Big Dan Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Quick background, I have an open cooling system. There was a small leak in the radiator, so I put in a new one. Now, my vehicle will slowly over heat (takes about ten mins) until 260. Idle or driving doesnt effect this. I have a new cap, changed thermostats and checked the lower hose. Everything looks good. I've done everything i can think of to get any potential air out of the system (parked on a hill, remove sending unit, etc). I have NOT changed the water pump and if you all think it is the culprit, I will. However, fluid flows thru the upper hose and it gets hot to the touch. Outside of that, I'm really clueless on how to proceed. Any help is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 Forgot to mention, I have a regular mechanical fan. It is not thermally operated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine1Texas Posted July 9, 2016 Share Posted July 9, 2016 Did you burp the system good. you may have a air bubble in the system. I have herd lots of people complain and it turns out to be a air bubble that they could not get out of the system. I am not saying for sure this is the problem, just something to check out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 9, 2016 Author Share Posted July 9, 2016 I've done everything I can think of. As mentioned previously, I've tried parking on a hill as well as removing the sending unit. I also tried squeezing all of the hoses to help air burp out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 The only piece that's new is the radiator, correct? Previous to this it was not overheating, just a radiator leak? If so, I'd swap the old radiator back in for testing purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Yes sir, that's correct. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot and tossed the old radiator as soon as I replaced it. Edit - I bought an ir thermometer to test that out tomorrow. My gauge has acted weird before and it might have gotten worse . Previously, the gauge would read correctly with engine running, but if the key was in just the on position, it would max out. Maybe it finally crapped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 Does it boil over? Might just be an indicating problem, as you're saying with your gauge acting up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 No, it does not boil over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 10, 2016 Author Share Posted July 10, 2016 Well, it boiled over today. The temp gauge was reading 250 at idle and the IR thermometer read 205. I figured that it must be reading incorrectly. After a quick 2 mile trip, I returned home and the gauge had gone up to the max line. After popping the hood, coolant was coming out from the cap on the reservoir and the IR thermometer read 260 at the thermostat housing. I guess changing the water pump is all that is left. But, as I said, it doesnt make sense, since coolant is flowing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marine1Texas Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 wondering about a small leak in the head gasket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strokermjcomanche Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 You said you checked the lower radiator hose ? Does that mean you have the "spring" that goes inside of it to keep it from collapsing ? Have you ever used any stop leak ? Or has the antifreeze ever looked like sludge ? And was the old radiator thicker core than the new one ? Sorry for 20 questions .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MancheKid86 Posted July 10, 2016 Share Posted July 10, 2016 wondering about a small leak in the head gasket. that would make sense if he had the issue before rad swap. if your water pump was failing. revving it to 3500 rpm and allowing more coolant to flow would drop the temps back down. sounds like you have a faulty new rad like hornbrod said. doesnt hurt to replace the water pump, but if the problem persist's then it is the new rad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 You said you checked the lower radiator hose ? Does that mean you have the "spring" that goes inside of it to keep it from collapsing ? Have you ever used any stop leak ? Or has the antifreeze ever looked like sludge ? And was the old radiator thicker core than the new one ? Sorry for 20 questions .. That is correct, the lower radiator hose is operating correctly. I have not used stop leak and the coolant looked good (no sludge). Same radiator thickness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 11, 2016 Author Share Posted July 11, 2016 wondering about a small leak in the head gasket. that would make sense if he had the issue before rad swap. if your water pump was failing. revving it to 3500 rpm and allowing more coolant to flow would drop the temps back down. sounds like you have a faulty new rad like hornbrod said. doesnt hurt to replace the water pump, but if the problem persist's then it is the new rad. Ill give a new radiator a try and report back. Thanks for the help fellas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted July 11, 2016 Share Posted July 11, 2016 Might be something in the rad that's plugging it up... Rag, rubber glove, shipping plug, etc. It would be worth it to pull that rad off and try backflushing it with a hose before buying a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 13, 2016 Author Share Posted July 13, 2016 Got it fixed! And, now, I'm embarrassed. It was a combo of the thermostat and peanuts in the new radiator (IDIOT). Flush out the radiator and the peanuts that the shipper used somehow got jammed in the top of the radiator...that took a while to get out. After that, it STILL was not cooling correctly. I replaced the thermostat for the third time...and it finally worked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Were the t-stats bad, or did you gum them up on install? I've had people tell me that they will always put a new t-stat in a pot of water on the stove to confirm function before install... Personally I think that's crazy, but I guess it happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Been there - done that. I got a new brass radiator years ago from a respected manufacturer (think it was Griffin) and it would overheat like yours. I pulled it out and shook it and it rattled. The damn thing was full of solder balls from the factory! They were jamming off the water passages so badly it could hardly flow. As far as thermostats, spend the extra $$ at the dealer and get the Mopar 195* stat with the jiggle valve, p/n 52028186. They are the best there is, I've never had a bad one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Jiggle valve? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyComanche Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 For bleeding air? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOrnbrod Posted July 13, 2016 Share Posted July 13, 2016 Si, built-in burper when you flush and change coolant in an open system. Drain, fill, start engine, let it warm up, watch temp gauge for the ~20* drop when it burps around ~220*, shut off, coolant if necessary to overflow bottle, done. No parking on a hill, pulling the temp sensor on the head, squeezing the hoses, etc. etc. needed like you have to do with the crappy closed system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Dan Posted July 15, 2016 Author Share Posted July 15, 2016 Were the t-stats bad, or did you gum them up on install? They ended up being bad, but, its definitely possible that I gummed them up on install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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