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[BigRigTech]

Bubbles in the surge tank - that's the sign to look for - easily visable....Or get a test cap with a hose on it and put the end of the hose in a jug of water to watch for the rythmic " dance of the bubbles".....Or in my case a Series 60 Detroit head-gasket job starring me in the face....

 

[FordGuy100]

Amen to that. If I get the opportunity mines coming apart and getting all new rubber everything. If I had a mill I'd make metal injector return caps with flare fittings and use braided stainless teflon lines in place of all the rubber on the entire truck. Way overkill but I am so sick of leaks. I'd like to pull the motor and just do all new seals and gaskets. Rebuild the heads etc. Just being **** but I like a clean engine compartment. Hell on my BMW the engine is usually cleaner than the outside of the car.

Justin, a headgasket leaking water will not always manifest itself fully right away. Do as suggested and try to see if you notice it in the exhaust. Monitor your coolant levels closely until you are sure there isn't a problem. Also, leaks can come and go as the engine heat cycles. I had an engine that didn't use much water at all but if the cylinder that was leaking was at BDC when the engine shutoff it would hydrolock after it cooled. Pull the spark plug, spit out the coolant, put the plug back in and drive it 100 miles no problem. It wasn't until after it cooled and sat that the leak was significant.

I am not suggesting you will experience this just that you should look a little more deeply before dismissing it. Headgaskets are a pain but relatively inexpensive. A hydrolocked motor with a cracked piston and bent rod is not so inexpensive.

Glad you had a good time this weekend. When I was 19 I spent 9 days on a boat in the Puget Sound. We caught and ate alot of Dungeoness crab that trip. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Nothing like crab fresh out of the water.

It's really too bad your camera was not functional. I would have liked to see a picture of the sooted up boat. Did you ever get to wax it first?

Yeah, that could be it. I had to fill up for fuel, and the truck shut down quicker, like it went from idle down to nada in about half the time it usually does. It started up fine though. I'll just be driving real easy, and checking the coolant levels nonstop. Only a couple more months until I can do a head gasket install.

And yeah, I'm sorry I couldnt get a pic of it. I'm sure I'll pull the boat again for them, I'll make sure its working then. The one side of the boat was all nice and white, but the other side was an off brownish grey black color. It was thick enough so I could write oilburners.net in it and be able to see it, but the camera didnt work. I think it was because I was going up a hill on the way there, and was taking a vid of the gauges, and I had to turn off the camera and put it down real fast before it was down recording the clip. It hasnt worked since then .

And no, I didnt get to wax it, I showed up and right as I hooked on we left.

 

[Diesel JD]

The usual failure pattern for head gaskets on these trucks is using a lot of water or bubbles in the coolant. When mine went I couldn't keep water in the overflow bottle or the top row of the rad for 2 days if I ran it a lot. A lot of external coolant drips around the edges of the block and even the sweet/pungent alcohol smell of antifreee out the tail pipe at idle. I think your white smoke is probably retarded timing and or a tired fuel system. Also good luck with the girl, they don't realize how much we have to hang our ego out there for rejection just to get a date. At 16-17 that shows some confidence, which is a good thing. Just have fun and don't expect too much out of it...

 

[FordGuy100]

The usual failure pattern for head gaskets on these trucks is using a lot of water or bubbles in the coolant. When mine went I couldn't keep water in the overflow bottle or the top row of the rad for 2 days if I ran it a lot. A lot of external coolant drips around the edges of the block and even the sweet/pungent alcohol smell of antifreee out the tail pipe at idle. I think your white smoke is probably retarded timing and or a tired fuel system. Also good luck with the girl, they don't realize how much we have to hang our ego out there for rejection just to get a date. At 16-17 that shows some confidence, which is a good thing. Just have fun and don't expect too much out of it...

I should fill up the overflow tank. Can I just use straight tap water, or do I have to put in distilled water? Its starting to get warmer here, so I'm thinking I dont have to add any more coolant than whats already in it. I guess the next couple of weeks I'll have people starring at me like, wow is this kid stupid, while I sniff my exhaust .

And thanks, it was kinda hard to ask. I saw her all weekend and was hanging out with her, and it was always in the back of my mind to ask her out. I actually called her up on my drive home to be honest with you, the whole asking a girl out face to face thing is REAL fricking hard to do. And no I dont expect to get anything out of it, though I'm hoping.......

 

[Diesel JD]

To answer your question about the tap water...how's your water? If its hard I'd avoid it, even so just a little bit shouldn't hurt anything. Still 50/50 coolant water mix with the purified or distilled water is still the way to go.

 

[FordGuy100]

To answer your question about the tap water...how's your water? If its hard I'd avoid it, even so just a little bit shouldn't hurt anything. Still 50/50 coolant water mix with the purified or distilled water is still the way to go.

Hard, soft water whats the diff? We dont have any water thing that you add the salt to (we used to have one of those at our old house, soft water <blank>), and none of our focets have any calcium buildup or anything. Is that good enough? If not I guess tommorow I could pick up a gallon or two of distilled water and call it good. Didnt see any water coming from in between the heads and block, or wetness, so maybe I'm just being stupid.

 

[Dirtleg]

. I guess the next couple of weeks I'll have people starring at me like, wow is this kid stupid, while I sniff my exhaust .

Don't do it at school or there will be an epidemic. People will think it's a new way to get high and you'll be targeted as a drug pusher/user. I'm sure you'll get in the news.

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

Don't do it at school or there will be an epidemic. People will think it's a new way to get high and you'll be targeted as a drug pusher/user. I'm sure you'll get in the news.

 

[FordGuy100]

Don't do it at school or there will be an epidemic. People will think it's a new way to get high and you'll be targeted as a drug pusher/user. I'm sure you'll get in the news.

Hey man, $5 and you can sniff my exhuast, $10 and I'll rev the crap out of it and soot your face up...... .

 

[typ4]

You may have some fueling issues more than a head gasket problem. When you do them save up for arp studs and do the top end once.
Women are evil but gol dang they can be fun.

 

[Diesel JD]

Nobody would want to sniff the exhaust unless it was like ***** Harrelson's tour bus...which runs on hemp oil instead of diesel or bio...

 

[funnyman06]

Hahaha, bio-diesel exhaust, MMMMMM FRENCH FRIES

 

[The Warden]

like my father always said if it has T!ts or tires your going to have problems with it.

I like the other version...

If it floats, flies, or f#@$s, rent it...it's cheaper in the long run!!!

 

[f-two-fiddy]

My Gramps told me, "She better have hot coffee in the morning, clean socks when you get out of the shower, and hot supper when you get home. Otherwise she aint worth marrying"

It took me 20 years of test drives, to find that kind of woman!

Keep the crappy well water out of your truck. 50/50 Low Silicate Coolant/Distilled Water ONLY!
Remember, it's called Coolant/Antifreeze. Just because it's not going to be getting colder. Doesn't mean straight water is OK. Your system is for COOLING. All the more important during hot weather, turbo charged operation.
The proper mix will raise the boiling point of the coolant. Which you'll definately need this summer.

 

[sassyrel]

or use rain water from the downspouts, and filter it for crud---