Radiator pressure
Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,083
Likes: 1
From: Fitzpatrick Alabama
Radiator pressure
My 88 Ford is building up pressure on the radiator. At operating temp if you take the cap off, it blows water everywhere, then just sits there and bubbles. It has less than 500 miles on an engine rebuild. I talked to the man that rebuilt it, he told me to check the radiator, that if the radiator was stopped up it would do this.
He also wanted me to make sure the water pump was the right one, he said some of them turned backwards (serpentine belt?)????? I don't understand how it could, it should have the same water pump on it that it went to the shop with. Is any of this possible or is it probably a blown head gasket and I need to make him fix it?
He also wanted me to make sure the water pump was the right one, he said some of them turned backwards (serpentine belt?)????? I don't understand how it could, it should have the same water pump on it that it went to the shop with. Is any of this possible or is it probably a blown head gasket and I need to make him fix it?
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 315
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From: Conway, AR
There is one sure fire way to tell ( and to shut him up) Get a combustion gas leak detector kit. Theyt are about $50 at Napa, a little more for a better 2 chamber one off the snap on truck ( get that one if you can, works better) It consists of a plastic tube that you fill with a blue dye that you place over the radiator neck while running and pumpe air through with a bulb from inside the cooling system( although with the pressure present, you won't need to pump much). If there is any combustion gas present from a leaking head gasket, the dye will turn from blue to a yellow green. On diesels you have to leave it on longer than it says in the instructions. It says like 30 seconds for a gas burner, you really need a few minutes exposure on a diesel to get them to change.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 315
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From: Conway, AR
NApa's part number for the kit is BK 7001006 they are getting about $42 for it now
Snapon is GDCT16 and they get about $72.50 it looks like now but it is a much better unit. The two chamber unit makes it where you cant draw coolant up into the fluid by mistake which invalidates the test.
Snapon is GDCT16 and they get about $72.50 it looks like now but it is a much better unit. The two chamber unit makes it where you cant draw coolant up into the fluid by mistake which invalidates the test.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
Likes: 15
From: Nutter Fort, WV
If you have bubbles, you have a problem.
Put shop air pressure in the glow plug hole of each cylinder and see which one makes the radiator bubble.
Then you know where the problem is.
Cavitation, cracked block/head or blown head gasket would be my first three guesses, not required to be in that order though.
Put shop air pressure in the glow plug hole of each cylinder and see which one makes the radiator bubble.
Then you know where the problem is.
Cavitation, cracked block/head or blown head gasket would be my first three guesses, not required to be in that order though.
Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,083
Likes: 1
From: Fitzpatrick Alabama
500 miles after spending a ton of money on a rebuild, including new heads b/c mine were cracked, and the machine shop did the heads and the block, if there was a problem, they should have found it.
Senior User
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 315
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From: Conway, AR
Should have is the operative phrase here. sounds like he's dealing with one of these ,* I don't ever mess up. it must be a problem with YOUR truck* shops which is why he needs to run the test and save the changed colour fluid in a sealed jar and bring it in to him and stuff it in his face and say, 'see this yellow green yuk', now fix your screw up.
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Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 21,285
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From: Nutter Fort, WV
Was the engine bored?
Did they use sleeves?
Did they attempt to fix the heads or were they replaced?
Did they use sleeves?
Did they attempt to fix the heads or were they replaced?
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Thread Starter
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Laughing Gas
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 1,083
Likes: 1
From: Fitzpatrick Alabama
The engine already had a sleeve in it, the heads were cracked, we replaced them with used heads but had everything on them replaced. Its not a big time shop, its a guy down the road I used to work for. He has rebuild several of these, but his big business is 2 stroke detroits in charter buses. He taught me almost everything I know about mechanic things. He said once we were sure the radiator wasn't stopped up he would find out and fix it. I can rebuild these engine myself, but I stay so busy I didn't have time and I had to have my truck fixed right then.
