I don't know. beans and cornbread can have some dire, wide ranging and odoriferous effects, but ya' gotta' luv 'em...Mark

 

Have a pizza and beer on me, just send me the bill. I am off to Mexico Sunday, I want to get down there before they build the wall , things seem pretty tense around the country, but I can't hear any of it on the beach...Mark

 

Will do, Mark.

Hope you have a safe trip, and don't forget to bring back some habanero's that I was asking about. Good time of year to be smuggling across the border.

 

I edited out the childish argumentative banter in this thread....those of you that crossed the line know who you are and you also know I won't put up with this here. Feel free to disagree but Personal attacks will NOT be tolerated on this forum.

 

A good read which the last paragraph is pretty important regarding "Sealers":

Gasket Removers: Use Gasket Scraper Tool to Protect Surfaces


If you think you don't know what you are doing, then try a product like this which I'm sure you can find at any local parts store.

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05021-Tec...gasket+remover


Follow the directions for safety's sake. It will not remove any rust, but it should loosen up any type of gasket material on there that is in your way. A razor scraped horizontally along the surface can be used to clean up any residue. If you find a lot of rust in there, you going to have to use a sanding block or some other flat surfaced fine grit tool to get most of that rust gone. Make sure you plug the hole with a towel / rag, as to not allow any of your scrapings, or spray into the engine block.

On a final note, These engines in our trucks are "cast iron" blocks, and if we were discussing aluminum heads, blocks or other parts, you would only be able to use the chemical spray stuff and a plastic, aluminum, or bronze gasket scraper, as the aluminum would get ruined with any type of debriding tool, especially by those who are less experienced at doing this.

Good luck, have fun

 

Thanks Lary. It was getting pretty bad.

 

I've used the Scotch Brite type discs in a 90* die grinder for years and never had a problem. I was always very careful with them on aluminum. My cousin Andy (mechanic by trade) gave me one of the roloc bristle discs for aluminum and that is now all i use for aluminum. Works great. It would probably work ok on iron too if you are worried about damaging it.

I also stuff a rag in the t-stat hole to keep as much debris out as possible.

 

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of the advice on this issue. I finally found some time to work on the truck, and here is what I found.

I went ahead and removed the thermostat housing assembly. Once removed, I used some fine emery cloth to polish up the mating surfaces to a shiny finish. While I was in there, I installed a new Cummins thermostat, and new gasket. I opted to put a light coat of Blue RTV on the mating surfaces. Once complete, I bolted it all back together, and allowed the truck to sit for 24 hours before filling it with coolant (per RTV package guidelines). So, I filled it with coolant, and went hunting. When I arrived at my hunting spot, there was coolant all over the differential. It didn't look like any was coming from underneath the thermostat housing, but rather from the water pump.

So, off to the parts store. I picked up a new water pump (gates brand) and installed it on the truck. I burped the system again, and took the truck to Fort Collins (about 80 miles from me). When I got there, I had coolant splattered everywhere. ****. I filled the radiator once again before my drive home. Well, on my drive from Fort Collins back to Laramie, the truck didn't leak a drop. In fact, it didn't leak again for another couple of weeks.

Fast Forward a couple of weeks to Thanksgiving. The truck sat at my place for a week while I was in Mexico for vacation. When I got back, I fired her up, and drove the 80 miles home. Upon arriving home, I noticed coolant all over the differential, yet again. This time, it was pooling directly under the thermostat housing.

So, am I missing something stupid, or does this sound like a head gasket issue? I should add that I also replaced the radiator cap while I was in there.

Thanks in advance for all of the help!

Jake

 

Jake,
Check your coolant hoses, around the clamps for leaks.
I changed out all of my coolant rubber last year and tightened the clamp to tight and cut thru the rubber on one of the front heater coolant lines. Chased the leak for weeks, it would spew coolant some of the time but not all the time. I found the leak only by chance when I rested my hand on the warm hose, it opened the cut enough to show the leak.

 

It's your head gasket. These engines are notorious for leaking there. Stop driving it (if you can) until you can address it. If not, the mating surfaces on the block and head could corrode to the point that they would need to be machined.

-Niemand