overheated last night

[tltaylor22]

Well my 93 with 260k on it over heated last night(boiling into the overflow) out near Strawberry with the scouts. It took about a half gallon of water. I drove it home with no issues, but worry about possible damage with so many miles. I have been shopping for a new 80 with fewer miles, but haven't come accross anything that suits my tastes. The problems are starting to mount on this one though. While down at the lake unloading the canoes, I had driven accross a small ditch( 1 1/2' deep. I then had to back out and once the front wheels got in the hole it just didn't want to climb out. The engine was bogging down, but I couldn't get the tires to climb or spin out. It was like something was slipping, but it wasn't the tires. Having done most of my own mechanical stuff my whole life, who would you guys suggest taking it into to have it looked at? I'm in Salt Lake City Utah

 

[cruiserdan]

With the cooling system that low on fluid it is no wonder that it got hot. The question becomes "where did it go"?

At that mileage it is reasonable to assume that the head gasket is suspect and if it is indeed an issue, the engine is due for an overhaul.

You need to assess your expectations and needs at this point. At over 1/4 million miles the engine is at it's design limit re an overhaul. The transmission and transfer and axles need to be considered as well. Do you know the service history of the vehicle?

 

[tltaylor22]

Thanks for the reply Dan. Your right that I am in the assessing stage. I can practically part it out for more than I can sell it whole. The front axle was fully rebuilt at 200k(Spider gears, inner axles, birfs and bearings). I knew the previous owners who said they had maintianed things, but I'm a little suspicous now. The head gasket is origional and the tranny and t-case have never been torn into. I suspect the tranny and t-case are the whining noise culprit. The shaking/vibration comes and goes and does not seem speed related. The driveshafts have 1 month old joints in them. I guess I'll look at the whole headgasket issue next week. To top everything off, the green paint is almost nonexistent on any horizontal surface. I have been the high bidder on several ebay cruisers, but they are just not hitting the reservse lately.

 

[cruiserdan]

You need to decide what you want and how much you are willing to pay for it.
If the condition of the paint is a concern, you need to be aware that a "proper" re-finish will cost north of 5 thousand dollars alone (more than the vehicle is worth in it's present state).

This is before you open the hood to address the engine.

 

[tltaylor22]

I hear you on the paint job thing. That is one of the big reasons I have been shopping for a newer rig. Most of the green paint jobs I have seen have had the clear coat fail on them. I've looked at several locally that looked good in the pictures, but I could tell that the clear coat was starting to go. I can probably get more for parts than for the whole rig right now or even before the last overheating issue.

 

[landtank]

TlTaylor, your truck would be just the thing for my son. He's only 13 but since it needs some work it would be a nice training project for him and his dad.