I'm another one fallowing along. Best of luck.
I'm another one fallowing along. Best of luck.
Not making good time today, feeling frazzled. Wal-Mart took forever this morning putting on tires, didn't leave until 11. Around noon the heater core blew. Made it to LMC truck just over a couple hours ago, bought a bunch of stuff. Truck is boiling over when I get off the highway, not nuclear as stops pretty quick but has me worried. Bought a new rad cap and fan clutch at LMC, put those on but I've got another 30 miles since then and it's still doing it. Wishing I had bought a rad now. Tried replacing the heater core in the parking lot but I can't figure out how. The factory a/c stuff is big and in the way. Stopped now at a McDonald's for my first meal of the day since breakfast at the motel and free Wi-Fi. Going to look up how to change this thing and get it done. Worst case bundle up (brought all my heavy winter gear) and maybe just ziptie the new heater core somewhere under hood for the extra cooling.
Check the lower radiator hose. May be collapsed.
Don't think it's collapsing, I can feel a spring inside it. But maybe? I have a new hose for it, but it's a cheap one without spring. Water pump was recently replaced by someone.
Looks like I do need to drop the inner fender to get the heater core out.
Ok. With a spring, there's no reason for it to collapse.
Is the system building pressure? Possibly a bad radiator cap?
Under what circumstances does it overheat? And is it actually overheating, or could the gauge have gone to hell?
It is boiling when running or just when you shut it off?
It builds pressure, hoses are firm when I pull off.
No factory gauge. Bought an aftermarket one from lmc but need some wire to hook it up.
It boils coolant out the overflow tube when I pull off the highway and it idles down. On my way around town going to lmc I could see the coolant trail when I stopped for the first light (still running)
Edit: rad cap is brand new
Okay, going to pull across the street to a truck stop to try and drop my inner fender and get some heat back. Will return for the Wi-Fi in a bit..
bad thermostat?
all else fails loop the hoses and drive with the window down until you get near a garage you can use.
Could the raditor be clogged or missing most of its fins? Poor water pump circulation?
if you can't get the core in properly at the moment, you could buy some long heater hose and route it temporary through the passenger wing window. Put some sort of 12v fan on it, bam! super rigged up heat!
69 doesn't have an overflow bottle, if you have too much in the system it will flow out. Could just be over full. Rig a bottle as suggested before. is it running good?
I've seen impellers rot off / fall off before.
Get it up to temp with the cap off and make sure you have flow through the rad.
Also, shut the engine off and feel the back face of the rad with your hand. If it's an even temp all over, it's probably ok. If it's hot at the inlet and outlet and cool in the middle, it's bunged up good.
I'm going with radiator as well. I have a feeling it's not flowing.
Gearheadotaku wrote: 69 doesn't have an overflow bottle, if you have too much in the system it will flow out. Could just be over full. Rig a bottle as suggested before. is it running good?
This is what I am wondering, OP said there is no overflow bottle, so if he topped it up, its probably just due to expansion (you've put a lot of heat into the system, which is fine when cruising, but as soon as you slow down to stop, it starts to expand) and you keep topping it up so the problem doesn't "appear" to go away.
Rigging up an expansion tank would be helpful (and easy). If the rad isn't plugged, it really shouldn't be overheating.
Water pump is new. Hopefully I'm just overfilling it and the stuff that pukes out is just expansion. Thermostat is unknown, but upper and lower rad hoses both get hot. Back of rad feels pretty even.
Got the inner fender dropped (all the nuts on the back of the clips spun...pain) pulled the heater core and got it swapped. Going to hit the road now. It seems to run okay, but I'm taking it real easy. Cruise at 55, down to 50 up hills and 60 down them. Idles a bit rough and low but responds nice to the gas. Too noisy once rolling to really tell much else.
Full of crap
The problem nut that requires dropping the fender.
I've had better luck with old stuff taking the pressure holding capabilities out of the system and running it vented to atmosphere. Usually I take an old cap and cut the little center bit out of it so it vents but doesn't splash all over. If you can run a hose from the overflow on the rad to a tank of some sort then you can catch the overflow and it will draw it back in some when it cools.
If you are on a clock to get back by Mon morning I could loan you my car and you could zip on home and drive back next weekend for the truck. I could get you in to something reliable as far south as Vermillion, SD with a little advance notice, and fetch your truck from there to my place when I get a day off on Thurs.
You have my number and I will be up for work @4:45.
Can you just bypass the heater core and pick up a 12 volt heater from walmart?
And it's probably cold enough that you can try running with no rad cap so you don't build any pressure. As long as the water pump is circulating you should be ok.
I'm up at 4:30 because I can't sleep. Part of why I can't sleep is because I'm watching this journey. I don't think I can add anything to the discussion, but I'm rooting for you.
Once again oldopelguy makes me feel all warm inside!
This is awesome! I have butterflies putting myself in your place (of course I would've smashed out all my windows and strangled the walmart tire guy by now)
I hope this smooths out soon for ya!
oldopelguy wrote: I've had better luck with old stuff taking the pressure holding capabilities out of the system and running it vented to atmosphere. Usually I take an old cap and cut the little center bit out of it so it vents but doesn't splash all over. If you can run a hose from the overflow on the rad to a tank of some sort then you can catch the overflow and it will draw it back in some when it cools. If you are on a clock to get back by Mon morning I could loan you my car and you could zip on home and drive back next weekend for the truck. I could get you in to something reliable as far south as Vermillion, SD with a little advance notice, and fetch your truck from there to my place when I get a day off on Thurs. You have my number and I will be up for work @4:45.
^ Awesome guy.
I wonder if we (GRM) could pull off some sort of charity road trip event. Have a GRMer or two fly or road trip across the country to snag a vehicle then make pit stops at the homes/garages of GRMers along the return route, performing fixes or upgrades as they go.
When they reach their destination they could auction it off and send the proceeds to the charity of their choice. We could make it a regular thing. I would love to be involved in something like that.
Anyone know where Run Away is at?
As an aside, bad Karma upon the vendor for letting a long distance buyer get into this mess with a truck who's condition seemed pretty obvious.
NOHOME wrote: As an aside, bad Karma upon the vendor for letting a long distance buyer get into this mess with a truck who's condition seemed pretty obvious.
Two quotes that stick out to me:
1) The guy in dealing with has been driving it to and from work a few times this past week to make sure everything is alright, so far so good.
2) Went back to sellers shop, he had taken off.
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