... where you want to swap your truck for a horse, and shoot the horse?

Today didn't start off good.




Good news - I had already ordered new hoses and coolant, and have gotten my all-metal Extreme Cooling radiator back from the radiator shop last month.

So I picked up the water pump, the water pump gasket cement, and a tube of thread sealer for tomorrow.

Hoses and coolant are supposed to be in tomorrow.

(If they don't make it, I'll pay the price and buy new DuraLast or whatever from O'Reilly's Sunday. And a gallon of Prestone concentrate and three or so gallons of distilled water.)

RwP

 

Makes me want to move up my radiator hose replacement project and add a heater core flush.

YOU no longer have that option. I just hope this debacle occurred at a somewhat convenient location.

 

Ralph, Did you have that radiator made or is it something that is sold off the shelf?

Bronze I have an old 1985 Ram50 that never gave me heat but always ran hot even after I changed the heater out. So before I installed an all metal rad I flushed with TSP powder that you get at the home despot paint department. I dissolved a 1 lb box in a gallon of distilled water (had to pour some out) after draining it and filled it up with distilled water and ran it til it was at running temp, let it idle a while heater and fan on and let it rest until it cooled down, repeated a couple times and before I even flushed it out I had hot heat. Thinking yours is close in age (IDK the year) to that old 85, it might not hurt to do that.

 

I have a '93. The radiator was replaced a few years ago after my idler pulley disintegrated on the highway. The serpentine belt came off, grabbed the radiator hose and ripped up my radiator.

I have some TSP around. Truthfully, I'm a little hesitant to put anything other than Prestone products through my cooling system for fear of how it will react to internal metal components. I'm not a chemist. I hear people who run vinegar and other household chems thru theirs and end up with bad results.

Although, TSP sounds quite benign.

 

It was an OK location; was able to drive less than 1/2 mile to park when the temp gauge started going up, and it was a cool day outside.

The all metal one I have is the first replacement I bought years ago that got whacked when the clutch for the fan came apart, before the motor rebuild. It sprung a leak, and being in a hurry and it having at the time about 75,000 miles or so (and my normal from decades ago radiator shop now being part of I-49 through Shreveport!), ordered a Spectra Premium. (News flash: I don't buy anymore SP because of it costing me the motor in my Cougar ... on the second in two months!)

The Spectra is plastic top and bottom, the OSC was all metal.

I still find all metal in the junkyards, sometimes the genuine Mopar ones. I've seriously considered "hoarding" them to sell as rebuildable cores; there's a local shop that I've found that will rebuild for like $150 or maybe less.

Currently the OSC 982 (the part number I have) is also plastic tanks. As is the APDI/PRO 8010982 . Don't have the Spectra Premium number hand (those two come from RockAuto's listings.)

(Yes, I found two radiator shops in town finally; one is about 1 mile from my house. So eh.)

RwP

 

Thanks Ralph. I'll have to go over to the shop in town and see what they can do for me.

 

Today was a good day, I think.

Got the old radiator out; had to struggle with the fan clutch assembly and fan because, being the near-genius I am, I took the belts off BEFORE trying to remove it. (Had to reinstall and tighten the power steering belt to cause enough drag I could break the bolts free ... ) Note to others: Break the bolts free FIRST before de-belting the front of the truck.

The bypass hose was really spongy, so I picked up a new one in town. I still haven't flushed the truck, so I get to do that when I get it back together.

Got the old pump off; took 45 minutes to scrape the timing chain cover clean.

Put the new water pump on and got all the bolts back in and tightened up there; need one more at the back of the A/C compressor and then I'll do hoses, fan, and radiator back on the truck tomorrow.

RwP

 

Kinda hard to reach, square up, and scrape that timing chain surface without taking frequent breaks? That would be me and take me all afternoon.

Premade gaskets or RTV or both?

 

I use my air angle grinder, and a whizz wheel, designed for aluminum. Takes about five minutes to get the thing pristine. I love air tools.

 

Both.

Permatex Water Pump And Thermostat Housing sealer on the supplied gasket, both sides.

And yes; took about 45 minutes with both a plastic and a metal razor edge in my scraper.

RwP