when you say when you had a 4 core,what are you running now and is there a difference?

 

it was a 4 core all Aluminum POS. built with out proper support so it just took a little bit of use and it cracked and leaked.
I put in a Nissans composite or plastic side tank aluminum 3 core (orig is 3 core) rad 4 days ago - so far so good.

 

yeah i read alot about using a 180 stat but the thing is once engine is up to temp and stat is open the coolant circulating with a good system travels around pretty fast and once it's gotten to 228 it takes awhile for it to cool down even when running [i guess] i just read these posts from people that say their truck never goes above 206 and mostly run at 199-201 which mine does until you hit the stop and go stuff,just never saw it hit 228 [it was 224-228 tho] and my instrument gauge never moved from the a little less than the 9 position

 

yeah the 180 tstat really does nothing once at operating temp
I guess what I took from what I saw with mine was yeah it will get to 228 (edit- no that was 219) on super hot Ac blasting days but it doesnt go any higher even when putting my foot in it on the HWY so Im not worried - it functions like it always has - the temp guage is where it always has been

 

If you don't already have a new coolant reservoir cap, I'd give that a try. The system is supposed pressurized a bit. The correct cap has a 15 lbs/sq in relief valve. Given all that you've already replaced it is a walk in the park and cheap.

 

thanks walt,should have mentioned i did put a new cap on fairly new tank,the truck runs usually in the 199-201 zone til a few sitting stops that get it to 206-208 and pretty much tops at 212-215. really was concerned at highway speeds [60-65] it ran at 206 until slowind for traffic up to-212 and then in bad stalled traffic watched her go to 224-228 for the first time and got me concerned and it's not even summer weather yet!! the head gaskets are original

 

They (head gaskets) won't be original much longer if you don't get the spikes worked out.

 

thanks,that is what i'm afraid of,i do have those hella 4000 sitting on the brush bar which has to obstruct the air flow,i really think this truck has been operating at these temps for a long time now,it's only recently that i've been monitering temps,not much else i can do as system is fairly new,today it ran 201-212 when it got hot but mostly 206,i know above 235 it's toast but it will drive you nuts always watching temp numbers

 

I'm in FL as well. I installed a Nissens 64029 and did a head gasket, new water pump, pretty much a cooling system rebuild. Some jackwagon POS PO had levered off the front cover, damaged it all up, put it back on with gobs of RTV, then the RTV melted and totally blocked one of my coolant passages in the block, leading to a head gasket failure. My radiator had a blockage and a leak, so I figured it was time for it to go. My D1 now runs consistently around 180, highest I've seen is 195 when stopped in traffic, but as soon as I'm on the gas it drops back down. IMO 228 is terrifying, you're probably spraying coolant from your reservoir cap at that temp. If you've still got your hood liner, you might not notice but it's probably got coolant in it. Mind you temps in FL are still on the cool side, time will tell as summer rolls around, but I'd probably be pulling over for anything over 200....

 

thanks for your response,i have to say your the first and only person i've heard from that says his truck operates at 180 and 195 is the highest! i'm running an oem t-stat which is 192degree or 195 [not sure on which] but from my knowledge of most v8 engines anything south of 220 should be ok,and no not spraying coolant anywhere and gauge is a couple ticks south of 9.i believe these trucks are meant to operate at 199-206 and when sitting maybe 215,but if mine ran as cool as yours i'd be thrilled.have heard good things about that rad but i'm kinda sticking with original stuff