Hello! I’m new here. Quite literally made an account on here so I can get more accurate information on my truck. I’m tired of not knowing if I’m getting the right information, especially when that information has caused me to get the wrong parts. So, this post is to get my truck out there and hopefully some helpful individuals that can guide me to the right resources for what I need. So I’ll start with introducing my child, and then, what I’m having issues with currently that I need help finding answers for.

I have a 1989 F-350 EFI 460ci 7.5L Single Cab dually. Originally bought as a cab/chassis brand new by a local cemetery (Gesthemni Cemetery), had a dump bed installed on it and was used by them until the dump bed fell off into a grave they were filling in, in 2017 or 18. I bought it from them around 2018 or 2019 (making me the second owner). She had less than 80,000 miles on here at the time, however, the speedometer cable also broke around that same time so it’s approximately 10,000 or so miles off (first item I ever replaced on the truck). I will put photos in my gallery of her shortly. But she only has surface rust, cab has seen better days but still solid. I was T-boned in her, so my passenger side door got dinged up (was the best of the two doors). I also rear ended a civic a while back so my bumper is messed up and my lights need replaced. Also need to either bend my radiator support out or just replace it when I replace the radiator.

So, currently (today), I overheated. However I had plenty of coolant and my gauge was reading normal (assuming I overheated because my engine was smoking really bad and I didn’t see a leak anywhere). Sunday, we replaced my coolant hoses, thermostat (195 degree), thermostat housing, and tried to do a coolant flus. We thought we emptied all the coolant out of my truck but we only got in about 2.5 gallons. If that. The information I found, said it should be about 4 1/8 gallons of coolant…

Is my information wrong?

Is my temperature sensor going bad since it didn’t pick up any change?

My buddy brought up the water pump. Is that another possibility?

Also, do these trucks only have the fuse box in the cab under the steering column? Or am I supposed to have a fuse box in the engine bay? If so, I don’t have one. Just a bunch of quick connections. Again, should have pictures posted to my gallery by tomorrow night.

I apologize if this post is not properly set up. Like I said I’m new here and just wanted to get some connections made and also give everyone some information on what I’m working with. Thank you to everyone in advance

 

When you changed the coolant, did you remove the drain plugs on the side of the engine block?

Where is your engine smoking from and what color is the smoke?

 

if you do not drain the block, it will only take about 2- 2 1/2 gallons, which s the content of the radiator.
only one fuse block, under the dash.
if the water pump is bad you would only be able to run around 3-4 minutes before overheating.
the temp sensor gould be bad, or the gauge could be bad.
with key on engine off, remove wire from sensor and short it to ground. the gauge should go full hot. with wire off sensor, the gauge should be full cold.

 

I had the same problem not too long ago, I doubt you will be able to get the drain ports out of the block, as they are probably rust welded in. How did your coolant look? I am with tjc on this a bad water pump you wouldn't make it out of the driveway. It might be worth it to check your cooling fan. Is the front of your fan coated in oil? Also you are going to have to "burp" the cooling system when you finish draining and filling, part the truck on a hill with the front of it inclined and take off the radiator cap and start the motor, the level will drop in the radiator, and once the thermostat opens a lot of air should come out. This tool made it super easy for me https://www.harborfreight.com/no-spi...kit-58423.html , I just filled it up with a little bit of coolant and revved the truck a couple times and I got a lot of air out of it.

 

No, we did not. Did not know about that. Hard to tell where from, looked like it was coming from the bottom. It was white.

 

Okay. And yeah thinking about it now that makes sense.

I will test those sensor as soon as I can.

 

I might be able to, I’ll post an update this weekend. If I can’t get the plugs out though, what should we try? Coolant didn’t look too bad pretty normal green color.

I haven’t looked too hard or the fan. Again I’ll post an update when I do.


Thank you guys. I’ll keep you guys up to date on what I discover.

 

When i asked if you removed the drain plugs from the block, under #2, I should have clarified that is why you only got about half the coolant poured in the radiator. If you flushed the coolant you wouldn't really need to remove them. If you want to remove them usually a 6 cornered socket works well.

