In regards to the pressure that will be built up, should it be left alone or should I drain the pressure? I know there's supposed to be some pressure to increase the boiling point of the coolant and what not, but exactly how much is too much. And should I be worried if the upper rad hose seems tight, and how tight should it be? Should I be able to compress it at all? Or should it be tight enough that I need to supply mentionable force to collapse it?

 

It seems that the tstat is working, but the thing is, it opens at 10 degrees above what it is actually rated for or something like that? Also, the fact that it doesn't open until it hits operating temp is causing me to freak out. Is this normal, or should the upper rad hose get hot just to release the coolant at tstat opening temp and that is it? Also, when it comes to the rad hose, should it be tight and hot all the time?

 

Also, could the head gasket be cracked and I'm showing no signs of it in the oil (not milky or tan colored) or coolant (block tester w/blue fluid)?

 

i dont think its the head gasket. Replace the t-stat with a new one and drill 2 small holes on opposite sidies, small ones not big ones. Add redline water wetter and see what happens.

as for the pressure, leave it alone. The cap will relieve the pressure as it builds. The cap releases the built up pressure at a certain psi, should be listed on the cap.

 

Could also be a faulting coolant cap, I've heard about them going bad after a while causing all kinds of problems

 

Alright, so replaced the cap and no dice. The thermostat thing has me curious as to how it works. Does it just allow more flow, which allows the thermostat to open more accurately? I just replaced the connectors for the heater core hoses to the ports coming out of the firewall. Does anyone know how they connect? I've looked, but there's nothing online about this version. All the ones I can find have a hose come out of the front of the intake manifold. All I have are two hoses behind the intake manifold and block, but one is an L-shaped metal pipe and the other is a 45 degree angled one. Any input?

 

Ok as far as how the thermostat works...they offer different temperature thermostats, it just depends on the person what you have..some prefer 160°,some 195°...here's how things happen...you start your truckthe thermostat stays closed holding the coolant in the block as the coolant heats up (because it can't reach the radiator because the thermostat is holding it back)the spring in the thermostat starts to get hot and when metal things get hot they expand.. when the spring is 160° it's expanded and separated the two main parts of the thermostat letting the coolant come through and into the radiator to be cooled...and. by then your system is up to tempature and the right pressure....when a t thermostat is bad it will cause the engine to over heat because it's never opening up and letting the coolant flow....if your thermostat happens to be stuck in the open position your engine will likely never get hot be a use the coolant is flowing from the very start and being cooled and you would never get any heat in the truck....I've seen many new thermostats be bad th auto parts store..if you want to make sure it's not the thermostat throw it in a pan of water put it on the stove and turn the stove on and see what happens...you can reach in with a fork and pick it up and check to see if it's open or stuck closed...if the water starts boiling and it's not open yet,I'd say it's bad....replace it...good luck sir..

 

Okay, so in regards to the holes in the thermostat, what do they help with?

 

I personally wouldnt do anything to the tstat that isnt factory. Your having almost the same symptoms I have. Smell the coolant in the resivoir and see if it has an exhaust odor to it. If it does, then you may have a cracked head gasket or head. the ch gasses from the exhaust arent supposed to be present in the coolant system. Ive been reading on this for a week now lol.

 

OK let's recap,
Flushed block n radiator n heater core
Replaced t-stat
Replaced reservoir cap
Ensured hoses r in good condition
No milky substance on oil fill cap
Done block test
Tested coolant temp sensor
Checked fan clutch
Replaced water pump...
Is that right?