Head Gasket? Air Pocket or bubble? or something else?

[Eye Opening Episode]

Hey guys, I have a 1999 Ranger 3.0 L that started overheating on me and puking the coolant thru the coolant tank. At first I thought it might be the radiator cap or the thermostat since they were the originals. I installed a new radiator cap with safety valve and a new FAILSAFE thermostat and refilled the coolant slowly till it got full. I put in nothing but coolant, no water. I started driving and the truck was working fine. I went about 2 miles up the road and back. I came back and didn't move the truck till 2 days later and the temp went super hot and then came back down to super cold. The truck then kept running super cold and thus there was power loss and you could just feel it was not running correctly cause the correct temp for the best performance was not being reached. I figured that the thermostat was failing or rather working correctly and stayed OPEN so it wouldn't overheat. I removed that failsafe thermostat and installed a normal thermostat and refilled the radiator again with the coolant and took off driving. This time I didn't get to drive a 1/4 mile and it started shooting off. I stopped at my uncles house and let it cool down and later that night drove it the 1/4 back to my house. The next day I checked the oil, it is clean. The coolant in the tank looks a little dirty, but i figured it might be the residue on the inside of the tank mixed with the coolant becasuse the coolant in the radiator looks clean and green (autozone coolant for vehicles 2000 and below - $9.99). I don't see any smoke at all from the tailpipe and I don't see any leaking of coolant aside from what gets puked out of the tank. Could this still be a head gasket? Or maybe a bad radiator? Any information is greatly appreciated.

 

[Big Jim M]

First things first

Hey guys, I have a 1999 Ranger 3.0 L that started overheating on me and puking the coolant thru the coolant tank. At first I thought it might be the radiator cap or the thermostat since they were the originals. I installed a new radiator cap with safety valve and a new FAILSAFE thermostat and refilled the coolant slowly till it got full. I put in nothing but coolant, no water. I started driving and the truck was working fine. I went about 2 miles up the road and back. I came back and didn't move the truck till 2 days later and the temp went super hot and then came back down to super cold. The truck then kept running super cold and thus there was power loss and you could just feel it was not running correctly cause the correct temp for the best performance was not being reached. I figured that the thermostat was failing or rather working correctly and stayed OPEN so it wouldn't overheat. I removed that failsafe thermostat and installed a normal thermostat and refilled the radiator again with the coolant and took off driving. This time I didn't get to drive a 1/4 mile and it started shooting off. I stopped at my uncles house and let it cool down and later that night drove it the 1/4 back to my house. The next day I checked the oil, it is clean. The coolant in the tank looks a little dirty, but i figured it might be the residue on the inside of the tank mixed with the coolant becasuse the coolant in the radiator looks clean and green (autozone coolant for vehicles 2000 and below - $9.99). I don't see any smoke at all from the tailpipe and I don't see any leaking of coolant aside from what gets puked out of the tank. Could this still be a head gasket? Or maybe a bad radiator? Any information is greatly appreciated.

When filling didja turn the heater ON and run the engine with the radiator cap off untill the engine reached temperature? You CANNOT completely fill the coolant system unless the engine is running and the heater is turned to HOT!
If YES you did these things then check it again to see if it is completely full of coolant and then look in the coolant takn to see small bubbles while ideling.. If you got em then it is a head gasket that is causing the problem..
Big JIm

 

[BlueThunder]

I had these same symptoms when one of my head gaskets went bad. I suspect you probably have the same issue.

 

[TomB1269]

Hey guys, I have a 1999 Ranger 3.0 L that started overheating on me and puking the coolant thru the coolant tank. At first I thought it might be the radiator cap or the thermostat since they were the originals. I installed a new radiator cap with safety valve and a new FAILSAFE thermostat and refilled the coolant slowly till it got full. I put in nothing but coolant, no water. I started driving and the truck was working fine. I went about 2 miles up the road and back. I came back and didn't move the truck till 2 days later and the temp went super hot and then came back down to super cold. The truck then kept running super cold and thus there was power loss and you could just feel it was not running correctly cause the correct temp for the best performance was not being reached. I figured that the thermostat was failing or rather working correctly and stayed OPEN so it wouldn't overheat. I removed that failsafe thermostat and installed a normal thermostat and refilled the radiator again with the coolant and took off driving. This time I didn't get to drive a 1/4 mile and it started shooting off. I stopped at my uncles house and let it cool down and later that night drove it the 1/4 back to my house. The next day I checked the oil, it is clean. The coolant in the tank looks a little dirty, but i figured it might be the residue on the inside of the tank mixed with the coolant becasuse the coolant in the radiator looks clean and green (autozone coolant for vehicles 2000 and below - $9.99). I don't see any smoke at all from the tailpipe and I don't see any leaking of coolant aside from what gets puked out of the tank. Could this still be a head gasket? Or maybe a bad radiator? Any information is greatly appreciated.

