hey all.
before i start listing the issues i am having with this truck i should say it has been hit in the front. bumper took all the hit, there is a dent on the hood. passenger side headlight brackets in the back are broken but the headlights front is not broken and all bulbs work.
damage did not go any further then the 2 tube braces behind the grill. (visual inspection)
i bought this truck monday and drove it home on highway for about 70 miles and no problems.
since then, all i did was disconnect the battery a few times and added the seafoam into the tank.
coolant in the reservoir is low and i got waterfalls in the dashboard.

here is the list

1) overheated twice within 30 min. i added a can of seafoam on and "empty" tank and drove it to the gas station (10 mins maybe). as i am pulling at the pump, smoke comes out and i see that the coolant in the reservoir is boiling and the line coming from the top of the reservoir is shooting coolant on the hot engine and thats what the smoke was. let it cool off for about 10 mins and drove home another 10 mins drive maybe, same problem. hooked up the scangauge coolant temp was 230F. air temp was about 100F. kept the heat on at max to help keep it cool, hot air works fine and the coolant temp droped to 211F. drove off to a mechanic and from peep boys to the straus back and forth a few times. with out the heat on coolant temp would go up to 224F.

2) when i turn the engine on there is a grinding noise the brake pedal feels like a stick shift when you change gears with out pressing the cluth, then the brake pedal drops a little. it happens only when turned on for the first time. if i was to shut it off and on again it dosent happen.

3) took off from a store and half a block later i realized that the dashboard shows i am on P, heat or radio has no power, turned it off then back on (thats when i felt the brake pedal vibrate for the first time) and it was normal. has not happend since then.

4) i think the engine is running a bit rough. and on idle i feel a little non consistent "shaking" coming from the engine. dont know how to describe the sound of the engine running but it does remind me of an 87 firebird i had years back when the catalytic converter clogged and the engine sounded like choking but no sputtering, the DII dosent sound that bad just slight resemblance.

5) fan is loud

after all these issues came up. i replaced the air filter and one spark plug will do the rest tomorow. pep boys has the boch plat +4 in stock. will order the wires tonight.

i already have the T-body cleaner and a second can of seafoam for the induction cleaning, and instruction from the sticky, how to get all of these done.

what do you guys think? did i get myself in a lot of troubles with this truck?

oh one more issue, the drivers sun roof dont work.... the one in the back works fine.

thanks hilltopperx for fast responses and all the tips today.

what a day......

 

I did the bleeding of the coolant
Dont hear the waterfall anymore and parked on idle is running at 216 with the heat off.
If i rev for a minute at 2000 drops down to 196.
What du you guys think it is?
Thanks for the help
FIA is at 128.

 

You may have just had an air bubble in your coolant passageway, and now that you have bled the system it went away. Check for the 'obvious' leaks at hoses, thermostat, etc. However I strongly advise that you at least get a chemical test done on your coolant to see if you have any exhaust gas in your coolant. Looking back on an issue I had with overheating, if I had done that at the beginning I would have saved myself a lot of time and money before finally discovering a bad head gasket, and ultimately a cracked head. Just sayin'.... don't take unnecessary chances.

 

i tried in the morning to do the bleeding but was not successful. no coolant was coming out from the bleed hole.
let it cool down and this time i removed the reservoir and raised it up and sure enough there was coolant coming out. (a tiny bit brownish not orange orange)
i am planing to get a new thermo stat and do a coolant flush.
how many gallons of coolant would i need for that? (these things are like 11$ a gallon)

i looked at the fan also. i still think it runing a bit loud, (well i am used to the maxima) lol. it took a while for the electricfan to kick in around 200 i think.

the whole time i kept checking the temp on the scangauge.

so am i safe now to drive it around town? lol.
i am stressing out and working on this truck before i even got to enjoy a single ride,

or should i go do the induction cleaning?

dint have much luck with the spark plugs, will do it when i get the wires. next weekend probably.

 

If you have a head gasket problem, and this is a big IF, your truck will not overheat at idle - only when you start driving it will you see temperature rise above normal. Like I wrote previously, it is a wise thing to check your coolant for exhaust gas content before you start spending money on replacement parts.....assuming of course you have eliminated the obvious sources of possible leaking that you can see.

 

Where can i check the coolant content?
I drove it around for a couple of hrs this evening and only a couple of times it went up to 215. Trafic and parked. The rest of the time while drivng was at about 207 and 211 on red lights.
I forgot to check the coolant when i parked. Wiill check it tomorow.
The grinding noise plus the break pedal jerking at start up is still there for about a sec as the starter kicks in.
Anyone else with similar problems at start up?
Thank you for your help.

 

to test the coolant for hydrocarbons go to NAPA get a block tester follow the instructions, its about 50.00 you can test many coolant systems with this tester

 

My brake petal does the same "grind" when it starts up too. I think it's the ABS system activating, but i know exactly what you're talking about.
Also, mine sounds like a diesel when it starts up in the morning, yep, kinda like an 87 firebird lol. Mine doesn't shake, but it tends to "hiccup" occasionally when i'm at stop-lights too.
Sounds like we drive the same vehicle lol.

 

YES. thanks man, thats what it feels like, like the ABS is kicking in.
it has been to long that needed ABS or it ever kicked in. forgot how the brake pedal feels when it happens. lol
i am not giving up for this weekend yet. got to finish the spark plugs, had the wrong tool (the one with a handle in the back that you twist by hand) not enough space for it. got the right socked and going to do it now.

can i get the coolant checked at a shop? i dont wanna spend 50 on something i might use once in a blue moon. well if the shop will charge more i might have to.
thank you

 

I'm not sure if you can get the coolant checked at the shop or not. Keep us all updated. Thanks!