Overheating
#21
Not sure if I mentioned this but I checked tonight and the upper rad hose is hot and the lower hose is cool. The radiator cap is cool as well. This tells me that nothing is flowing through the radiator. My only thoughts are:
A.) the "new" thermostat I put in isn't working.
B.) The radiator is SOMEHOW clogged after only 20k miles
C.) I need to drive this truck off of a cliff.
D.) There somehow is still an air pocket stuck somewhere deep inside and it's really pissing me off. I've heard the 4.7 Ram engine is infamous for doing so.
A.) the "new" thermostat I put in isn't working.
B.) The radiator is SOMEHOW clogged after only 20k miles
C.) I need to drive this truck off of a cliff.
D.) There somehow is still an air pocket stuck somewhere deep inside and it's really pissing me off. I've heard the 4.7 Ram engine is infamous for doing so.
#22
if in doubt, remove the thermostat and place it in a pan of water on the stove, heat it untill the thermostat opens, if you get to a boil and it does not open, bad stat. drilling a 1/16 in hole at the top of the stat (if it doesnt already have one) will help the flow/bleeding process. If it does have one, make sure it is on top
#23
Air lock
if in doubt, remove the thermostat and place it in a pan of water on the stove, heat it untill the thermostat opens, if you get to a boil and it does not open, bad stat. drilling a 1/16 in hole at the top of the stat (if it doesnt already have one) will help the flow/bleeding process. If it does have one, make sure it is on top
To help with bleeding the system I squeeze the hoses to move the water allowing the air to excape. Also, turn the heater on to help with circulation.
Good luck..
Last edited by RedTruck-VA; 02-13-2010 at 09:11 PM.
#24
#26
My mom had a minivan once. And it overheated. We took the rad out and had it checked. No prob there. We replaced the stat. Then we replaced the water pump not once but 3 times. We kept building pressure in the coolant and they actually had a small bleeder valve in the top of the stat housing. It was one like the ones used to bleed brakes. Come to find out, one of the head gaskets was leaking JUST enough that air was getting in the system
#28
#29
As much as I want to think air pocket, I'm wondering about the radiator now. The upper hose is hot but the cap and lower hose are cool. I know a huge air pocket COULD cause this, but I'm wondering if the radiator is clogged with something else. It's just with 20k miles on the trucks it's hard to believe. After draining the system and installing the water pump, I hate to take the radiator off. I'm going to continue to try to burp the system this weekend and if all else fails, I guess I'll be taking the radiator off. Anyway to test it? It's not leaking so it shouldn't need to be replaced. Maybe draining into a clean bucket and then trying a sytem flush? I'm tired of wasting $30 of antifreeze.
#30