The continuing saga of my BJ70 cooling problems...I'm ready to drop this thing off a 9th floor window:
Last November....truck ran fine and cooled well, even up longer grades but H20 temp would climb to about 210 (just below red on the factory gauge) if the outside temp was 90F + when running up big hills. Since I live in an area where temps often reach over 100F I wanted to make sure my cooling system was bullet proof.
SO, I all I needed was a 4 core rad...right?
Ordered a 4 core rebuild from 4 wheel auto & dropped it in. While I'm in there I also do the following:
Remove oil cooler that was located behind the rad
New hoses, belts, 82C T-stat (tested before installed), 13lb Rad cap, Modified clutch fan to solid fan
So now I should be cooling like a Mo-Fo right? NO! It's worse now!...temp climbs up on small hills w/o the AC on!
SO, I flush the rad again and bleed all the air out and I replace the stock gauge with new AutoMeter so I can get accurate temp readings.
STILL FRIGGIN HOT!!! Just tested it on a flat stretch of Freeway, AC off, 85F ambiant temp and I'm running 202F!
My head shows NO signs of a crack, no white smoke, no loss of coolant etc. My original H20 pump is not leaking and is making no noise (plus it only has 200,000kms on it). I got a laser thermometer and got the following readings at idle:
Engine - 195F
T-stat housing - 195 ish
Top of T-stat housing - 180ish
Top of rad - 175ish
Sides of rad - 140ish
Bottom of rad - 150ish
Bottom hose - 175ish
So it looks like the T-stat is opening, flowing to the rad, rad is cooling...eveything looks like it should.
So where the hell do i go from here? I've not yet tested it up any hills but if I'm at 202F on flat land at sea level when it's not all that hot out I can imagine what it'll be like up big grades.
Any ideas???? HELP!!!
Signed, pissed off in Sacramento.........
Last November....truck ran fine and cooled well, even up longer grades but H20 temp would climb to about 210 (just below red on the factory gauge) if the outside temp was 90F + when running up big hills. Since I live in an area where temps often reach over 100F I wanted to make sure my cooling system was bullet proof.
SO, I all I needed was a 4 core rad...right?
Ordered a 4 core rebuild from 4 wheel auto & dropped it in. While I'm in there I also do the following:
Remove oil cooler that was located behind the rad
New hoses, belts, 82C T-stat (tested before installed), 13lb Rad cap, Modified clutch fan to solid fan
So now I should be cooling like a Mo-Fo right? NO! It's worse now!...temp climbs up on small hills w/o the AC on!
SO, I flush the rad again and bleed all the air out and I replace the stock gauge with new AutoMeter so I can get accurate temp readings.
STILL FRIGGIN HOT!!! Just tested it on a flat stretch of Freeway, AC off, 85F ambiant temp and I'm running 202F!
My head shows NO signs of a crack, no white smoke, no loss of coolant etc. My original H20 pump is not leaking and is making no noise (plus it only has 200,000kms on it). I got a laser thermometer and got the following readings at idle:
Engine - 195F
T-stat housing - 195 ish
Top of T-stat housing - 180ish
Top of rad - 175ish
Sides of rad - 140ish
Bottom of rad - 150ish
Bottom hose - 175ish
So it looks like the T-stat is opening, flowing to the rad, rad is cooling...eveything looks like it should.
So where the hell do i go from here? I've not yet tested it up any hills but if I'm at 202F on flat land at sea level when it's not all that hot out I can imagine what it'll be like up big grades.
Any ideas???? HELP!!!
Signed, pissed off in Sacramento.........