Cpt Marvel
Full Access Member
So, as any of you who have put up with my inane posts and questions know, I've been having issues with my cooling system. Thats right, the one with the stripped air bleed plug. (Don't worry, there IS a question at the end) Back ground: Changed Rad hoses, thermostat, water pump, radiator. Bleed screw stipped and couldn't get out. Tried various "burping" methods as described on here. Nothing worked. Upper hose hot, lower hose cold after driving and ideling for long periods. Tried with cap on and off. Thought maybe thermostat defective so I pulled it back out, put it in pot of water along side another new one and brought to a boil with thermometer in water. They both opened at about the same time, around 190-195. So,,brainstorm: I put the newer thermostat in and connected the lower hose. Then removed the upper hose, attached a piece of heater hose to a funnel and SLOWLY filled the block through the upper inlet. Took almost a gallon. Then I crawled under the truck and listened at the hose. I could hear bubbling sounds. My thought was, since the bleed valve in the thermostat is oriented so as to let air (or coolant) from the block to the radiator and not the oposite way, maybe once the block go full then the coolant would start leaking into the radiator and help eliminate air pockets in the block. I will point out at this time,when I pulled the thermostat and lower hose, only about a cup of coolant came out from the previous fill. Now I've got a gallon in there. Next I put the hose and funnel to the upper radiator inlet and filled that till it ran out and made a mess. Reattached the upper hose, then filled the tank to cold. Started engine and the tank emptied, so refilled twice. Let it idle, cap off, occaisionally squeezing upper hose to get a little movement of coolant in and out of the tank. Did this for about an hour, checking tank coolant temp. I got up to
180. Shut it down for an hour or so, then put the cap on and took it for a 53 mile drive. 30 miles on interstate and 20 just running around town. Got it back home, upper hose still hot, lower still coolish. Temp gauge in truck gets up to halfway fairly quick, but not over. No sign or smell of being too hot. No boil over in tank. Now, it seems to me that if the hot water is exiting the block at the bottom, thru the thermostat, that the lower hose should be about the same temp, maybe even hotter, than the top. Am I just stupid? Belt is routed correctly, fan (clutch type) is rotating in the correct direction so the water pump should be too.
2003, 3.7, 4x4, heavyduty cooling package.
180. Shut it down for an hour or so, then put the cap on and took it for a 53 mile drive. 30 miles on interstate and 20 just running around town. Got it back home, upper hose still hot, lower still coolish. Temp gauge in truck gets up to halfway fairly quick, but not over. No sign or smell of being too hot. No boil over in tank. Now, it seems to me that if the hot water is exiting the block at the bottom, thru the thermostat, that the lower hose should be about the same temp, maybe even hotter, than the top. Am I just stupid? Belt is routed correctly, fan (clutch type) is rotating in the correct direction so the water pump should be too.
2003, 3.7, 4x4, heavyduty cooling package.
