No you cant it has the gasket around the thermostat it will just gush water everywhere.

 

Just to throw more money at it, I replaced the lower radiator hose yesterday and still have the same issue. The upper hose is no longer collapsing, but the temperature issues persist. The only thing I can think of at this point is to replace the water pump again with a different brand from a different store and hope that it fixes the problem.

The symptoms still are lack of heat in the cab, and running hot. Temps climb when I accelerate but stay fairly stable (but high) when on the highway. At idle, temp stays consistent around 200. When the temp gets high, if I put it in neutral and let the rpms get to idle, even if for a second, the temp will drop to normal.

I'm at such a loss on how to fix this thing that I actually considered trading it in until I called for a payoff and realized that I only own $2k on it. For the first time ever, I have a chance to own a car outright and have it be worth something.

 

Hmmm, lack of heat in the cab? Just throwing this out there, but could it be heater core or some sort of vacuum solenoid for the cooling system? The only way I know to check a heater core is to get it up to temp, turn heat on full blast, then touch/feel both hoses running through firewall to heater core. If one is hot and other cold, core could be clogged. Or something not switching heat through it???

 

Oh and the coolant is mixed 50/50 right?

 

Coolant is mixed 50/50. I haven't felt the heater core hoses yet, but when I disconnected them and hooked them to the garden hose, I was able to flush in both directions getting excellent flow until I got clean water. It definitely could be something in the cab not switching to heat since the engine was out... Possibly a vacuum line that got pinched or not reconnected properly. I'll check that when I check the heater hoses this afternoon.

 

Do you have the service manual? If not download it from weedaho signature. I was just reading through coolant issues. You may want to do a combustion leakage test, to see if exhaust gases or compression leakage as a result of cylinder head gasket. I did not see a solenoid of any sort for the coolant water to circulate through the heater core, so that may be a separate issue. Service manual tells you how to test for combustion leaks into the coolant with and without a pressure tester.

 

I just had the passenger side head gasket replaced and the driver side was tested but I'll take a look at it anyway. If it's the head gasket, this truck is getting traded in this weekend.

 

How much was the test?

 

The head gasket job included testing both sides to see if the head gaskets were bad cost me a grand. You can test for bad head gaskets but running a compression test, the gage for which should cost around $30 or so.

As far as my head gasket, there's no steam in the exhaust, no water in the oil and the oil level is right where it should be, not high or low as if it was taking on water or burning oil.

 

See thats my problem no water in the oil but it will smoke. Also have a lean code, so im pulling my left head off as we speak. when i pulled the plugs one had water on it