"I put in nothing but coolant, no water." - This may be the reason you are still having issues. If you used straight coolant, not already mixed, this is a problem. Coolant itself is not a good heat exchange medium, it is affective at increasing the boil point and decreasing the freeze point, however it must be mixed with water. Most manufactures suggest 50/50. I personally prefer a 60/40 ish mix so as to obtain the best freeze protection. And as I leave in the northeast I am more likely to expereince extreme cold vs 100 - 110 or higher tempatures............ Otherwise

 

[Big Jim M]

Howdy Tom

"I put in nothing but coolant, no water." - This may be the reason you are still having issues. If you used straight coolant, not already mixed, this is a problem. Coolant itself is not a good heat exchange medium, it is affective at increasing the boil point and decreasing the freeze point, however it must be mixed with water. Most manufactures suggest 50/50. I personally prefer a 60/40 ish mix so as to obtain the best freeze protection. And as I leave in the northeast I am more likely to expereince extreme cold vs 100 - 110 or higher tempatures............ Otherwise

You are correct...sort of.. Yes pure antifreeze doens't absorb heat as quickly as water does... However the difference between 1/2 water and no water at all isn't measurable in heat absorbsion. There is a difference but is is almost neglegable, and cannot be seen by the engine.
The advantage of running PURE antifreeze in the desert is it don't boil! The temp will have to get over 400* before pure will boil. And it still protects from freezing down to almost 0*.. I think there is an advantage in coolant pump wear from using pure over 1/2 water.
So if extreme low temps will not be a problem using pure is in my estimation an advantage.
Big JIm

 

[Eye Opening Episode]

You are correct...sort of.. Yes pure antifreeze doens't absorb heat as quickly as water does... However the difference between 1/2 water and no water at all isn't measurable in heat absorbsion. There is a difference but is is almost neglegable, and cannot be seen by the engine.
The advantage of running PURE antifreeze in the desert is it don't boil! The temp will have to get over 400* before pure will boil. And it still protects from freezing down to almost 0*.. I think there is an advantage in coolant pump wear from using pure over 1/2 water.
So if extreme low temps will not be a problem using pure is in my estimation an advantage.
Big JIm

BIG JIM and TOM B, I live in deep south Texas and we never see freezing temperatures, If we ever do it's once every 5 years or something and it's only like 30 degrees...just a little under freezing point. However, I do see 30,40, 50 days over 100 degrees out of the year, this is why I went with pure coolant and no water. I already had 50/50 before I did a flush when I put in the new thermostat. Forgot to mention this, and even with the 50/50. I was getting the same problem.

However, when I did the flush and installed the new thermostat, I DID NOT fill up the radiator with the engine runner and the heater turned to all the way hot. Should I drain the coolant into a bucket and re-fill it while the engine is running and the heater is on?

 

[RumpRanger98]

...However, when I did the flush and installed the new thermostat, I DID NOT fill up the radiator with the engine runner and the heater turned to all the way hot. Should I drain the coolant into a bucket and re-fill it while the engine is running and the heater is on?

You don't need to drain and refill....

What I always do....jack the front end of the vehicle up (somevehicles you might not have to), make sure to block the back wheels for safety....the point of jacking the front up is to get the radiator cap to be the highest point ...air flows to the highest point and eventually will escape.

So,
-jack up the front end ...or park on a hill/inclined driveway, with the front end up
-open radiator cap
-start her up and let her run, this could take up to an hour depending how much air you have in the system, maybe less.
-turn the heater on, put it on hotest setting
-as it is running you will see air bubbles come out the radiator cap opening and the coolant level fall.....
as the level of fluid falls, keep dumping in antifreeze/water (whatever you wish) until air bubbles stop coming out and the fluid appears topped off


DO NOT TRY THIS AFTER RUNNING VEHICLE....opening the radiator cap on a hot vehicle can be dangerous....only do this after the vehicle is cool.

Basically what this does is it allows the cooling system to move coolant (heater on) and as it is doing this, air pockets will escape through the highest point (jack front end up with radiator cap off). As air escapes, you need to replace it with coolant, keep the radiator topped off or close to topped off during this process to prevent air being sucked back in.


In my opinion, you have bigger problems, but what I described above should remove all air from the coolant system.

 

[RumpRanger98]

I just re-read your first post....you said it got super hot, then super cold.....

Are you sure its not a bad coolant temp sensor?

 

[Eye Opening Episode]

I just re-read your first post....you said it got super hot, then super cold.....

