One Cylinder Steam Engine
05-07-2019, 08:55 PM
#22
New thermostat, no change. I bought the combustion gas leak detector and tried it several times, did not indicate combustion gas in coolant. I tested the fluid and it was working. I removed and tested the engine coolant temperature sensor in warm to boiling water, it was OK. I broke it reinstalling it, and the new one shows a little lower temp, but truck still overheats.I tried vacuum purging the cooling system, I might drain it down and try again from scratch, but I've never had problems filling it before.
It will overheat if I start it cold and let it idle in the driveway. Today I started it cold and left the house, it overheated after about six miles. The middle four miles were at 55 mph.
I noticed that parked with the A/C on so both fans run on high, the air from the driver's side fan is warm, but only the air from the bottom of the passenger side fan is warm. The top is cool, or ambient (It's cool outside here now).
On the highway when the temp gauge is high, the temp won't drop if I coast down. The temp won't go down when I turn the A/C on, moving or parked. I did notice that the temp will drop when I am on the highway if I put the trans in neutral and hold the revs at around 3500.
Even though the leak down test and the combustion gas leak test both showed negative, and there is no evidence that I'm losing coolant, I still feel like there's excessive steam in my exhaust and I'm worried about cracks, warpage, or bad gaskets.
And even though it reaches and maintains normal operating temperature for awhile before the gauge starts going up, I think Im'ma take the radiator out and flush it tomorrow. Maybe pull the water pump and make sure the impeller's ok. One of my old school buddies told me to run it without the thermostat just as a test.
It will overheat if I start it cold and let it idle in the driveway. Today I started it cold and left the house, it overheated after about six miles. The middle four miles were at 55 mph.
I noticed that parked with the A/C on so both fans run on high, the air from the driver's side fan is warm, but only the air from the bottom of the passenger side fan is warm. The top is cool, or ambient (It's cool outside here now).
On the highway when the temp gauge is high, the temp won't drop if I coast down. The temp won't go down when I turn the A/C on, moving or parked. I did notice that the temp will drop when I am on the highway if I put the trans in neutral and hold the revs at around 3500.
Even though the leak down test and the combustion gas leak test both showed negative, and there is no evidence that I'm losing coolant, I still feel like there's excessive steam in my exhaust and I'm worried about cracks, warpage, or bad gaskets.
And even though it reaches and maintains normal operating temperature for awhile before the gauge starts going up, I think Im'ma take the radiator out and flush it tomorrow. Maybe pull the water pump and make sure the impeller's ok. One of my old school buddies told me to run it without the thermostat just as a test.
05-09-2019, 07:46 AM
#25
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You can feel the radiator hoses to see if the thermostat is working, one will get hot and the other wont if it is not opening.
Did you do a compression test? That will tell you if the head gasket is bad or if there is a crack in a cylinder.
Also, the gauge staying normal and then going hot is a misdirection. Most gauges are designed to resist change so it will sit at normal while the engine is overheating for too long before the gauge actually shows what is happening. Get a bluetooth OBDII reader and download the Torque app and shoe real time info. You can set up digital gauges and it will show you the real temp of the coolant. Otherwise you risk putting a crack in it for sure if you keep going knowing it is overheating but not knowing exactly what is happening.
Did you do a compression test? That will tell you if the head gasket is bad or if there is a crack in a cylinder.
Also, the gauge staying normal and then going hot is a misdirection. Most gauges are designed to resist change so it will sit at normal while the engine is overheating for too long before the gauge actually shows what is happening. Get a bluetooth OBDII reader and download the Torque app and shoe real time info. You can set up digital gauges and it will show you the real temp of the coolant. Otherwise you risk putting a crack in it for sure if you keep going knowing it is overheating but not knowing exactly what is happening.
05-09-2019, 08:11 AM
#26
No on the compression test. Do you think that it would be better than the leak down test?
I'm pretty sure that the thermostat is working, both hoses get hot. I am using Torque. The factory gauge and Torque's readings are very close.
I flushed the cooling system as well as I can. I used high-e laundry detergent because it is low foaming, ran the engine for about a fifteen minute wash cycle, and then about a thirty minute rinse cycle. Now it's Clean Burst fresh. The heater core is bypassed so no worry about it. I'll be replacing it sometime before next winter. I'm confident that there's nothing to clog my new radiator that should be here tomorrow.
I wonder what clogged my present radiator? I haven't used the orange stuff in almost fifteen years. I will remove the tanks and see what's in it.
Even though I am sure that the radiator is clogged, I am still concerned about the steam from my exhaust.
I'm pretty sure that the thermostat is working, both hoses get hot. I am using Torque. The factory gauge and Torque's readings are very close.
I flushed the cooling system as well as I can. I used high-e laundry detergent because it is low foaming, ran the engine for about a fifteen minute wash cycle, and then about a thirty minute rinse cycle. Now it's Clean Burst fresh. The heater core is bypassed so no worry about it. I'll be replacing it sometime before next winter. I'm confident that there's nothing to clog my new radiator that should be here tomorrow.
I wonder what clogged my present radiator? I haven't used the orange stuff in almost fifteen years. I will remove the tanks and see what's in it.
Even though I am sure that the radiator is clogged, I am still concerned about the steam from my exhaust.
05-09-2019, 11:16 AM
#27
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I've never done a leak down test but pretty sure that's for checking heads, valves, etc. Compression test will tell you if you have bad rings, cracked cylinder or bad head gasket.
