Temp gauge 99 4.0L

[backroad101]

If it still misbehaves after a proper filling, you have installed the thermostat upside down.. Or the radiator is clogged.. which in your case I doubt.

:

When you say installed upside down, do you mean backwards? I installed mine with the longer spring part in the engine. After that, is there a more specific way it needs to sit?

.

 

[sholzy]

When you say installed upside down, do you mean backwards? I installed mine with the longer spring part in the engine. After that, is there a more specific way it needs to sit?

.

The t-stat has a small hole along the outer edge of the flange with a bb or what looks like a rivet in it. This allows for bleeding air out of the system and needs to be at the top (12 o'clock) position. There is a cutout in the housing for this. On my '93 It's almost impossible to place the hole in the bottom (6 o'clock) position, but I guess you could put it back together wrong and get a bad seal and leak coolant out the t-stat housing when the system is under pressure.

 

[Paulcrzy]

Well I have to concede I think it is the cylinder heads and/or gasket.

Symptoms why I think such (please correct me if wrong)

1. The truck has started to burn "something". I thought it was oil but did not smell like it. Once warm (generally) it stops.
2. I cleaned the throttle body recently and noticed oil in the plenum.
3. I did the radiator test and it kept bubbling out and did not stop 45 secs to 1 minute of coolant pushing out of the radiator and bubbles coming up.
4. On certain days at certain times you can see the puffs from the exhaust as coming from one cylinder as it is timed puffing.
5. My issue with the overflow being bubbles is this. I think the truck is consuming the coolant and creating a "negative pressure" (vacuum) on the system and then when I open the radiator cap it is sucking the fluid from the overflow back into the system (the bubbling was the amazing rate at which it was pulling it back into the system). This vacuum / void creates the hot spots that keep the truck temperature up and down.
6. Today when I went to leave for work the truck did not want to turn over (like starter was stuck). Not from dead battery, but it sounds more like hydro lock. It tried it 4-5 times and then it started up no problems.

If this is the case how much for new heads and can anyone point me to a location I can purchase them at? All I see is Edelbrock stuff for V8's.

 

[Big Jim M]

Well I have to concede I think it is the cylinder heads and/or gasket.

Symptoms why I think such (please correct me if wrong)

1. The truck has started to burn "something". I thought it was oil but did not smell like it. Once warm (generally) it stops.
2. I cleaned the throttle body recently and noticed oil in the plenum.
3. I did the radiator test and it kept bubbling out and did not stop 45 secs to 1 minute of coolant pushing out of the radiator and bubbles coming up.
4. On certain days at certain times you can see the puffs from the exhaust as coming from one cylinder as it is timed puffing.
5. My issue with the overflow being bubbles is this. I think the truck is consuming the coolant and creating a "negative pressure" (vacuum) on the system and then when I open the radiator cap it is sucking the fluid from the overflow back into the system (the bubbling was the amazing rate at which it was pulling it back into the system). This vacuum / void creates the hot spots that keep the truck temperature up and down.
6. Today when I went to leave for work the truck did not want to turn over (like starter was stuck). Not from dead battery, but it sounds more like hydro lock. It tried it 4-5 times and then it started up no problems.

If this is the case how much for new heads and can anyone point me to a location I can purchase them at? All I see is Edelbrock stuff for V8's.

Paul your #5 is a total washout! Nothing in #5 can be correct. You really need to read my post again as to how to FILL the thing.

SMELL has nothing to do with the engine!
Once you have it filled correctly then you can give us the skinnys on what is happening.
Big JIm

 

[Paulcrzy]

We would like for you to give us a play by play of HOW you fill the radiator..
The RULES for filling YOUR radiator are:

1. Fill the radiator to full.
2. START the engine.. keeping the radiator cap OFF.
3. Turn the heater to the HOT position. This allows coolant to circulate thru
the heater core.
4. Now the engine is running and heating up. Continue to add coolant to the
radiator as the engine heats. After ten or more minutes the thermostat
should open and allow a flow of coolant into the radiator. Make sure the
coolant level is full and install the cap. You have FILLED the system.

While filling and running there will be gulps of air pushing coolant out the top! Forget about this and continue to keep it full until operating temp is reached.

If it still misbehaves after a proper filling, you have installed the thermostat upside down.. Or the radiator is clogged.. which in your case I doubt.

Big Jim

I did everything except wait for the thermostat to open, the only reason I did not wait was that the temperature gauge went to Hot. The engine warmed up not needing any coolant to be added, as it headed up it did puke some and then go to a slow trickle and then puke some more and then a trickle. After 5-8 minutes the gauge was slowly going up to hot. Once it hit Hot I cut the engine. It bubbled down. I added coolant. Put the cap on and restarted

Now I was blowing the heater on defrost and it never got hot (even though gauge said so) until i put the cap on the radiator. Then 3-5 seconds later after restart of engine the heat came out of the vents *any thoughts*

*Or shall I go spank myself for doing it incorrectly again?

