Running hot...why????
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New User
Joined: Jul 2006
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Running hot...why????
I have an 88 that ran hot. I replaced the thermostat and it's still running hot. It boils over from the rad into the reservoir and spews out of there. It's like the thermostat is not opening letting coolant run into the engine block. What can I do???
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Did you boil the T-stat in water with a thermometer to make sure it opened at the proper temp? Have you regularly flushed the cooling system to make sure that there is little corrosion and scaling as possible?
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I just bought the truck a month or so ago. I haven't flushed it, but the t-stat was new. I assumed it would work, but I guess I could pull it back out and test it. This "little" project turned out to be a nightmare as one of the bolt heads broke off. I ended up having to drill out the bolt and tapping the hole. I'm just ready to have it finished! Never ends up simple like I plan.
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It opens at 195. I'll check it to make sure. And I was sure to put it in the right direction. My biggest problem is finding the time to get out to work on it. Does anyone else have that problem?
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 837
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From: Minnesota
You might want to take a look at the radiator itself. If the truck has an AC condensor in front of the radiator it's hard to see if the radiator is capable of free air flow or if it is blocked by bugs, dirt, mud, etc. ... even though the condensor may look OK.
I speak from experience. Replaced my three-core with a four-core because I figured I had some interior blockage. As I lifted out the old radiator I realized I couldn't even see the trouble light I had under the hood through the cores ... 40-50% completely blocked and that was at ~50,000 miles.
Since I had the higher capacity radiator there already I installed it. Tried to blast the junk out of the old one but it was like dried mud. Would likely require professional cleaning or a long, long soak and rinse process.
Might be worth a look.
I speak from experience. Replaced my three-core with a four-core because I figured I had some interior blockage. As I lifted out the old radiator I realized I couldn't even see the trouble light I had under the hood through the cores ... 40-50% completely blocked and that was at ~50,000 miles.
Since I had the higher capacity radiator there already I installed it. Tried to blast the junk out of the old one but it was like dried mud. Would likely require professional cleaning or a long, long soak and rinse process.
Might be worth a look.
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