Headgaskets Again?
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New User
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 22
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Might have lost a little bit of coolant.......like i said, i heard a 'noise' coming from what i believe to be the degas bottle. Doesn't look like too much is coming out far inspecting for signs of puking.
On that note, when i got filled up with coolant at the dealer today, they just use tap water. So 50/50 ford gold and tap water. I asked him about distilled water because that's what i'm tracking i should use, he said it's pretty much the same. Is it?
And yeah on level ground i seem to be doing fine temp wise. It was up to 99 degrees outside in NM today, plus the rolling hills. Perhaps i am just over-reacting?
As for abnormal fan noise, i think it's working ok. I just don't get the feeling it's dropping the temps as fast as everyone else here.
On that note, when i got filled up with coolant at the dealer today, they just use tap water. So 50/50 ford gold and tap water. I asked him about distilled water because that's what i'm tracking i should use, he said it's pretty much the same. Is it?
And yeah on level ground i seem to be doing fine temp wise. It was up to 99 degrees outside in NM today, plus the rolling hills. Perhaps i am just over-reacting?
As for abnormal fan noise, i think it's working ok. I just don't get the feeling it's dropping the temps as fast as everyone else here.
Tuned
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 338
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From: Boulder City, Nevada
Your right about the idiot gauges. They give hardly no warning at all. By the time they say your hot you have only a couple of minutes to get off the road. Your fan should be able to keep the coolant below 225. But you will hear it running. Its loud. Are you sure it is working properly? Its been stated on this site that the max for coolant is 227 and engine oil is 254. After that your engine may start to defuel. I have exceed both for a short time with no defueling. On hard climbs pulling 10,400 lbs I have exceeded 260 eot. After the crest it might take 15 minutes to get back to 220 or so. But by hard climbs I mean 7% grade at 45 mph. As long as your coolant doesn't get above 230 and start to steam off I wouldn't worry too much about eot. My past tow vehicle a Chevy Tahoe which I used to tow at its max weight would run the oil temp to 300 degrees on hard climbs. I sold it with 131,000 miles and it still ran great.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 153
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From: Kearns, UT
Tap water is NOTHING like distilled water. Plain tap water, unfiltered or untreated, can be very hard and have A LOT of minerals in it, which is like a slow cancer for your cooling system. In an emergency only would I put tap water in my cooling, then flush it out as soon as I could get some distilled water.
I, personally, wouldn't trust any dealer or mechanic that says tap water is ok or that tap and distilled water is the same.
I, personally, wouldn't trust any dealer or mechanic that says tap water is ok or that tap and distilled water is the same.
Hotshot
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 17,399
Likes: 318
From: Whittier, CA
You will just need to do your own flush and fill once all the issues are resolved. Not at all unexpected.
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New User
Joined: Jun 2006
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Guys thanks again for all the responses. The truck ran like a champ today. I made it 800 some miles today through NM, AZ and CA. Outside temps up to 106 in CA. Boy are there some grades in CA. I don't know what i was expecting. I kinda thought NM and AZ would be the worst of it.
I was running great 210/225 mostly, but did climb to 225/240 a couple of times.
Randy777 - i noticed exactly what you said, anything over 225 the fan came on loud and brought it back down.
Nixoninc and bpounds - yeah i did some research on tap water vs distilled and am now tracking. I am definitely going to flush it when i get to where i'm going (225 more miles to Monterey).
I'm feeling really confident in my truck right now. The knowledge I've gained on this site is priceless.
I was running great 210/225 mostly, but did climb to 225/240 a couple of times.
Randy777 - i noticed exactly what you said, anything over 225 the fan came on loud and brought it back down.
Nixoninc and bpounds - yeah i did some research on tap water vs distilled and am now tracking. I am definitely going to flush it when i get to where i'm going (225 more miles to Monterey).
I'm feeling really confident in my truck right now. The knowledge I've gained on this site is priceless.
