Hey guys. So in the last month or so Ive noticed my engine temp has been running a little high. Around 200* drivin empty around town (4,300 ft.)
I just figured it was cause the weather is gettin hotter, 90-100 the last few weeks.
But this last week its gotten real bad. Yesterday while pulling about 5k around town, I got up to 220* in a real hurry. Higher then its ever been sinse I bought the truck 2 yrs ago. And after the day was over when I parked the trailer and left the truck runnin for a few min in nutral to let it cool, I got back in and was in the RED at 240*!
Drivin home empty babyin it temp dropped back to 200* quickly.
Sinse that morning when I first hit 210* I turned the juice off so I had no extra fueling through the day, and around town that day pulling, my egt's never even hit 1000.

Ive checked all my fluids a few times this last week and everything is good and up to change rate.. Except antifreeze. In the last week while checking fluids Ive noticed the coolant level Has been rising! The hotter the truck the more full the coolant bottle is!

Any body know whats up?
Any help is much appreciated.

 

Sounds like you need to flush out your radiator & block and have you changed your thermostat?

 

Yea Im planning on the flush first thing this week. Every where was closed by the time I was off work yesterday.

Changed my thermostat?? Please explane.

 

Pull the radiator and clean the outside ofr it. Then, relocate the crankcase vent botttle.

 

thermostats do fail causing overheat conditions, if your replacing coolant do the thermostat as well (dealer or stant brands are good MotoRad brand is bad/junk) also take a good look at the rad inbetween the intercooler and rad .easily viewed from laying on your back looking up. likely you will see that the rad is near completly externally plugged solid with oily mud, because of the puke bottle. if that is the case the ONLY way to clean it is to remove the rad and steamclean it, and a can of degreaser will help too.

 

At idle, the coolant should drop in temp. Is the clutch fan working?

 

K Im takin my truck in later this week to get it flushed and a new thermostat as well.

The rad is definantly covered in that crap. Pulling the rad out seems like a pretty big project. What kinda work/time would I be lookin at doin it myself? That [I]is [I] what you guys are suggesting isnt it?
keep in mind Im barely a weekend mechanic and have somewhat limited tool in the garage.

Clutch fan.. The big fan between the rad and engine? Oh yea its workin. I can hear it and feel the power loss of it. Its been on alot lately tryin to keep things cool.

 

The radiator is easier than it appears. You should be able to pull it in about 20 minutes.

 

WOW your kidding. Is it just bolt up pretty much?
Nickg, what do I need to steam clean it?

 

Remove windshield washer from shroud on drivers side. It slides up. Remove 4 bolts from shroud and push over fan towards motor. Drain the fluid, then there is only 2 bolts holding in the radiator. I cleaned mine with some degreaser think it was ZEP and a water hose with a spray nozzle. Bought a radiator but after seeing all the junk on mine decided to just clean it and reinstall it and save the $230 for something else.
While its drained I would suggest you change the thermostat.

 

Wow ok. That does seem pretty simple. Looks like I have a new project for this weekend.

Thanks guys, Ill let ya know if I have any problems.

 

Like the guys stated its pretty simple to remove. couple other hints, dont mess with the rad drain on the drv side of the rad, it is a pain to turn, and you run the risk of busting it off, so just pull the hose off at the water pump, or at the rad end, for me I found it much easier to reach it at the water pump end. just have a big drain pan handy to catch the old coolant.
Take the rad to a car wash (get a can of degreaser too) the pressure washer at the car wash is lower pressure and less likely to "bend" the rad fins, just pay attention when spraying it. keep the sprayer at 90* to the rad. it will help keep them from bending. another thing spray thru the rad from the clean side, that way you dont force the dirt deeper into the rad (same as you would if you were cleaning an airfilter). resist the urge to try to clean the dirty side first! it took 10$ at the carwash before I had clean water run out the back side of the rad when I did mine. also do the thermostat last after you have put the rad back in. then fill the coolant system via the thermostat hole, fill until the coolant is flush and almost running out. then push the thermostat in the hole (spring side down) then put the thermo housing on. this will garrentee that you will NOT have an air lock.

 

Great advise thanks Nickg. Im actually kinda lookin forward to this. haha

About moving the puke bottle to a new spot.. Where did you guys put yours? That hose is pretty short, did any of you get a longer piece to move it?

 

most guys throw the bottle away and lengthen the hose so that it hangs below the axel, it will leave a small drip or two sometimes. there are threads where guys relocate the vent hose back near the tranny, anything to get it away from the rad area is a plus

 

Alright I'll see what I can do for movin it.

Now, what thermostat do I need. The auto shop had a 180-190* and 190-200* both for my truck.
What makes these differant? What exactly does the thermostat do and why is the temp range so slight on them?