Grandpa_truck
Newbie
Sir,
You will find your real answer by quantifying exactly how much coolant your engine is either leaking and/or
consuming.
IF the amount is zero coolant loss over time, then you can leave the engine as-is and instead focus on
why you are occasionally generating more BTUs with your engine than your fan/clutch/radiator combo can
get rid of. For what it's worth, I've attached a hand-drawn chart showing an 'intermittent' failure from
excess heat. (Note: I originally drew it for an electronic issue, but if in your mind you substitute weakened
clutch, or scaled up radiator internals, etc., for why the system can dispose of less BTUs then when it came
off of the assembly line then you will catch my drift.)
****
On the other hand, IF you are losing/consuming coolant, then the only answer is to locate the root cause
and fix that. But if you haven't already done so, make sure your overflow tank has a good hose connecting
it to the radiator, make sure it's clean enough to see the coolant level, and then put a Sharpie mark right
at the Cold Fill level, and pay close attention to where it returns after it cools overnight for several days in
a row so that you can quantify how much coolant is disappearing, if any.
Here's hoping you are not using any coolant, and all you have to do is hot-rod your cooling system like
what our Texans are doing. (L31MaxExpress & others.)
Let us know what you discover. Best of luck!
Well… it’s back. Truck is NOT over heating, as confirmed by gauge in cluster and IR temp gun. Truck runs fine, AC is working, no loss of power. But pulled in driveway after 7 mile drive from work and coolant is bubbling into overflow tank doesn’t return to rad. I could t imagine a head gasket leak without, white smoke, coolant loss, or over heating, usually those are the big 3 precursor to head gasket. I replaced the rad cap, overflow cap, and put a new 195 tstat. I am not losing coolant, (not gaining it back to rad from overflow either) I do not see any viable leaks, and I’m now curious as to the condition of the radiator. It’s pretty funky, fins aren’t in great shape and it just looks rough, inside and out. But again no noticeable coolant loss. I’m at my wits end with this one. I have a video of the tank bubbling
***** I let it cool and popped rad cap off and now overflow tank is returning coolant to radiator. But doesnt do that when cap is on… brand new cap too. Very odd
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