95 powerstoke overheating.
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2025
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95 powerstoke overheating.
New to the site. I have a 95 powerstroke with 150k on the motor. Has super duty injectors and hydra tuner. Just got the truck and noticed it pushes coolant past the cap and overfill the overflow. I did a block test and it failed but took about 45 min idling. Coolant looked a little funny (rainbow) but oil looks great. I pulled injector cups and replaced. #7 looked like it could have been leaking. Replaced the radiator, fan clutch, tstat and rad cap. It's better but will still push coolant past in a week back and forth to work, about 120 miles. It will get warm under load then drop back down but seems to do it more with the tuner on. The tuner came with the truck and don't know what tunes it has except for the high idle and some more juice, definitely noticeable. I've just been running it with the tuner off. My question regards the head gaskets. I know it's very rare on the 7.3 but I'm wondering if they are the culprit. The fact it's not intercooled with a tuner and I bought it from a kid. Any info would be helpful. Do plan on intercooling it.
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5th Gear
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I have not leakdown tested it. I have a feeling it would be hard to track down if it does it most under boost and load. If I pop the cap it doesn't start pushing out immediately. It can idle all day and never have a problem. No white smoke on start up.
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5th Gear
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If i fill mine all the way to the top of the radiator it will over fill the overflow. If I leave it about 2 or so inches from the top it will take it while to over fill it. It doesn't ever seem to suck it back in. I just drove about 9 miles. When I got back upper hose is solid but cool and it will just sit there and gurgle into the over flow. Once it cools the overflow has the same amount in it. I wouldn't think 9 miles would be enough to do that unless there is excess pressure in the cooling system. If I have the hydra tuner on it will do it quicker under load. With out the tuner it's never been hotter than 190. With the tuner it's been about 205 to 210 then drops. That with and infrared laser thermo.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2012
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From: Las Cruces New Mexico
There's two different T stats for the 94.'97 powerstroke, a long one and a short one.
Here's a copy paste from FTE member strokin'_tatsch
"There is a pipe plug on the driver side of the pump right under the t-stat that you can use for water temp, but you need to make sure that the sending unit does not interfere with the t-stat operation as that plug goes right into the t-stat area of the pump. Which t-stat you need at this point depends on which water pump you actually put in the truck.
1994.5-1995 water pumps used a 203* short stem thermostat.
1996 and up water pumps used a 195* long stem thermostat.
If you put a short stem t-stat in a long stem pump, the bypass disc would not seat against the bypass in the pump, so hot water would have the ability to bypass the radiator and go right back into the engine. I'm not sure if it's even possible to put a long stem t-stat into a short stem pump. I've never actually swapped the thermostats between the two.
Anyways, it is possible to interchange these water pumps, so you might have accidentally installed a late model pump on your truck and installed a short stem t-stat.
Also, keep in mind that the stock gauge in the dash isn't really accurate at telling how hot the coolant really is, so verify your water temps with a gauge like you mentioned in your 2nd post."
Here's a copy paste from FTE member strokin'_tatsch
"There is a pipe plug on the driver side of the pump right under the t-stat that you can use for water temp, but you need to make sure that the sending unit does not interfere with the t-stat operation as that plug goes right into the t-stat area of the pump. Which t-stat you need at this point depends on which water pump you actually put in the truck.
1994.5-1995 water pumps used a 203* short stem thermostat.
1996 and up water pumps used a 195* long stem thermostat.
If you put a short stem t-stat in a long stem pump, the bypass disc would not seat against the bypass in the pump, so hot water would have the ability to bypass the radiator and go right back into the engine. I'm not sure if it's even possible to put a long stem t-stat into a short stem pump. I've never actually swapped the thermostats between the two.
Anyways, it is possible to interchange these water pumps, so you might have accidentally installed a late model pump on your truck and installed a short stem t-stat.
Also, keep in mind that the stock gauge in the dash isn't really accurate at telling how hot the coolant really is, so verify your water temps with a gauge like you mentioned in your 2nd post."
Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2025
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
There's two different T stats for the 94.'97 powerstroke, a long one and a short one.
Here's a copy paste from FTE member strokin'_tatsch
"There is a pipe plug on the driver side of the pump right under the t-stat that you can use for water temp, but you need to make sure that the sending unit does not interfere with the t-stat operation as that plug goes right into the t-stat area of the pump. Which t-stat you need at this point depends on which water pump you actually put in the truck.
1994.5-1995 water pumps used a 203* short stem thermostat.
1996 and up water pumps used a 195* long stem thermostat.
If you put a short stem t-stat in a long stem pump, the bypass disc would not seat against the bypass in the pump, so hot water would have the ability to bypass the radiator and go right back into the engine. I'm not sure if it's even possible to put a long stem t-stat into a short stem pump. I've never actually swapped the thermostats between the two.
Anyways, it is possible to interchange these water pumps, so you might have accidentally installed a late model pump on your truck and installed a short stem t-stat.
Also, keep in mind that the stock gauge in the dash isn't really accurate at telling how hot the coolant really is, so verify your water temps with a gauge like you mentioned in your 2nd post."
Here's a copy paste from FTE member strokin'_tatsch
"There is a pipe plug on the driver side of the pump right under the t-stat that you can use for water temp, but you need to make sure that the sending unit does not interfere with the t-stat operation as that plug goes right into the t-stat area of the pump. Which t-stat you need at this point depends on which water pump you actually put in the truck.
1994.5-1995 water pumps used a 203* short stem thermostat.
1996 and up water pumps used a 195* long stem thermostat.
If you put a short stem t-stat in a long stem pump, the bypass disc would not seat against the bypass in the pump, so hot water would have the ability to bypass the radiator and go right back into the engine. I'm not sure if it's even possible to put a long stem t-stat into a short stem pump. I've never actually swapped the thermostats between the two.
Anyways, it is possible to interchange these water pumps, so you might have accidentally installed a late model pump on your truck and installed a short stem t-stat.
Also, keep in mind that the stock gauge in the dash isn't really accurate at telling how hot the coolant really is, so verify your water temps with a gauge like you mentioned in your 2nd post."
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Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Apr 2025
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Thanks for the reply. It has a long stem thermostat in it. Im not really too concerned with the tempature because I think the only time that really happens is when it's low on coolant from pushing it out. I'm just trying to get ahold on the fact that I can't keep coolant in it for too long. I've looked it on a long distance drive and I'm afraid it would just push it out the whole time. Through the summer I pull horse trailers and camper and don't want to until I get ahold on this. Is the factory metal rad cap suppose to be 16 or 18 psi. I also just started piecing some intercooler parts together.
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