on my way back from mardi gras in nola yesterday i got stuck in awful traffic for an hour and a half or so and then got on the interstate and after a mile or so just watched the temp go up made it to 299 (apparently it only goes that high) before i could pullover and let her cool well i tried to make a run for a gas station close to the interstate and had to pull over againon the way there. when i made it to the gas station it was detonating like crazy and my dad said over the phone it sounded like a thrown rod and scared the chit outta me so i pushed her to a motorcycle dealership and did the unthinkable and abandoned the vette luckily my brother was in the nola too and picked my stranded self up

so today my dad, bro, and i went to new orleans expecting the worst but hoping for the best and brought coolant and oil and a 160* tstat
we got the car home without a hitch just by pouring in coolant and topping up the oil apparently some a good bit burned up

now for the Q's

what can i do to help the cooling system out before the brutal summer gets here?

i know i am going to pull the rad and tank and clean them out real well what else?

sorry for long post and TIA

 

pull the plug from #1 and check compression that should give you a starting point. Then go from there. after the car is PARKED, THEN GO FROM THERE. not much that can be sumized until you check the compresion, check and re check before going any further. What is the compression on #1st. This will tell you how far to go. If its bad then you know the block is shot or internal components are shot. For 2,000 bucks you can pull it and start over. CHECK IT and let us know?

 

Clean space between radiator and condensor
Flush coolant system
have chip reprogrammed to make fans come on sooner
and at the very least replace the thermostat

even with that, it'll still get hot in BR traffic in summer

 

Coulda been worse. At least you got to see tons of free *******.

 

Their goes the wax that holds the coolent sensor in order.
Front of the intake.That always goes first.
Their go the valve seals.
Should have turned on the heater to cool her down.

 

That is friggin HOT!!! Good advice from above posts-check that oil for
milk(water in the oil) I'd go a little further on the compression test
though-I'd check all 8 cyclinders-if there within 10-15 percent of each
other I then wouldn't be to concerned-but if you find two next to each
other significantly lower than the rest-you've probably blow a head
gasket.

 

that really sucks, i hope nothing got to fried.
I am a little surprized that it kept running at that temp.

 

that happended to me a long time ago with my original engine, the lower radiator hose cracked and drained all the coolant before I could even notice the temp was at 299. I changed the oil, fixed the hose and took care of her from there. I had no power loss and the engine ran for many miles after that. hopfully you experience the same

 

here's the thing i'm a poor high school student and part time ford powerstroke mechanic so i cannot afford a rebuild
i do plan to rework the cooling system(pull rad and tank and flush them really well and flush block)
so the sensors are probably toast?
the heater was on and it still cooked off
i've never done a compression test
and i am thinking about installing the manual fan switch mod

 

not where i was but i wished

 

The car might be okay. Usually what people do when the overheat and boil over, is panic and refill the system with cold water. This does way more damage to the engine than overheating does, because as soon as you turn the engine over it shocks the hot aluminum with a sudden temperature change and can crack/warp things easily. Letting it cool slowly like you did is best.



To do a compression check, you'll need a compression guage kit for $30 (local autoparts store will have it), and 2 hrs of spare time.

Get the car warmed up, pull the spark plugs as soon as you can (better to check it when warm, so that means using gloves to get your hands by the headers).

ziptie the throttle all the way open, disconnect the "BATT" pink wire from the distributor, and pull the fuel pump fuse. Tighten the compression guage hose in there by hand.

Also helps to keep a battery charger handy and charge the battery between cylinder checks, but that's optional.


You want to crank the engine over and watch the pressure guage, it should take 3-4 revolutions to build up. Stop when it peaks and write those down. Should be anywhere from 140-200psi depending on your starter, battery voltage, engine temp, but they should at least be within 20psi of eachother. Also as the engine cools, the pressure readings will drop. When in doubt, check twice. Sometimes the hose can leak at the plug hole.

You might as well leave the rad cap off while doing this, if there's a big headgasket leak you might see it purge some air out.


Report back with your findings.

 

I have heard that when the car is cold looking at the coolant would indicate if a head gasket is blown. If the coolant is contaminated with oil it should look a little bit opaque, like milk.
Is this alway true, or can a head gasket be blown and still have coolant without contamination?

 

No, motor oil will look milky when coolant gets in the oil.

Oil or combustion byproducts in the coolant can look like a shiny oily residue, but there are other things that could cause that condition too, like cooling system deposits and cleaners.



Remember, on the top end of the motor, the coolant is under more pressure than the oiled areas. Coolant gets in by leaking through the manifold gaskets or a bad head gasket then through the rings, or by a cracked head.

 

UPDATE
more bad news changed my oil and went to get gas come back park it to move ramps off driveway pull forward turn it off get out go to check oil and huge coolant spot on concrete
i cannot tell if there is oil in the coolant due to the brown pellet crap gm put in it and i can't get outta it

the left(driver) side of the engine is dry but the right side has water under it.
coolant never got over 170*f
looks like fluid is definantly coming from front of engine
bolt under tpi runners has coolant/junk pooled around it
front of engine is wet
lower rad hose is rust/brown stained near water pump
will borrow pressure test tool from work tommorow
will see if there is a comp test tool at work

 

Your a power stroke mechanic but never did i compression test? I worked on cummins turbo deisels in the navy, fun stuff.

 

most problems are already diagnosed when i get the truck.i have never even seen one done at work, ive done turbos, injectors, transmissions, rearends, countless sensors, water pumps, dual alternators remounted tons of ambulance bodies, and some electrical work but never a comp test i will have to learn it pretty soon i guess
i enjoy the work because it's alot less stressfull than working on my own car

 

Well, it overheated in the first place because there was a problem. Maybe that coolant leak you're seeing is that problem.

Check/replace all hoses and check the water pump gaskets, tstat gasket, intake base at all four corners.

 

i'm definantly pulling all of the accys off and probably the plenum to get a good look and the front of the engine

 

An auto shop can probably leak check it by putting dye in the coolant and looking with UV light.

Don't tell them that you overheated it, or they'll start trying to sell you on more repair work.

 

i know we have the uv light at work that i can borrow and get my own dye

thanks for all the help CC