Radiator

cooljimmy · June 24, 2004

I did a flush on the radiator, but it was still over heating. So i changed the thermostat this did nothing for the problem it still over heated. So i than took the radiator out and had it service, they cleaned it and presure checked it. I reinstalled the radiator and it still over heated. I than tool the thermostat out and left it without a thermostat. And it still over heats, I don't know what to do next.

P.S the water pump was replaced last year. I don't know if maybe i should replace it again. its the only thing i have not done. What do you think. Thanks

03TRAILEXT · June 26, 2004

Is the water flowing? Remove the rad cap when cold and see if the water is circulating, if not you have a pump problem. Check also to see if you have one of the crappy GM reverse cooling systems, my 97 Camaro did.

snoman · June 27, 2004

Given the age of your truck, you may need to get your radiator "rodded" out and cleaning at a radiator shop as it may be plugged internally.

derek77 · June 29, 2004

When is the last time you changed the hoses? Your lower hose could be clasping under throttle.

Did you pressure check your radiator cap? You might be losing pressure there.

More than likely it will be something simple.

snoman · June 30, 2004

When is the last time you changed the hoses? Your lower hose could be clasping under throttle.

Did you pressure check your radiator cap? You might be losing pressure there.

More than likely it will be something simple.

Not likely, years ago before I started running 70% antifreeze to limit cooling system corrosion I saw this problem before, That year truck still has a brass radiator tank most likely and lead salts form on tube ending in tank plates from reaction between water in collant and solder around fins and block them off. He needs to have a profession clean were they "rod" the radiator out but taking tank covers of and clearing these clogs mechanically. It is not that much of a problem with newer aluminum radiators today. Most flushes you buy will not even touch this problem as the salts are tuff to remove when bad.

Rookie · June 30, 2004

Put your t-stat back in that is not the answer. Are you still running the fan shroud? if not put one in. Also chech\k the fan clutch. if its weak it will spin the fan but not fast enough to pull air accross the radiator. Just a thought.

derek77 · June 30, 2004

But he said, "So i than took the radiator out and had it service, they cleaned it and presure checked it." I don't think "had it serviced" and "they cleaned it" means they washed and waxed his tanks.

Instead of using 70% antifreeze to combat corrosion, use distilled water instead of the tap water that is normally used. Tap water contains alot of calcium and other minerals that cause corrosion. Distilled water has next to nothing as far as impurities, which means less corrosion. Straight water is a better heat dissipater than antifreeze. Antifreeze is for lube and to keep the water from freezing. Some guys run straight water in their hot rods with a couple bottles of Red Line Water Wetter for some lube. I've done this before and it works great.

snoman · June 30, 2004

You need to tell them to "rod it out" because they do not do that by default anymore. Distilled water will not limit corrosion, only the limited build up of calcium. iron or sulpher and such that may be present in water which actually limit its solvent abilties when they are present in water. The less water in your system, the less corrosive agent that is present. 70% anitfreeze reduces water content, increase protection and extends coolant lfe because its additives have to counter act less of a water corrosion element. It also raises boiling point as well. I even use a 7 psi cap to on my vehicals which extends hose life greatly (my 89 burb still has original hoses and they look like new still) and with higher antifreeze content there is no lose of boil over protection from lower cap pressure. And the best part of a lower pressure cap is leaks are less likely and if they happen they are much more mild manored than with a 16psi cap and not as explosive. I have been through 105plus tmep with this setup and I have had no cooling problems and the burb has been up Pikes Peak 3 times so far (last time in 2003).

derek77 · June 30, 2004

I was reading my lastest Car Craft Magazine and they had a tech question from a guy asking about distilled water and if it was actually bad for you engine, saying that it will remove metals in the cooling system in an attempt to replace the ions which were removed from the water during the distillation process.

The answer goes like this. They went to Dow Chemicals to see what they said about it. Dow recommends using de-mineralized water that has been distilled, de-ionized, or passed througha reverse osmosis process to remove certain minerals and salts.

According to them "good" water should contain:

Less than 50 ppm of calcium
Less than 50 ppm of magnesium
Less than 25 ppm of chloride
Less than 25 ppm of sulfate

They also say distilled water isn't usually 100% pure, but contains less than 10 ppm of any dissolved solids. Often, distilled water is then de-ionized for further purification. After this treatment, nearly all of the ions previously contained by the water should be stripped, resulting in very pure water. They said, "We established that Dow Chemical feels that distilled and de-ioized water is accepted (and actually recommended) for cooling systems.

Proper maintenance is the key to the longevity of the components in your cooling system. Automotive coolant should be changed every 2 years or so, for a variety of reasons, including contamination, electrolysis, and the breakdown of the coolant itself.

snoman · July 1, 2004

I was reading my lastest Car Craft Magazine and they had a tech question from a guy asking about distilled water and if it was actually bad for you engine, saying that it will remove metals in the cooling system in an attempt to replace the ions which were removed from the water during the distillation process.

There is some logic to this because if water is distilled that means it has more room in its molecular structure to absorb ions and dissolve solids. Water is actually consider a fair powerfull "solvent" if that given enough "time", (and it could be hundred of years too) it can dissolve just about anything. The less water in your cooling system the better but if you go beyound 70% the freezing point starts to rise again but even 80% antifreeze would still be good to about 25 or 30 below. Pure antifreeze (Ethylene Glycol) freezes/slushes at about 9 degrees.

bowtie_pasta · July 2, 2004

I'm gonna vote for your fan clutch.

Also, for water, used deionized if possible.

snoman · July 2, 2004

I'm gonna vote for your fan clutch.

Also, for water, used deionized if possible.

The water type will not effect his cooling problem at all but a good note on the fan. Does the original poster hear the clutch fan running or engaged when engine is hot?