Friday night I was up to no good in the truck. Went mud bogging, climbed a few hills, and drag raced a couple times (on a closed course obviously). Well I wasn't easy on it but I sure didn't beat the living hell out of it, I know the limits of my vehicles so I won't do anything unreasonable. For the second race we started at a 30 roll and I had it locked in first gear to get a jump on the start and shifted into drive as soon as I started so I didn't get stuck in first. As soon as I hit the gas to take off I saw a puff of steam come out the windshield grate and once I stopped I saw smoke everywhere, the temp gauge was still below the middle but I shut down immediately. I saw the coolant streaming out so I tried to make it home before it ran dry but I heard it sputtering when it ran out a few miles away so I shut it down and got towed home by a friend. It never once overheated. I flushed the coolant and replaced the radiator and it runs fine. While flushing the coolant I had some steam coming out of the tailpipe that reminded my of the blown gasket it my grand cherokee 4.7 although it was cold out. After I finished the job it was still smoking a bit but not too bad. I took it for a drive and it felt fine. No lack of power or anything, the smoke is gone, and the coolant level is holding steady. I drove for 2 hours straight on the highway and it was still fine. I'm just worried because I know these motors are sensitive to overheating and I find it odd that it blew as soon as I stomped on the gas. I'm just hoping someone can explain this a bit more based on the description, thanks in advance.

 

You prolly just blew the pressure cap off of the radiator... just keep a close eye on your temps for a few days and keep a closer eye on your hot and cold coolant levels....

Also when you change your oil next, look for coolant in the oil... that will be a definitive way to tell if you broke it.

 

Although not all the time does your oil make it to the coolant though. So if you ever have a worry or still think you have blown the gasket get a compression test done. But if you really swapped everything out quick and didnt run it alot with no coolant then odds are you head gasket is fine

 

if you pull the thermostat and see milky crud on it then you might have busted the head gasket, personally if I blew my radiator I'd change my thermostat ASAP.

 

Good point. And yes if you already replaced the Rad just replace the cheap parts now so you wont have to go back through if they go out.

 

Thanks for the quick responses, the oil looked fine during the coolant flush and it still looks pretty good after the long drive. I should have replaced the thermostat but I was in a hurry so I cleaned it off and put it back in. If I see anymore symptoms I'll do a compression test. One more question, I had regular hose water running through the engine and heater core to flush it and I let as much as possible drain out before filling it with the 50/50 G-05 coolant. I only got 2 and 3/4 gallons in and I know its just over a 4 gallon system so I'm worried It's too diluted for the cold temp here. Do you think I'm safe or should I drain some and add more concentrated coolant to even it out?

 

mixing that stuff is such a pain... you should ask the dealer what the recommend for your area though... they might suggest a lower temp rated pre-mixed solution or a different ratio....

 

Did you put 50/50 prediluted antifreeze in it, or was it straight undiluted?

If pre diluted, then you do not have the 50/50 mix.

 

You probably did overheat it but a temp sensor needs to be in fluid.
Your gauge may have read close to normal even thou it indeed was overheated,
Pretty obvious if it was sputtering . Not trying to be neg but never run engine that's leaking !
IMHO

 

I went less that a mile, may not have been the best decision but I towed it the rest of the way. It was a small stream coming out, I dont think I gave it enough time to empty all the coolant before I shut down. As for the coolant I bought 2 gallons of concentrated and 2 gallons of distilled water then mixed it all for a 50/50 mix.