coolant return lines but it makes perfect sense to me just like a regulated return fuel system is much better than the stock deadhead system.
I’m curious to see if I have a compromised head gasket issue or the same issue you had. My symptoms are very similar...
Originally Posted by TooManyToys.
As long as you figure out where its going to be accessible for taping and installing, it's relatively easy. Although I'm building my own.
I'm also considering drilling and tapping the front of the heads. In my mind that would fulfill Pete's thoughts, and my original thought of what this was going to do, getting more coolant through the heads.
I saw your post, I have no doubt I can make my own kit, I have access to stainless tubing, benders and any fittings I might need to fab a hard line system.
I spoke with Bob at UCF again and he said if I drill and tap my heads when I get them it will not void my warranty and neither will running bigger injectors, turbo, intake and any other modifications. They know about people doing the coolant return lines mod and said they don’t see any reason to install it but there is no problem with it other than rendering my “new” UCF heads useless for them being future cores. They give $250 per head for good cores even if only one head passes their inspection. I’m going to install these hard lines on my heads for the hell of it just to avoid the same issue akblackfoot had since his truck is set up very similar to mine and the coolant return fixed his burping.
I don't get the core faulting with this. It would be easy to install a flush fit pipe plug in the hole and it's all fine. It's not located in a stressed area. That's fine, I'll own them. And if they get wiped new, no core KillDevil heads become more attractive.
That’s who I was going with but not being able to talk to anyone on the phone kind of ruined that for me. I exchanged two emails with them with promises to call but never got any call and the last two emails were never replied to and this was about purchasing a $7000 long block. Too busy to make money I guess.
I’m drilling and tapping the UCF heads. It specifically states “no cores will be accepted that are tapped for a coolant return system” or something along those lines BUT it won’t void the warranty on their remanufactured heads.
I have a weird mix about Jared. He was the head machinist for Blackwater, and it seems a lot of those motors were about on par with my Ford Reman. But being an employee rather then the owner is a different set of rules. I've read this postings and I'm see little that I'd disagree with. But we all have a learning curve and far be it for me to think I'm an expert.
I have a hard time working with people, no tact and critical of little details. Not trying to be as a**, I just don't have the "tact" gene. So if he shares any of that, he's going to have a hard time finding employees to his standards and may be ending up just concentrating on the work. I did that for years at one point in my life. So the phone would be a distraction. At one point in my career I would take the phone off the hook for most hours of the day while I didn't have a secretary or engineer. The test drivers could call me on my cell as needed. Everyone else was hundreds of miles away.
Jared seems to want everyone to go through retail sources and act in a more wholesale nature. You are the distraction.
I could be totally wrong, just my take on the situation. But it seems his heads are good, and probably motors. They'll be hiccups, a good business person realizes he is not perfect.
I wanted to discuss them building me a stage 2 long block. You can’t do that without a phone call. I decided not to do a long block at all and just do heads and a few other nice things while I’m in there instead. I just know that if I’m trying to spend $8k and can’t get a phone call after two emails what would it be like if there were a warranty issue on the heads?!? I called UCF and talked to Bob every time with no waiting and no rushing me off the phone.
I'm also considering drilling and tapping the front of the heads. In my mind that would fulfill Pete's thoughts, and my original thought of what this was going to do, getting more coolant through the heads.
Drilling and tapping the front of the heads for the return sounds better. I don’t like the idea of drilling and tapping the fromt cover at the thermostat housing. Do you have any more information or videos doncumenting this?
No, I haven’t finalized my thoughts about how far to go.
The way I’m looking at my approach is the rear connections bleed off a minor amount of coolant and eliminate any potentially trapped air. If that is what happens, there should be no impact on coolant flow through the head. But the removal of an air accumulation that would expand more with higher power output when putting your foot into it or towing should influence the cooling system less, both with less expansion and a minor improvement in thermal transfer, not that the small amount at the back of the head should matter. Engines being 25% efficient, so a lot going into the coolant, so a higher amount when towing or go. With this the flow goes directly to the degas bottle.
Having ports at the opposite end of the heads to return the coolant would also do the same. I've seen one DIY hose setup where the return ports were located to the front cover, but at the back close to the block, which is another possibility. My concern about the front cover is thin wall aluminum, but I've haven't seen any issues with the matter.
Using ports at the front of the head and returning to the thermostat area per the standard method could provide more flow through the head, or might not. Checking that would require an OE design level of test equipment or someone who does coolant systems for a living.
