Hello,new member long time user.I have a 1977 w100 powerwagon stepside 400 49000 miles been in the family since new but been sitting for over 2 years runs great and looks pretty good with lots of small problems. to start with 2 of them steam out of vents when heater on where is the heater core the other for now is front lights work good but brake,tail,turn,and reverse are dim and not doing what they are supposed to.just a weekend mecanic any advice would be appriecated.

 

the first thing i would look at is the ground connections for the lights. if it is bad it could cause the lights not to function properly. if you have steam coming out the vents then i would also guess you have a leaking heater core. the heater core should be in the heater box on the passenger side.

 

Thanks crazzy I herd somewhere that radiator stop leak might fix it,recomended or not? also are the grounds you are talking toward the back or all over?

 

i have never tried that stop leak stuff so it would be hard to say. i guess it would depend on the size of the leak. it kind of sounds weird that you get steam. you would almost think you would see it pooling somewhere. the ground connections i am thinking of are towards the back since that is where you are having the problems but it would probably not hurt to look over and clean up some of the ground connections under the hood just to be sure.

 

I consider a stop leak as a good temporary solution until a proper repair can be made. "Bars leak" is a good one. There is another one that looks like a roll of quarters in a clear tube. I can't think of its name off hand but if you use that one be sure to use the copper one and not the silver for your application.

I agree on the bad ground as that is a common problem.

 

I read that there should be a puddle on the passenger floor but none and the steam is kinda oiley. also ground always black?

 

does the truck have a/c? maybe it is just dirt and oil in the vent from it sitting. i am not really sure what else it could be. the only thing you could maybe do is take it apart and look. i think there may be a clean out on the passenger side of the heater box but i am not sure of the trucks made from 80 and older. maybe check that.

 

No a/c but lots of pine needles and leaves under the grill below the windshield (not sure how i am getting them out)i will take the cover off the heater box tomorrow and see whats up.

 

i know when i got my 81 there was a big mess of stuff in the heater box. looked like some mice had made a home in it.

 

Alumaseal? It is much better for older coolant systems than Barsleak or any of the other leak-stops because it uses fine aluminum powder instead of the rubbery/paper stuff in the other stuff. The other stuff will clump up and block the lines in your radiator and sometimes block it up completely. Any corrosion and buildup in your cooling system will catch that stuff and cause a build up. Alumaseal does not.