Overheating out of nowhere!
Thread Starter
|
4wd Low
Joined: May 2024
Posts: 11
Likes: 2
From: Colorado
Overheating out of nowhere!
Hey guys,
Ive got a 2003 with 168k original miles, 122k on the current engine and all hoses and thermostat replaced when the new engine went in about 5k miles ago. Radiator is about 10 years old. Water pump replaced about 50k miles ago with a beck arnley pump. No leaks and was running around 208 maximum consistently up until last night. I hopped on the freeway and noticed my heat was still blowing cold rather than getting hot at the temp it normally does. Luckily I've got a scanner hooked up and could keep an eye on the temp which was normal for about 5 miles until it wasn't. Jumped up to 230 real quick and then I shut off the engine and coasted to a hotel right off the freeway. The coolant was bubbling overflowing out out the open hose but not the cap or anywhere else. No smoke coming off the engine or out the exhaust. I bought an extra water pump to show up with just in case, but want to make sure I'm going there prepared. Any ideas on what would cause an otherwise perfectly running truck to do this? Thank you
Ive got a 2003 with 168k original miles, 122k on the current engine and all hoses and thermostat replaced when the new engine went in about 5k miles ago. Radiator is about 10 years old. Water pump replaced about 50k miles ago with a beck arnley pump. No leaks and was running around 208 maximum consistently up until last night. I hopped on the freeway and noticed my heat was still blowing cold rather than getting hot at the temp it normally does. Luckily I've got a scanner hooked up and could keep an eye on the temp which was normal for about 5 miles until it wasn't. Jumped up to 230 real quick and then I shut off the engine and coasted to a hotel right off the freeway. The coolant was bubbling overflowing out out the open hose but not the cap or anywhere else. No smoke coming off the engine or out the exhaust. I bought an extra water pump to show up with just in case, but want to make sure I'm going there prepared. Any ideas on what would cause an otherwise perfectly running truck to do this? Thank you
Last edited by Liz; May 8, 2024 at 02:17 PM.
Rock Crawling
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 385
Likes: 199
From: Northern Virginia
Contact Tim. He'll have the best trouble-shooting ideas:
extinct@extinctmotorsports.com
info@inlinethermostats.com
extinct@extinctmotorsports.com
info@inlinethermostats.com
Thread Starter
|
4wd Low
Joined: May 2024
Posts: 11
Likes: 2
From: Colorado
Ok cool, that's what I was thinking too but found it odd that it'd just go out all of a sudden with no leaks, whine, or warning.
Winching
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 602
Likes: 164
From: Charlotte, NC
I'm going to answer for Tim 
. Most likely he will say bad thermostat. One reason the thermostat is to blame is the housing it is in. When the thermostat opens it also closes the inflow on the top of the housing so it no longer brings coolant that did not go through the radiator.
So when it does not function properly it opens so water that flows through the radiator can now pass through the thermostat but at the same time it does not close the other inflow into the thermostat housing. This means hot water straight from the engine is going right back into it any bypassing the radiator.
Long story short, get an in-line thermostat....hopefully you don't have to do the head gaskets.
. Most likely he will say bad thermostat. One reason the thermostat is to blame is the housing it is in. When the thermostat opens it also closes the inflow on the top of the housing so it no longer brings coolant that did not go through the radiator. So when it does not function properly it opens so water that flows through the radiator can now pass through the thermostat but at the same time it does not close the other inflow into the thermostat housing. This means hot water straight from the engine is going right back into it any bypassing the radiator.
Long story short, get an in-line thermostat....hopefully you don't have to do the head gaskets.
I'm going to answer for Tim . Most likely he will say bad thermostat. One reason the thermostat is to blame is the housing it is in. When the thermostat opens it also closes the inflow on the top of the housing so it no longer brings coolant that did not go through the radiator.
So when it does not function properly it opens so water that flows through the radiator can now pass through the thermostat but at the same time it does not close the other inflow into the thermostat housing. This means hot water straight from the engine is going right back into it any bypassing the radiator.
Long story short, get an in-line thermostat....hopefully you don't have to do the head gaskets.
. Most likely he will say bad thermostat. One reason the thermostat is to blame is the housing it is in. When the thermostat opens it also closes the inflow on the top of the housing so it no longer brings coolant that did not go through the radiator.So when it does not function properly it opens so water that flows through the radiator can now pass through the thermostat but at the same time it does not close the other inflow into the thermostat housing. This means hot water straight from the engine is going right back into it any bypassing the radiator.
Long story short, get an in-line thermostat....hopefully you don't have to do the head gaskets.
Thread Starter
|
4wd Low
Joined: May 2024
Posts: 11
Likes: 2
From: Colorado
So it's fixed and looks like it was either the radiator, water pump or both. Replaced the pump for good measure but also realized something was stuck in the radiator when it couldn't be blown through. Got that unblocked after replacing the pump and it fixed it along with lowering the max temp by about 5 degrees. Hope my thermostat is good for a while longer since it was replaced about 5k miles ago, but I've had new parts that were lemons before. Not sure how to tell if my pump is still good or not. The blade seems to rotate fine, but with a little less resistance than the new one. Info on that would be appreciated. Radiator is a bit old, so that's next on the list to be replaced.
TReK
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,768
Likes: 396
From: kitchener, canada
Hey guys,
Ive got a 2003 with 168k original miles, 122k on the current engine and all hoses and thermostat replaced when the new engine went in about 5k miles ago. Radiator is about 10 years old. Water pump replaced about 50k miles ago with a beck arnley pump. No leaks and was running around 208 maximum consistently up until last night. I hopped on the freeway and noticed my heat was still blowing cold rather than getting hot at the temp it normally does. Luckily I've got a scanner hooked up and could keep an eye on the temp which was normal for about 5 miles until it wasn't. Jumped up to 230 real quick and then I shut off the engine and coasted to a hotel right off the freeway. The coolant was bubbling overflowing out out the open hose but not the cap or anywhere else. No smoke coming off the engine or out the exhaust. I bought an extra water pump to show up with just in case, but want to make sure I'm going there prepared. Any ideas on what would cause an otherwise perfectly running truck to do this? Thank you
Ive got a 2003 with 168k original miles, 122k on the current engine and all hoses and thermostat replaced when the new engine went in about 5k miles ago. Radiator is about 10 years old. Water pump replaced about 50k miles ago with a beck arnley pump. No leaks and was running around 208 maximum consistently up until last night. I hopped on the freeway and noticed my heat was still blowing cold rather than getting hot at the temp it normally does. Luckily I've got a scanner hooked up and could keep an eye on the temp which was normal for about 5 miles until it wasn't. Jumped up to 230 real quick and then I shut off the engine and coasted to a hotel right off the freeway. The coolant was bubbling overflowing out out the open hose but not the cap or anywhere else. No smoke coming off the engine or out the exhaust. I bought an extra water pump to show up with just in case, but want to make sure I'm going there prepared. Any ideas on what would cause an otherwise perfectly running truck to do this? Thank you
if you still have heat coming out of your vents it’s not your water pumps
that crappy plastic thermostat is probably your problem