 

I don't recommend doing this, but I tested my fan via a cardboard stick. I fired the motor up and let it run for a sec but not get to operating temp and I got the cardboard tube and stuck it in the fan, and the fan stopped spinning, and then held it there as the motor got up to temp and it wasn't trying to move the fan, so that's how I decided it was bad. Probably not the best way to do it. I wonder if you sprung a leak and it got into your manifold, or you got a blown head gasket. Keep us posted I am very interested.

 

I understood what you were saying, but thank you for making sure. I did not flush it. We just took out the plug from the radiator and did the hoses. We did not know about the drain plugs on the engine. So we learned something new lol

 

that sounds interesting…. So I’m assuming if all is working properly, then it should just break the card board stick??

also I hope I don’t have a blown head gasket 😭

 

No update on my truck yet, I haven’t had time to work on it. However I did get some pictures of my truck uploaded to my gallery. Again it used to be a dump truck. But other than that equipment, I don’t know if anything was added or removed from it (mechanical/electrical) so if you guys see something that I can or should remove, fix, or what have you. Please let me know. I have a lot of random, loose plugs that are either left open or have a blank plugged into them.

 

I think you are going about this all wrong. It sounds like you have no clue what you are doing. Yes, we all start that way so welcome to life. Experiences in life allow older people to seem to have more knowledge.

I suggest you get some type of repair manual and read up how the system works. Know where all the drain plugs are, temp sensors, etc. I suggest you do this before you even open the hood. Asking for help is ok, but expect several different answers from people, will only give you a bunch of different answers. Some from people that have no clue and some that have a clue. Who do you believe?

The amount of miles on a vehicle is just one way to estimate the wear and tear. In your case, I would think that the truck is really worn out. I bet the engine never really gets hot so the oils never really get up to operating temperature. Lots of wear happens when that occurs. Age also does a number on parts. If it was a dump truck, I suspect it got really worked whenever the engine was started. Another cause for high wear. I have no idea, but I would think you purchased a truck that was rode hard and put away wet.

 

Well, given that I started a thread literally called advice and guidance…. To be fair I do have basic knowledge and understanding. I do have the Haynes manual (36058). However, it doesn’t have answers for every possible problems and there are plenty of things that can cause similar problems (depending). I also started this thread because maybe someone has had a similar problem and could walk me through it faster than going through every possible troubleshooting walkthroughs associated with the cooling system. I also spent an hour looking through that manual trying to find anything on the coolant sensor that communicates with the gauge on the instrument panel. But all I could find was the one that is right beside the thermostat housing. So going off the manual alone, reading the section that should have all of that, I wouldn’t have known. I do understand what you’re saying though and to ease your mind I will say, I take what people suggest. Cross-reference what I find in the manual (if I can’t find it in the manual then I just try it or if it sounds sketchy I do more research) and go at it. However I don’t have time to just sit down and read the entire manual before even opening the hood. It’s my daily so sometimes asking, even if it’s bad advice, is way quicker than doing research.


You are very correct. There is evidence all over this entire truck saying it needs an overhaul. However I don’t not have the funds or ability to just put it on a lift and completely restore it. I have to go problem by problem. What can I afford vs what NEEDS done. My end goal is to completely restore it. But for now I need information as fast as I can get it. Now that’s not to say I don’t read through the manual a few days before I work on it (mostly while I’m in the bathroom). I just don’t also think about it until I’m doing it and then I’m to flustered to take the time to sift through the manual to find all the answers or more information.

 

I changed the coolant temp sensor by the thermostat. I tried to change the other but all the sensors require a new harness. At least that I could find so I can’t install it yet. They were pretty bad. The sensor beneath the air intake was gunked up and looking down into where it sets, it looks likeI desperately need to flush my system however it also looks like I hardly get any coolant flowing through there it seemed semi dry.

I tested the fan clutch and I found I have to replace that as well. I will be doing the fan clutch and coolant flush next weekend with my next paycheck.

here’s what the sensors looked like after removing. I cleaned the top one of the best I could and reinstalled it just till I get the wire harness.