I need help finding out why my truck overheats at idle, it runs great but when I'm stuck in traffic for too long it starts to over heat, I have replaced the fan clutch and the water pump, and the thermostat, all were original and needed to be replaced anyways, but I'm still stuck as to why the overheating problem, any ideas?

 

Are you going by what the dash says or by what a scanner is saying??

Have you used a temp gun on the hoses to see if it really does get that hot?

 

I'm going off of what the gauge reads, it gets real hot and in fear that it will keep getting hot passed 270 I cut the engine off, but I can physically feel the heat radiating when it gets up near 270 compared to running at 180 or 210

 

thats toasty

 

Clogged radiator, or trash between radiatior and condensor restricting airflow?? A blown head gasket/cracked head could show up as an overheating issue too.... Need get a temp gun and see what the temp difference is between the two sides of the radiator. If one side is 270 and other is say 180 there's definitely a flow issue....

 

I thought it might be a clogged radiator, I'll get a temp gun on it and see what happens, cuz I'd rather buy a new radiator than have the old one flushed if that's the problem

 

Dont blame ya there...

 

If the engine is anywhere near 270 it's toast. You'll need more than a headgasket to fix it.

Do you have bubbling in the coolant tank? Is anything coming out the overflow hose? Do you lose any coolant?

 

Not necessarily true, good possiblity, but have run into situations where temp on guage spiked and engine was fine... Prolonged 270* will toast it, but if its still got coolant in engine that just isnt moving, at least some of the heat would be dissapated..... My 5.3 spiked red line on temp guage, out of the blue, the day before i put 160 tstat in and it ran for 10 years before it quit!!!

Ive seen alot worse not blow a head gasket... Or crack a head/block!!!

Shotgun, there is coolant in your engine, right???

 

Right there's coolant in it, I don't think it's a head gasket, really hoping it's not lol but I think the coolant is old and maybe just need to be replaced, if not the radiator, but it never boils enough for the overflow tube, oil level and ATF level are where they should be, heard that could cause overheating too