Coolant running down outside of torque convertor inspection cover

Exhumis

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Hey folks,
Well got the beast back on the road and during the shakedown cruise I noticed the temp gage was climbing past where it normally sits, usually right on the M of normal(yes I know I need real gauges don't start)but today it was in between the A and L so I though huh and pulled over. She was running fine and no issues. Looked all around under the hood and couldn't find anything wrong, climbed underneath and that's when I saw little drips of coolant on the inspection cover. I looked all over with a flashlight and can't find where they were coming from. Any thoughts? Also, as to the creeping temps I'm thinking clutch fan?
 

Exhumis

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But that wouldn't cause it to overheat right? I checked the coolant level after she cooled off and it's still full
 

Philip1

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If it is still full it likely isn't your overheating problem it could be the fan clutch, the next time you get it hot, shut the engine off and see if the fan spins freely or if it is stiff.
 

Exhumis

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I noticed when I shut it off today the fan spun for a good nuther 30 seconds or so. That sound bad?
 

Exhumis

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Ok well I went out and spun the fan. Or tried to. Could barely move it so I guess the clutch is OK.
 

79jasper

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Ok well I went out and spun the fan. Or tried to. Could barely move it so I guess the clutch is OK.
With the engine cold, they will always have resistance. But a moderately warmed up engine should have some resistance as well. Not just free spinning at shutdown like you described.

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IDIBRONCO

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The coolant drops on the inspection cover could have blown back there from somewhere up front. You found them there after driving down the road. Just keep an open mind and two open eyes. It could have come from just about anywhere.
 

Exhumis

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The coolant drops on the inspection cover could have blown back there from somewhere up front. You found them there after driving down the road. Just keep an open mind and two open eyes. It could have come from just about anywhere.
Man that's a good point. They don't pay you nearly enough. Thanks!
 

IDIBRONCO

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Man that's a good point. They don't pay you nearly enough. Thanks!
Well, maybe not here, but I did just get a $1/hr pay raise at work and that counts for something!:Thumbs Up If only we could get tax write offs for all of the charity work that we do for each other here (not complaining at all) we would ALL be better off.:rock:
 

Cubey

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The overheating may be a stuck closed thermostat.

My RV's fan clutch was weak but never it overheated. At 200F the fan clutch would turn easily with the engine off. The fan did spin though with the motor on. It did get pretty toasty once in a heavy head wind before I got a proper temp gauge. I was having to judge by the factory gauge at the time.

It runs about 15 degrees cooler since the new fan clutch. I have only seen it get over 200*F once, a couple days ago on a long, slow steep climb in New Mexico. I was in 2nd gear doing 40-45 for I dunno how long to keep EGT under control. The last bit got even steeper. I had to throw it into 1st to maintain 30mph, which raised coolant temp but lowered EGT. EGT is what got up there more than coolant. Oh, And it was heavily windy too which doesn't help with this brick.
 

SuperDave

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The coolant drops on the inspection cover could have blown back there from somewhere up front. You found them there after driving down the road. Just keep an open mind and two open eyes. It could have come from just about anywhere.

I was going to say the same thing, a few years back my grandfather's 88 7.3 started overheating and loosing coolant he called me and said it was dripping off the inspection cover and wherever he took it told him he needed a new engine. I told him to limp it as far as he could and I would head out to meet him, he was in central texas and I was in Georgia. We met in texarkana and it took me all of 5 minutes to figure out it was the water pump dripping and being blown back by the fan. A $50 water pump, a $16 thermostat and a couple hours time and he was good to go like new.
 

Exhumis

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Well, did some more troubleshooting. I can't find anywhere specific where the antifreeze is coming from. Think I'll run some dye.
Question about clutch fans. How long should it spin once the truck is shut off? Mine spins for a good 15 seconds. I'm assuming that means it's shot?
If I'm idling truck is fine but once I get her out on the road and give it the business the temp shoots right up.
 

Philip1

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If the engine is hot enough to engage the fan, it should only spin 1/2 to 1 revolution before stopping however if its not warm enough it would spin relatively freely
 

Exhumis

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oh yeah she was warmed up, needle was almost to the "L". Fan spun like a top for a good 30 seconds. Had a mechanic buddy of mine take a look at it and he diagnosed her as "**** up". So that's one problem down. Unfortunately we discovered a head gasket leak at the right rear corner of the head. Sigh. It's always something.
 
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