too hot

[hotford]

My 1985 f350 is getting hot. Seems to push fluid out the top off rad. No oil in the rad and no antifreeze in the oil. Alittle white smoke, but it dosen't smell sweet and its off and on. The upper rad hose gets hot as shat and the lower is only warm. The top of the rad is hot as shat and the lower part of the rad is only warm. The heater hoses are not hot. So what is it.

I have replaced the water pump, rad, stat, and fluids. And still the same thing.

Thanks for the help

 

[sle2115]

Might be a good time to get your hands on a compression gauge.

 

[hotford]

low comp dosen't have anything to do with it getting hot, does it.

 

[sassyrel]

low comp dosen't have anything to do with it getting hot, does it.

uh--yes--lower compression means you stand on the throttle harder to get it to go--trouble is--the fuel aint burning the best because of low compression--and fire goes out the valves---making the head temp much warmer lets go one step further--what makes youhink its hot???? the temp gauge???? that stock one is a liar---try a infared heat gun to see what temp its acually running

 

[hotford]

But, I can let it idle for 5 min and drive it under little load and not standing on it and it gets hot.

 

[sassyrel]

again--what are you baseing hot on-----------the stock temp gauge???????????

 

[h2odrx]

and how and when does it push water out the rad? you got head studs? might be a broken head bolt?

 

[77f250diesel]

He also posted on "the other board" and said it starts pushing water out as soon as he starts it.

Dennis

 

[gunnie]

if it pushes water as soon as it starts, does it do so on the compression stroke? just ramdon? give us a few more details

 

[tonkadoctor]

• overheating
• pushing coolant out of the overflow
• sweet smell
• white smoke

I have some bad news for you.

While a compression test can find a bad head gasket it's not so good with finding cracked heads or blocks. It's time to face the facts and to have a cylinder leakdown test done by somebody that knows how to properly interperet the results and pinpoint the problem cylinder(s). Sounds like you have;

• blown head gasket
• cracked head
• cracked block
• combination of any 2 of the above
• all of the above

 

[Andylad13]

ding ding ding!!! we have a winner!! if you replace the entire cooling system (which it looks like you have), and it still overheats under no load, and gives you all those other problems, take tonkadoctor's advice!! sorry bud, somethings broke.

 

[LUCKY_LARUE60]

I put my money on a blown head gasket, I had a 87 6.9 and thats what it did.

Jim

 

[Agnem]

I'd much prefer a bad head gasket to a cracked head, but it looks like one of those two are your most likely suspect. I've never tried this before, so I don't know if it will work, but you could try removing two glow plugs (in adjacent cylinders) at a time and running the engine to see if you can get it to not push water out of the rad on a cold start. I'd take the thermostat out for this test. You will at least want to know which head is the problem, and this test may show you.

 

[hotford]

First off--Thanks for all the info. This is my first oilburner, can ya tell. This thing has me qlueless. Last night I got home and pulled the rad cap off. The fluid was a little low due to it pushing some out last night. There is still no oil in the water and no water in the oil, that I can tell. With the cap off I start it up and sniff the rad for co2 with the tool and I get nothing. I let it idle for 20min and no smoke out the tailpipe and no overheating or getting hot. No the upper and lower rad hoses and all heater hoses seem to get up to the correct running temps, with the rad cap off. Still no smoke out the tailpipe and no co2 in the rad. So, I put another gal of fluid in the rad, cap it off and then I get big white smoke out the tail pipe constatly and the upper rad hose gets alot tighter than with the cap off. Sill no co2 in the overflow and it's not getting hot now. So I drove it around throwing smoke everywhere and it still never gets hot.

Now what ya think?

 

[77f250diesel]

It's not causing the problem you have right now but you will have to change that thermostat out. As you have already been told what you have in there is the wrong one !

Dennis