Are you sure its not a bad coolant temp sensor?

I changed that too thinking it was the sensor. What happened when it went from super hot then to super cold is the FAILSAFE Thermostat sensed the temp get hot immediately stayed in the OPEN position to protect the engine from overheating. When I removed the FAILSAFE Thermostat, it was stuck in the open position.

I will try what you told me about jacking up the front end with the engine running and radiator cap off. It's just kinda weird that there is no smoke and no milky looking oil, which are giveaways that the head gasket is messed up.

 

[Big Jim M]

Nope!

I changed that too thinking it was the sensor. What happened when it went from super hot then to super cold is the FAILSAFE Thermostat sensed the temp get hot immediately stayed in the OPEN position to protect the engine from overheating. When I removed the FAILSAFE Thermostat, it was stuck in the open position.

I will try what you told me about jacking up the front end with the engine running and radiator cap off. It's just kinda weird that there is no smoke and no milky looking oil, which are giveaways that the head gasket is messed up.

The dead giveaway when the coolant system is FULL is the small bubbles in the coolant tank from the compression of the pistons getting into the coolant..
Do as above and make sure the system is completely full and up to temp before putting the cap back on the radiator. Then allow it ti run for a few minutes... maybe drive around the block.. then pbserve the tank to see if the bubbles are in there.. If YES then off com the heads. BUT it may behave when full of coolant if the gasket is good.
Big JIm

 

[jlburkey]

If the air pocket was developed where the sensor is, it could have dropped the temp. gauge since no hot coolant was touching it. The temp. sensor is in the intake just before the thermostat, right?
When running the engine while filling the cooling system as RumpRanger98 described make sure that your top rad hose is hot, and then when your thermostat opens your bottom rad hose should get hot and then if your radiator is working properly when your engine is up to running temp. your bottom rad hose should be slightly hotter then your top rad hose.
If your headgasket(s) are gone you may see a pressurized cooling system and then coolant reservoir pushing coolant out at running temp.

 

[Big Jim M]

Sorry JL

If the air pocket was developed where the sensor is, it could have dropped the temp. gauge since no hot coolant was touching it. The temp. sensor is in the intake just before the thermostat, right?
When running the engine while filling the cooling system as RumpRanger98 described make sure that your top rad hose is hot, and then when your thermostat opens your bottom rad hose should get hot and then if your radiator is working properly when your engine is up to running temp. your bottom rad hose should be slightly hotter then your top rad hose.
If your headgasket(s) are gone you may see a pressurized cooling system and then coolant reservoir pushing coolant out at running temp.

You are incorrect! The bottom hose has coolant in it that has been thru the radiator and xhould be near air temperature. The top hose should be near the thermostat temperature... 195*..
Big Jim

 

[Bryan22]

Sure the radiator is not plugged? is the fan working properly?

 

[Eye Opening Episode]

Sure the radiator is not plugged? is the fan working properly?

I have a TAURUS E-FAN working fine.

I have an inclined driveway and put the front tires at the highest point, and left the truck running while I topped off the radiator with water. It didn't take long to top off, having me to believe that my radiator had plenty of coolant in there. After a while the coolant started bubbling out so i put the cap back on. The temp inside was still cold....well below the "C". After I put the radiator cap back on I left the truck running some minutes and came back to check it and it was barely at around the "C". I stepped on the gas a bit and the temp needle went up to about operating temperature, a little under half way between C and H. I checked the radiator coolant tank and in the bottom corner were the dreaded bubbles. I turned off the truck and lifted the safety valve on my radiator cap and the coolant tank "BURPED" hahaha! I am guessing there is pressure building up becasue of the bad head gaskets.

But there is one more scenario. My e-fan is bolted into the original housing for the fan clutch. This way I was able to mount the taurus efan in the hole where he fan clutch used to spin and then I just bolted or screwed on the taurus smaller shroud into the perfect fit ranger fan clutch shroud. Because of this setup I was able to screw in the original shroud where the screws go and the bottom little rest snaps. However, one of the screws came loose, the one on the drivers side and it started pushing on the aluminum line near it, going into the radiator. The radiator started leaking a little bit from the nut that is on it, I guess from the shroud hitting against the aluminum line that the nut holds onto. I noticed this when I started seeing a little leak and smelling coolant. I immediately put a tie wrap where the screw should have been and it held it extremely tight and in place, no longer hitting the aluminum line. Since then, there has been no leak from the radiator..but is it possible that the radiator is getting air or sucking air from where that nut is on the radiator? I hope I explained myself clear enough.

 

[Big Jim M]

Nope!

is it possible that the radiator is getting air or sucking air from where that nut is on the radiator? I hope I explained myself clear enough.

Not a chance!
Big JIm