 

[Big Jim M]

Yep! You do have a good spanking waiting.. Everything you just posted says..."NOT ENOUGH COOLANT!
It may already be too late.. You may already have a burnt head gasket. But you haven't got it full yet!
Leave the damn defrost alone! It turns the A/C on! Turn the heat to HOT! and fill it thataway..
Big JIm

 

[Paulcrzy]

Yep! You do have a good spanking waiting.. Everything you just posted says..."NOT ENOUGH COOLANT!
It may already be too late.. You may already have a burnt head gasket. But you haven't got it full yet!
Leave the damn defrost alone! It turns the A/C on! Turn the heat to HOT! and fill it thataway..
Big JIm

I am not trying to be a azz clown here I really am trying to learn. The entire time it was warming up it never allowed a time where I could add coolant. It just kept puking, burping, and trickling. At no point did it ever go down, until I turned it off.

I should ignore my temperature gauge and let the needle got the H?

 

[Big Jim M]

The thermostat needs to OPEN to allow coolant to fill the heater core and the heads. The temp gauge going to HOT almost always means there is STILL air in the heads! The thermostat with the small hole in it helps to allow the heads to fill without the thermostat being open.
Big JIm

 

[Paulcrzy]

OK per your request I burped the system using your procedures.
I opened it up and filled it up.
I started it up.
I let it warm up
I waited for the thermostat to open (upper radiator hose hot)
I wait for 30 minutes of idling for the burping/puking to stop

It never did.

I pull it up on a ramp and let it cool. Once cool I start the process again. I never had a steady stream of coolant it kept going up and down in the radiator. Filling when low and expelling when high.

I think I got it. I take it out around the block and it starts to heat up again. Not to the /H but to the L and then back down again.

I go back to the house let it cool. Do the process again, shaking the truck from side to side trying to get bubbles loose. Again after the coolant is only going up and down and not puking/burping. I take it around the block again. It heats up again.

Go back to the house and let it cool. Do the process again. When the thermostat opens up this time I let it idle for 10 minutes. Then I let the engine go faster than idle, I do not have a tach but I guess 1500-2500 RPM's. That pulls coolant down for about 15 seconds and then it geysers out of the radiator opening. I repeat the process again only this time i let it pull it down filling it up till capacity and then putting the radiator cap on.

This helped the most it took the longest to heat up and starting the problem again.

So after 4 gallons of coolant later can you please explain what I have done wrong?

 

[Big Jim M]

Well after all that trying I'd go ahead and pull the heads.. You do prolly have a burnt head gasket.
Big JIm

 

[hondaxr650]

Well after all that trying I'd go ahead and pull the heads.. You do prolly have a burnt head gasket.
Big JIm

You also stated that it didn't want to turn over when starting it at one point, like it was hydro-locked which is also a sign of big trouble. If it's leaking that badly, you should be able to pull the spark plugs and find crusty white stuff or even coolant on the bad cylinder.

 

[Paulcrzy]

You also stated that it didn't want to turn over when starting it at one point, like it was hydro-locked which is also a sign of big trouble. If it's leaking that badly, you should be able to pull the spark plugs and find crusty white stuff or even coolant on the bad cylinder.

I think that may or may not be related. It did that again today but I turned the key all the way back to the off position and back to start and then it started up. **I had just let it go to run and then try to start it, when it did not turn over** That could be another problem getting ready to occur next.


BigJIm - I just need to do a compression check. If one or more of them test for low pressure I am going to need to get new heads?

 

[sholzy]

OK per your request I burped the system using your procedures.
I opened it up and filled it up.
I started it up.
I let it warm up
I waited for the thermostat to open (upper radiator hose hot)
I wait for 30 minutes of idling for the burping/puking to stop

It never did.

I pull it up on a ramp and let it cool. Once cool I start the process again. I never had a steady stream of coolant it kept going up and down in the radiator. Filling when low and expelling when high.

I think I got it. I take it out around the block and it starts to heat up again. Not to the /H but to the L and then back down again.

I go back to the house let it cool. Do the process again, shaking the truck from side to side trying to get bubbles loose. Again after the coolant is only going up and down and not puking/burping. I take it around the block again. It heats up again.

Go back to the house and let it cool. Do the process again. When the thermostat opens up this time I let it idle for 10 minutes. Then I let the engine go faster than idle, I do not have a tach but I guess 1500-2500 RPM's. That pulls coolant down for about 15 seconds and then it geysers out of the radiator opening. I repeat the process again only this time i let it pull it down filling it up till capacity and then putting the radiator cap on.

This helped the most it took the longest to heat up and starting the problem again.

So after 4 gallons of coolant later can you please explain what I have done wrong?

You didn't state if you put the temperature selector to hot. By not doing so, you will still have air in the system.

 

[Paulcrzy]

You didn't state if you put the temperature selector to hot. By not doing so, you will still have air in the system.

Sorry yes I did set it to hot. After the spanking from Big JIm, I set it to hot and blow out the floor.

 

[backroad101]

Finally taking the truck in Monday to get fixed. Hoping it ends up being something simpler that the head gaskets.

.