about to cry....

[cbarm]

Wow! This is just the post I needed to read! I just found the same problem as GDHillon. Mine is an '89 with 447 Km's on the clock (approx 276K miles). I just bough this truck last week and when I went to look at it everything was fine, nice green coolant. Today I took the bad starter out of it and was checking a few other things under the hood. My coolant is the same as his... I have only put about 60 miles on this truck bringing it home and driving it up and down the road a couple miles. I guess when I get my new starter I can fire it up and see if I have pressure in my rad. Will the pressure be quite noticeable??

 

[gdhillon]

im no expert but for my personal rig after running for about a minute and a half and cracking the rad cap open all i heard was a slight hiss. as long as you dont have your chainsaw running you should hear it

Nice to see another Canadian on here eh !

 

[plywood]

I suppose they could be different but on my 93 and on my friends ****** when you ran it for just a minute and opened the rad cap you jumped back.

 

[gdhillon]

i didn't open mine completely just cracked it open with cap on.........are you insinuating i have a bad head gasket problem?

 

[Maverick1701]

so two 2x4s under the oil pan and on a jack.....but wouldnt the weight of the engine bend the oil pan?

I was worried about the same thing. I looked on all the forums (PSN, FTE, OB, etc) before I changed my oil cooler and I found this was the most common way used to raise the motor. I didnt have any issues w/oilpan damage

 

[typ4]

I still have a bunch of cooler oring and gasket sets.

 

[gdhillon]

pm me a price?

 

[robmoore11]

The oil cooler is easier than it seem. Just dismount power steering pump and move to side. Take motor mount off and jack the motor up as far as possible to make it easier and start removal, ( it makes one big mess) I just did mine not to long ago it costed $60 in gaskets and o-rings I believe it was

 

[gdhillon]

Plywood just told you, you fire it up cold, let it it run for a minute or 2, then pop the rad cap off. There shouldn't be any pressure it in yet. If there is, you got head gasket problems....or head cracked, but that's unlikely.

I heard a faint hiss, is that an indication of hg failure?

 

[Knuckledragger]

Not necessarily. An easier test would be to take the cap off before starting the engine, then putting your hand over the hole immediately after starting the engine. If the HG is broken, it will develop a lot of pressure in the radiator right away. If not, try the oil cooler O ring replacement. Mike's first rule of auto repair: if something is broken or doesn't work, fix the cheap stuff first. O rings are way cheap and a common link to oil in coolant.

Also, HG failure shows out the tail pipe. Look for white smoke or steam. A goodly amount.

 

[gdhillon]

The coolant needs to be changed, thats a given. Should I also flush the system? With that fleetguard super flush stuff?
. And since im removing the oil filter should I just do an oil change?
Im assuming the area around the cooler needs to be clean, could I just wash that area or should I use a engine cleaning spray or something?
And last question, for the motor mount is it recomended to use a air ratchet or just undue it by hand?

 

[typ4]

You can disassemble and assemble the cooler in the truck without lifting the engine, I have done many, it can be pressed back together with some 2x4 blocks of various sizes and a good pry bar, they will slip right together. cascade dish powder is THE best cleaning agent.

 

[Knuckledragger]

If you have never changed the coolant or oil, I would do that first. When testing for pressure, I was not very clear. You put your hand on the radiator where the cap came off, as if trying to seal the hole with your palm. If there is a HG failure, you will know it right away. If not, the oil cooler is the most likely suspect. If you are going to change o rings in the oil cooler, make sure to: #1 clean everything. #2 look in the bundle and remove any debris. #3 check all sealing surfaces for rust or nicks then lube them up - plenty (especially the o rings)- before trying to reassemble. It is a straightforward process, but you have to be pretty careful not to nick or twist the o rings or you will have an immediate leak. And put the o rings on the bundle. Some instructions tell you to put a pair in the heads. Don't.

 

[gdhillon]

I have changed the oil before but not the coolant, i did the pressure test as you said and i did not feel any pressure on my palm. Do you mix the cascade with water then pour it on the engine? And scrub off with wire brush or something?

Wont coolant/oil come rushing out once the cooler is removed from the engine?

 

[Maverick1701]

I have changed the oil before but not the coolant, i did the pressure test as you said and i did not feel any pressure on my palm. Do you mix the cascade with water then pour it on the engine? And scrub off with wire brush or something?

Wont coolant/oil come rushing out once the cooler is removed from the engine?

coolant yes, oil wont be too much of an issue...dont get me wrong it messy as heck.
when I did it on my IDI I didnt drain the oil.
I went ahead and did an oil change after but only because it was time.