hbarm01

The other day I flushed the radiator attempting to correct an overheating problem according to the guage.<br>The coolant is one year old, at a 50/50 mix, yet when flushed it was muddy or a creamy coffee color. The thermostat is opening and closing correctly.<br><br>The outside temperature was at 100 degrees, and I had to block the radiator to get the thermostat to open all the way. This seems indicate the coolant temp sender or guage are in error.<br><br>Is it possible that even though the engine seems warm to hot that is still is cooling so well that it does not open the thermostat? Would tht cause the coolant to not circulate and become muddy looking?<br><br>Fresh coolant was put in at the 50/50 Mix.<br><br>Thanks, Jess<br>hbarm01@vtc.net

wannadiesel

Bad head gasket or leaky oil cooler? The color sounds like oil contamination. The overheating problem would make me lean towards the head gasket. Maybe somebody else has a more favorable diagnosis?

Monty

I agree with wannadiesel. If you are seeing a coffee colored goopy antifreeze, then chances are you have a leaking head gasket.

hbarm01

I would have guessed a blown head gasket, but it does not use or lose coolant. Also, the coolant was not oily.<br><br>So, I am still guessing.<br><br>Thanks All..

hbarm01

Giving the blown head gasket idea more thought, if the engine is not loosing oil or coolant, would there be any adverse performance symptoms that would occur at the same time?<br><br>This is my first diesel Dodge, so I am not real savy about all of its performance factors.<br><br>Thanks.<br><br>Jess...

wannadiesel

Overheating? White smoke after engine is warm? Running rough? How does the oil (on the dipstick) look? If you're in doubt and the truck's running OK, get an oil analysis kit and have an oil analysis done. If there's glycol in the oil, they'll tell you.

hbarm01

Wannadiesel--The engine does not run rough. It is not use coolant or oil, and it does not smoke (except at start in winter). It does not seem to be overheating. I installed a second opinion (extra guages) two days ago. At 98-100 degrees outside, the engine will run for two hours at 190 degrees. Blocking the radiator will bring the temperature up to 210 degrees. <br><br>The oil on the dip stick appears as it should be, no water, antifreeze, or other visible contaminants.<br><br>from 20 mph to 55 mph in fourth, it only takes 13 seconds or it fits into the okay area according to Dodge.<br><br>Next I plan to replace the factory temp and oil pressure senders in case they are bad--or at least sending false data.<br><br>There may well be nothing wrong, but I was spooked when the low oil light came on the other day after pulling my trailer up a 10 mile 6% grade.<br><br><br>Thanks <br>Jesse<br>hbarm01@vtc.net<br><br><br>

wannadiesel

Sounds good to me, I just can't figure out why your coolant would be so nasty with no problems. If it was my truck, I'd send an oil sample off for analysis. If it came back OK, I'd sleep better.

Redleg

What year is your truck? 89, 90, 91 had the up and down flow, which may contribute to the fluid needing to be changed more frequently.

carl20320

Fortunately, in mid 91, they changed to the cross-flow design. I suppose this was about the same time they added the intercooler.

Was the cooling system flushed well before the initial coolant change? When I bought my truck, it was nasty. I had to flush the entire system thoroughly. Now my coolant stays clear longer than I care to leave it in.

As for the &quot;low&quot; oil pressure, I had a very similiar problem. After driving at highway speeds, or when it was real hot outside, I would pull up to a light and my oil pressure would drop to 0. I could increase my idle speed and the pressure would come back up. ended up replacing the sending unit. Never had an oil pressure problem again.

Carl

Redleg

A little further... I have had a diesel/big truck mechanic/CTD owner tell me that turning up the idle a bit was healthier for the engine.

hbarm01

Since starting this discussion, I have added an aux oil pressure and coolant temp gauges. It appears that the dash gauges do not tell the whole truth.<br><br>I have also installed the BANKS Stinger and Stinger Plus packages. They both have helped performance, and they have also brought down the temperatures several degrees.<br><br>I will see what they do for my trailer pulling ability later.<br><br>The cooling system has been flushed twice prior to this coolant change, and that is why I originally thought the thermostat was blocked or the usual running around never allowed the engine to get up to normal operating temperature to allow the coolant to flow. The long trip, pulling the trailer, and the high outside temperature seems to have allowed the thermostat to fully open (maybe for the first time since I've had this truck.<br><br><br>I thank everyone who has provided some insight into this matter.<br><br>Jess...