Could this be a head gasket?

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TremorX

TremorX

Joined
Mar 11, 2005
Threads
15
Messages
151
Location
Nahunta, GA
Website
www.rocketshipstudios.com
Symptoms:

Frequent reduction in coolant level (I'm putting about a gallon of distilled water in every two weeks)
Overheating, regardless of speed (if outside temperature is > 60F
No noticable drips or leaks from engine area
Occasional drips of water from the exhaust pipe (no smoke though)
At idle, the hose from the radiator to the overflow tank bubbles at a steady rate
Heater core audibly fills up at every start or use of heater

I've replaced the water pump, the hoses, the fan clutch, thermostat, and radiator cap.

The radiator is supposedly 'new', according to the PO, but when filing it up, sometimes you can hear a sort of 'burp' or sudden rush of water deep down in it.

I've been fighting overheating gremlins since I got the truck. I'm starting to suspect it's the head gasket.

Am I right?
 
i had a loss of water with no drips and it ended up being that heater hose against the firewall on the drivers side. when it dripped it landed on exhaust and evaporated before it hit the ground.

did you remember that hose?

also i've noticed temperature sensors like to fail. are you sure it's really too hot?

just wishin for the best for ya
 
A sweet smell from the exhaust is a indicator...or a change in the texture of the motor oil.. you can check around your area, but one of my local radiator shops started offering cooling system analysis to measure the HC levels in the coolant..this very informative & can detect a problem long before a failure occurs....
 
grant5127 said:
A sweet smell from the exhaust is a indicator...or a change in the texture of the motor oil.. you can check around your area, but one of my local radiator shops started offering cooling system analysis to measure the HC levels in the coolant..this very informative & can detect a problem long before a failure occurs....
Click to expand...

Not to hijack, but I have a sweet smell and visible smoke in the cab when I turn on my heat. New rad, new water pump, new thermo, new hoses.

What gives? Heater core?
 
If you're putting straight water in your cooling system, you really should use 50% antifreeze or you'll end up with rust problems.

You could start by replacing the stock temp gauge with something better. It doesn't sound like there's any question you're overheating but at least you'd know what your coolant temp is.

You either have a coolant leak or a defect in a cooling component. It sound like you've eliminated all of the coolant components, except maybe the rad. To determine if you have a coolant leak buy a "radiator pressure tester" or have a radiator shop do the test. This will tell you if you have a leak anyplace where the coolant is supposed to be (radiator, hoses, oil cooler, etc.). Also do a compression test. This can rule out the head gasket, but not conclusively implicate it because there are other symptoms that can result in low cylinder compression. A cylinder compression gauge is inexpensive and the test is easy to perform. If you have low cylinder compression, the head may be coming off anyway.

Hope this helps.
 
New is the best way to go.. even if you repair the old one .. there is a very good chance it will fail again....
 
Change your oil while your at it. If you drain your pan and there is water coming out or a milky white oil substance its a good indicator that your head gasket is on its way out.
 
No, no problem with the oil. The oil looks quite clean, actually. No water, no milky oil. I just recently changed it. Also, no sweet-smell from the oil or the tailpipe.

It is possible there's a clog, because the old water pump had just about rotted apart - it was so bad the ends crumbled while taking it off the truck. So, obviously, rust is definitely a known issue.

The only thing leading me to suspect the head gasket right now is the slight bubbling from the radiator at idle.
 
i just trail fixed a leaky hose and before i was hearing that bubling noise your talking about that so i wouldent atribute it to the head gasket.
 
TremorX said:
No, no problem with the oil. The oil looks quite clean, actually. No water, no milky oil. I just recently changed it. Also, no sweet-smell from the oil or the tailpipe.

It is possible there's a clog, because the old water pump had just about rotted apart - it was so bad the ends crumbled while taking it off the truck. So, obviously, rust is definitely a known issue.

The only thing leading me to suspect the head gasket right now is the slight bubbling from the radiator at idle.
Click to expand...

Bubbling is a bad sign..get someone to do a block test if you don't have the resources do do it your self...your statement about the water pump indicates to me there may be build-up of debris and crap in the rear section of the engine. thus causing a insufficient flow and adding to the over heating factor... I would pull the block drain located on the left side at the rear of the block and check what comes out....a good block flush maybe needed...
 
bubbleing in the radiator happens when you are low enough on water that there are voids in the system. If you have tiny bubles when the engine is warm and running. then its either a head gasket or worse. worse would be a cracked head or block. If there is debry in the cooling system you could get poor circulation and vapor lock. big bubbles when you fill it. Take it to a radiator shop and they will diagnose the problem. back flush the system, check for hydrocarbons in the coolant etc.
lathrop
 
Seems like two tests might help to narrow down the potential problem...

1. A cooling system pressure test.
2. A leak-down test.

I'd do the leak-down test first. That should be a good test for whether it's the headgasket. If you pass that test, then the valves/rings/headgasket are good. That means it's "just" the cooling system.

If it passes the leakdown, then the cooling system is failing somewhere else besides the headgasket.

If the engine does poorly on the leakdown & on the cooling system pressure test, then its most likely the headgasket.
 
Take the plugs out, there will most likely be a build up of crap. Here are what mine looked like:
P3150630.JPG
 
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