Need a Little Help

[XLTbeater]

I just got done installing a new radiator for my Ranger. I filled up the radiator with anti-freeze, however, when I start it up and run the truck, the fluid keeps spurting out air bubbles and the T-Stat doesn't seem to want to open, or what's in the radiator doesn't empty out into the engine. Everything is tight and the bad hoses were replaced. No leaks either. At first I was thinking head gasket, but wouldn't that produce white-ish smoke out of the exhaust; mine is clean from start-up to shutdown. It could also be the water pump; which brings me to my next question. How often do the water pumps go bad on these trucks? I am going to assume by the sludge that came out of the old radiator that the water pump is the original. It doesn't leak either and there isn't any sqeaking as well. I am going to run the truck with the hood closed and see if it will heat up and suck the anti-freeze into the engine.


XLTbeater

 

[XLTbeater]

I think I might have figured it out. When I ran the engine again and opened the rad. cap, it failed to de-pressurize. I heard and felt nothing from the cap when it was loosened and the overflow tank didn't do anything either. It did however, blow all of the coolant out of the driver's side tank and into the engine compartment when it was fully released(sorry dad ). The new radiator might have had two different plugs for the inlet and outlet rad. hose ports. The upper hose plug went on the outside of the inlet port. I was able to find that on the workbench. I am missing whatever went on the lower hose port. The rad. company may have used an "inny" style plug that I might have failed to remove. I couldn't get the upper hose on the port without removing the plug, but if the lower hose port plug is an "inny", then it would have went into the block or is blocking the coolant flow; thus causing the blow by or something. If the plug went into the block, how hard would it be to get it out? I am going to wait until tonight after everything cools off to take the hoses off for inspection. Oh, B4 I leave, the coolant flows into the radiator through the upper pass. side hose and out of the rad. through the lower hose into the engine block right?


XLTbeater

 

[90rangersuper]

you got it, coolant goes in the top by the t-stat and out the bottom by the water pump

 

[fixizin]

XLT, that's one scary scenario... just what was the upper "outy" plug made of, and what do you think the "inny" is made of?

It did however, blow all of the coolant out of the driver's side tank and into the engine compartment when it was fully released...

Not sure what the driver's side "tank" is...???


PS: What did you do for heater hoses? What did you do for those little hoses that branch off to the intake manifold?

 

[XLTbeater]

They're a soft black rubber plug. It was two different plugs, one of which got sucked into teh pass. side radiator port, which I sucked back out with a shop vacuum. With the coolant system working, my new anitfreeze mixed with the sludge that was in the engine B4. I am going to get some coolant system cleaner and flush out the old stuff and put clean antifreeze in again. That whole time the system was plugged, it didn't overheat. I am happy now. Now for the next project; racing springs for my mom's '86 Ford Crown Victoria project. Oh, and I now have a nice permeating smell of antifreeze on me. The women folk at the bar will love this new Preston cologne. Though a bit weaker than the Sunocco blue.


XLTbeater