If you have a scanner you can monitor engine temp in digital fashion, and see if you fixed it. If you depend on the factory gauge, it does not work like your old Buick. The gauge points at 50%, driven by the computer, until it gets beyond factory "normal" temp thern jumps up and overheating has begun. With a scanner you can see that you are passing 215 and there is no need to go to 235.

 

I do not have a scanner... I am trying to look around the net to see what kind of very reasonable scanners are out there. Have any of your guys used the UltraGauge? I am thinking that something that is full time scan might be a good idea? Opinions?

Thank you guys so much for all your info! I really to appreciate it.
Dan

 

Bleed the air out of the system when you refill the coolant. Try a search on the DII forum and it will show a couple of threads with the directions on the bleed procedure. If you see a lot of burping then that means youre getting air in the system and it's probably coming from a leak. Also pressure test the truck. You can rent a pressure text kit. Or if you have an air compressor you can pressurize the system, but only use 15-20 psi max.

Don't just poor coolant in the reservoir and run it. The ultraguage is a great idea and many of us here use it!

 

Anyone who has been on this forum for a decent amount of time has heard of the UltraGauge and most people use one (myself included). Get it and reset your temp alert to go off around 225-230, if you hit that then there is something you need to fix. It is unlikely you'll cause damage at those temps but that is above where even the warmest "working" disco should ever be. On stock everything you should be between 195-220max under any load/conditions (ie ac on 105 deg outside in traffic)

If your expansion tank has coolant and you're overheating while its possible to have an air pocket it is unlikely. Most likely you have a much bigger problem like someone mixed coolants (dexcool+green = sludge which clogs up your rad). You could also have a bad fan clutch though your symptoms would most likely be reversed (cool on highway, hot idle). While your electric fan could also be fried it is meant as a safety net in case you hit extreme conditions, it isn't meant for normal use.

These engines have cylinder sleeves that aren't held in place so overheating is BAD BAD BAD and can permanently destroy your engine by causing one to slip. If you see that needle rise even a little stop driving it, use all your AAA miles if you have to because its cheaper than an engine replacement. You already said you paid $4500 for the truck, you don't need to add another $2000 for a used engine in who knows condition + labor to get it swapped in.

 

So I am going to buy an Ultragauge tonight, but the way it looks is that I will not have it tell sometime the end of next week. There is another scanner called ScanGauge II Ultra and ScanGaugeE (Has anyone used one of these?)

One thing that I kind of thought was a little strange is the Hoses that run to the Thermostat... The one on top was pretty hot, and the out of the bottom was not warm at all, and this was after the motor had been running about 10-15 minutes. This is a little ODD right?

 

Has anyone used any of the Android compatible scanners? I have a Samsung Note that would work great with a scanner of that type. Or I can Prime Ship either of these ScanGauge II Ultra and ScanGaugeE (Has anyone used one of these?) from Amazon and have it here Tuesday.

Let me know please so I can try and get this problem figured out, I do not want this $4500 investment to just sit out in front of my house and not do what I bought the damn thing for! Thank you so very much guy!

 

Check out local parts stores, like ORielly, some rent/loan code scanners that can read live data. This might hold you until the UG arrives.

 

Just wait for the ultra gauge, it is simple and small but will do everything you need. Those phone ones tend to be more expensive and you always need your phone plugged in to use them.

For the time being, just diagnose some overheating problems like:
-make sure your expansion tank is full
-do the bleed procedure (use search and find one of MANY)
-check radiator when warm to see if half of it is cold. There should be a difference in temp from top to bottom but if the bottom is drastically different you may be sludged up.

You didn't mix green and brown coolant right?

 

The scan tool that O'Reilly rents/loans will not read live data. It only is able to pull codes, and provide snapshot data for select vehicles.

/works at O'Reilly

 

Thanks LM. I guess if some one was in a terrible hurry they could buy a scanner from one of the parts stores, my little one reads live data, but it is not a pretty as the UG, and not as flexible.