Overheating - Real time help needed- Stuck on my roadtrip

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steamyT

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Hey guys. I'm on a 2200 mile roadtrip and I seem to have found myself stuck in the middle. I did a lot to prepare for it but not as much as some forum members suggested I do. I got a lot of help from a lot of guys on working through my issues and I really appreciate it. I ran out of time to wait for a water pump so headed out with an sketchy one. Made it over the Rockies by taking it easy and traveling at night. Around Nebraska the water pump started wobbling more and leaking a bit and my 60 started running hot so I was able to get a water pump from Toyota in Nebraska. My brother and I changed it right there but we were still having cooling issues after that even. We can't run it at more than 50 or 55 during the day or temperature starts spiking. We have had to pull over a lot to let it cool too.

We noticed that I was losing some oil. And then we noticed some water around the heat gasket leaking down the side of the block walls. Could a gasket that is going bad cause this overheating. The weird thing is I don't seem to be losing much coolant.

I'm thinking about getting some snake oil crap for a temporary fix to get the rest of the 1100 miles home. I hare to do that because I know it could gum junk up but I'm out of time and money right now. Got to be in North Carolina Saturday night with or without my Cruiser. Preferably with. Do you think it's acceptable to use some snakeoil in this predicament? Can I flush it back out when I get where I'm going to minimize the damage of this stuff? Can anyone recommend a good product for this purpose? Thanks again.
 
The leaking headgasket can definitely contribute to your overheating. If you are not noticing a coolant loss, check to make sure that your oil isn't mixing with your coolant, and making it appear that your coolant level is staying the same.

Regarding the headgasket snake oil:

I've tried this twice(You think I would learned the second time). The first time, I was hundreds of miles away from home with a 60. It was total desparation. I loosley followed the instructions. I did not drain all coolant, replace it only with water, run it with snakeoil, and then let it sit empty for several hours for the stuff to cure. I just poured it in, and ran. It did not work. I had to tow my junk home. The second time was with a 40. I needed it to last about another month, until I had time and money to fix it properly, so I thought I would try the stuff as an experiment. I think it was the K&W head gasket fix. I followed the instructions to a T. It worked. It actually stopped the leak. When I pulled the head a month later to have it machined and do the job right, of the water jackets that I could see, 2 were almost completely clogged.
My advice- If you know your headgasket is leaking, and you have the time and resources to follow the instructions to a T, do it. If it works, it's worth the $7 or whatever the snakeoil costs. However, I would do the job right, the moment I got home.
Good luck. Being that far from home with a limping truck sucks.
 
If you have to be in NC by Saturday, then you probably don't have a day to spare to let the snakeoil cure. I hate to fire a silver bullet into your werewolf of hope, but the 60 probably won't make it to NC in its current state.
 
35inchoverdrive said:
If you have to be in NC by Saturday, then you probably don't have a day to spare to let the snakeoil cure. I hate to fire a silver bullet into your werewolf of hope, but the 60 probably won't make it to NC in its current state.
Click to expand...

You're probably right.
 
if you have oil mixing with the coolant you had better stop and arrange for a tow....to avoid further damage.

There are no "snake-oil" fixes to head gasket... you are risking greater damage by even running the engine at this point.
 
Last edited:
Elbert said:
if you have oil mixing with the coolant you had better stop and arrange for a tow....to avoid further damage.

There are no "snake-oil" fixes to head gasket... you are risking greater damage by even running the engine at this point.
Click to expand...

Elbert is right. Your 60 won't make it to NC by Sat night. Sorry but it just won't make it. If YOU must be there by Sat. Arrange to store your truck...catch a plane or whatever and address your truck when you have the time/$$. A huge pain w/you in NC & your truck in Ill.

On the other hand if you have the scratch and can find a few days you can buy a HG, pull the head , get the head checked out. If it needs machine work you still can be on the road the same day you get the head back.

$150 HG & anti freeze
$!00-350 HG machine work if needed.
$100 or less for a set of tools to do this work, if you don't have any.

Sorry...it is what it is. I would not drive that truck until you address your issues.
John
 
If you can make it to Evansville, IN...you are welcome to keep it in my driveway for a few days until you can get it worked out - it's about an hour and a half drive from where you are. If you want to, email me - I check it more often than PMs.
 
Thanks guys. I really appreciate all the responses.

I'm going to just sleep here tonight and worry about it more tomorrow.
 
Okay, so your oil is going into the coolant. That's not as bad as coolant into oil. You could in an extreme case keep topping off the coolant and maybe change the oil now and then 500 later...
 
Looks like I can tow it behind a uhaul tomorrow for 800. My 60 has tow mounts and I brought my tow bar with me. I'll have to tow it 4 wheels down. Do I just need to put the tranny and tcase in neutral? Anything else I need to do for 4 wheels down towing?
 
man that really sucks!! sorry to hear your having a bad time that far from anywhere.. personally I would pull the rear driveshaft to flat tow it, of course be sure front hubs are unlocked ... good luck !!
 
slacker24-7 said:
man that really sucks!! sorry to hear your having a bad time that far from anywhere.. personally I would pull the rear driveshaft to flat tow it, of course be sure front hubs are unlocked ... good luck !!
Click to expand...

Yes, do this.

John
 
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