Help With Ross's Truck

[Felix]

Okay, I need some advice.

I finally got the new water pump in yesterday, along with the new hoses and belts (damn, 40s are so much easier to work on!). But when I started it up and let it run for a couple minutes in order to burp the cooling system, I saw some steam coming from the top of the engine towards the back. I couldn't tell where exactly it was coming from, but it seemed to be flowing out from around the valve cover.

I shut the truck off right away, but the temp gauge hadn't even moved, yet. And I know it's working. I was pretty beat, so I decided to leave it alone for the day and haven't looked at it since. My thoughts:

- best case scenario is that I spilled some coolant on the engine somewhere and that's it, but I doubt that.

- maybe I didn't get some little hose on right and it's leaking, being thrown by the fan on to the back of the engine.

- or there is something else very wrong.

Any ideas?

 

[John Smith]

Headgasket...

Pull the dipstick, what does the oil look like?
What did the coolant look like when you drained the rad?
Is steam coming from between the head and block?
Finally if everything *looks* good, take it to a shop with a exhaust gas sniffer. It is a tool they hold over the radiator opening with the cap off to sniff for exhaust gas in the coolant. If it smells exhaust gas you have a blown headgasket.

How hot did the engine get and how long was it driven when the water pump failed?

 

[Felix]

Headgasket...

....

How hot did the engine get and how long was it driven when the water pump failed?

Damn. I thought you were going to say that.

The coolant did look pretty murky, but so did the stuff that I first drained out of my 40. I'm not sure how long it's been since it was changed.

I tried to get the truck off the road as soon as I could when I saw the needle shoot up, but it was sudden and I wasn't in a good place to pull off. It might have been running for 30-60 seconds with the needle in the red.

I'll try all the stuff you mentioned.

 

[Rosscanup]

Take it to a couple shops and have them sniff it. Mechanics see dollar signs when they hear headgasket.

 

[kulangot]

Valve cover? No, not from a blown head gasket. That's about 8" inches too high. Are you sure that the coolant is not running along a line or hose and being dripped there?

Were you working on it pointed up hill?

Like Smith said, look for intermingling fluids - combustion gases, but this is not always the case it is possible for it just to leak out.

I JUST SOLD my pressure tester, or I'd lend it to you.

Starting next week, I'll be working in that area for about 3 months. I might be able to stop by and take a look one day on the way there or back.

-Stumbaugh

 

[Felix]

The valve cover is where I saw the steam; I don't think it's actually coming from there. I'm taking it to a shop today to have them sniff and maybe pressure test it. Then if all goes well, I'll figure out where the leak is.

Thanks for the offer, John. If I get frustrated enough, I might take you up on that.

 

[John Smith]

Any updates?

 

[Felix]

Any updates?

I dropped it off at the shop this morning to get tested and haven't heard anything.

It's clearly leeking coolant, though. There's a wet strip on the hood insulation where the fan was spraying fluid. But I'm not sure if it's a leaky radiator or if it's something I did wrong in putting all the new hoses in.

 

[Felix]

Just talked to the guy at the shop. They ran the truck for an hour w/o over heating, and the cooling system held pressure for 25 minutes. He wants to run the pressure test at least two more times just to be sure, though. The only source they could find for the smoke/steam rising from the engine is an oil leak that's dripping directly on the manifold.

Ross, if you're reading this, don't worry - the test price is the same no matter how many times they run it.

I'll get final word tomorrow.

 

[Felix]

Just talked to the shop guy again, and everything checks out. No hg or cracked head issues. The only leak is the radiator.

Sorry for the false alarm.

 

[Herb]

That is good news. So cool of you to be helping out a friend like this Felix.

 

[Felix]

Gotta pay into that Cruiser Karma, man.

Turns out the smoke I was seeing was an oil leak form the valve cover gasket that was dripping onto the exhaust manifold.

Time for me to wheel the piss out of it.

 

[greytandy]

That is good news. So cool of you to be helping out a friend like this Felix.

Felix is a great guy, but a vicious moderator.

 

[Herb]

'giddyup!

 

[Rosscanup]

HARRUMPH! to Felix for working his ass off and stressing over my truck. He should know by now that he only needs to worry when it stops smoking. Let me know how much the test was and I'll paypal you. Thanks so much for all your work. Now wheel the crap out of it.

 

[Felix]

Yeah, if I'd known the rig better, I probably wouldn't have been worried. I just was afraid that I'd killed the engine when it overheated.

 

[John_Smith]

Great news about the truck!

 

[kulangot]

Yeah, if I'd known the rig better, I probably wouldn't have been worried. I just was afraid that I'd killed the engine when it overheated.

I once tore a motor down, trying to figure out what a noise was. In fact, the noise was normal. I just did not have another one to compare it to...experince is another way of saying "list of mistakes" and expert often means "no longer learns and does not listen".

Good show!

-Stumbaugh