Well Scouts see I'm glad I've got you to pull me back from the edge.

I'll just fill/flush the expansion tank/radiator a couple times and then fill it up for the burp sometime next week.

Had surgery Monday on my leg so moving around slower than I'd like but I'm enjoying the challenge.

 

Alright, one final check to make sure I've got my ducks in a row before I go ahead with this.

1)Drain system by opening radiator and expansion tank caps and disconnecting bottom radiator hose.

2) Pour water through radiator

3) Reattach hose and refill radiator and expansion tank with distilled water.

4) Run car at max heat until reaches operating temperature.

5) Allow to cool and then drain/repeat as necessary till fluid clear.

6) Refill radiator and expansion tank till full with distilled water/coolant mix and perform system "burp" to make sure no air is trapped.

I noticed in some other threads people also suggested removing the t stat? Is this necessary if I am not planning on replacing it?

Thanks again and sorry for the endless questions.

 

Works for me. I wouldn't worry about the t-stat, just leave it in, it'll open when coming up to temp. Don't run it too long k.

 

Whenever I've had that dredded 'waterfall' sound in the heater core that came out of the blue, it was a symptom of a larger problem: a pending headgasket failure. Eventually the gaskets on those cars gave out and yours probably will too. It could take a year or even two. Keep a close eye on your coolant levels. The exception is if you've recently done some work on the cooling system, but that should bleed itself out pretty quick and once it's bled out it shouldn't reappear. Park it with the nose in the air while running and that'll help burp it too. If it continues, there's more PM work to do. But keep your eye on the coolant levels.

 

Yeah and thats obviously my great fear. I didn't notice the waterfall until after some fluid had been added to the expansion tank so thats what I'm hoping it is. I will definitely keep an eye on the coolant though thank you.

Scout got the system flushed and refilled and the temp gauge is definitely slightly lower than before, but it wasn't past 9 o'clock regardless. Will get the system burped tomorrow to get rid of the air!

 

Below 9 o'clock or above 9 o'clock? Best device you can buy is something that gives the exact temp like an Ultragauge or bluetooth dongle and app for smart phone. You have two coolant temp sensors, one's for the gauge and one's for the ECM. You'll be reading the one for the ECM. You can also add an old school independent gauge or cluster.

Even if you're loosing a head gasket it's not the end of the world and in many cases is better than waiting to loose one because you get it over with AND you clean up or replace everything else that has been neglected. The engine will run better than you ever imagined afterwards. Nothing to fear but fear itself. It takes about a weekend to do head gaskets or maybe four days if you go through it and clean the guts. I prefer to know where my engine's weak and strong.

 

Always below 9, I've never seen it above. I had wondered how everyone was getting exact temperature readings while driving. Is there a wiring guide around here that shows me what all that entails?

I found a leak around the transmission cooler connection on the top right of the radiator. It appears to be weeping around where the the connector is welded on. I'm thinking I might be able to apply a little solder there to close it up. I'll try and post a picture tomorrow.