My engine is over heating and I've replaced:
-Thermostat
-Water Pump
-Radiator Hoses
-Fan Clutch
-Fan Belt
-Valve Cover Gasket, Oil/Filter, Spark Plugs (probably not related but can't hurt to mention it)

I've also checked:
-Thoroughly for leaks
-The compression (145 on all cylinders)
-Radiator for cool spots/squeezed the upper radiator hose at 3000rpm
-Heater blows hot
-Hoses for collapsing

When I first got the car two weeks ago I had to take it on an emergency trip Memphis (four hours each way) before I could do any routine maintenance. It ran great all the way there and back.

The next day I was on my way back from the parts store with new thermostat, oil etc... when the thermostat got stuck and blew the lower radiator hose up like a balloon.

The next day when I got on the interstate to go to work (fifteen miles) started to overheat (3/4 up the gauge, I've managed to keep it out of the red) so I pulled off. While trying to find a good place to let it cool off I noticed that it wasn't overheating when I was going less than 45 mph.

As the week has gone on and I have replaced more parts (the rest of the hoses, water pump etc...) the over heating has gotten worse. Two days ago it wouldn't over heat unless driving at sustained speeds of over 30mph, yesterday it would idle all day without over heating but not drive down the road at all, now it won't idle without overheating.


Does anyone know of any solutions, 22r specific or otherwise, that could help me?

I don't want to buy a new radiator as a diagnostic if that means not being able to afford the part that's actually broken.



Please help me keep another beautiful 22r motor pushing a truck down the road.

Thanks in advance for your answers and for answering other peoples questions in the past to help me get know what to do to get to the point I'm at.


It's an '81 by the way. Even with the headaches I have little interest in ever trying to drive another truck every day.

 

Have you drained and flushed the coolant? There may be some debris in the cooling system.

 

Test and (if needed) replace the gauge's sending unit.
- Also check your timing.

 

radiator probably needs to be flow tested. also make sure you are not getting oil in your coolant or coolant in your oil.
If neither of those are it I might think it has to do with the gauge not reading right.
When you say over heat you do you mean reading high on the gauge or do you mean boiling water out, steam coming from under the hood and all that?

 

When I say overheat I mean that the gauge reads high.

I will test the gauge, that hadn't occurred to me since it obviously functions some. I figured if it was reading wrong it would only register all the way up or all the way down like my gas gauge does.

With the radiator cap off you can see the water rushing across the top of the radiator but I guess that doesn't mean that there is proper flow through the radiator because the top of the radiator is right next to the inlet.

No coolant in the oil/oil in the coolant, passed compression test, no exhaust gasses in the coolant overflow, exhaust coming out the tail pipe looks like exhaust coming out of the tail pipe of a car with no emissions control should. Don't see anything that points to head gasket.

 

Start the truck with the radiator cap off. Let it run/warm up (leave cap off the whole time). Are there any bubbles in the radiator?

 

maybe fan on backwards on the fan clutch. I did two of these recently and one of them couldn't go on in reverse, but one could.
Also I have never bought a vehicle with a good radiator cap. So that maybe something to look into as well. The one on my newest project would let coolant out but not suck it back in.

 

It's definitely a clogged radiator.

Putting a new one on today. Feeling for cool spots didn't reveal anything, revving the engine to 3000rpm and watching the lower hose suck in on itself on the other hand really cleared things up for me.

It's odd because I had already checked that but I think the engine not being fully burped at the time stopped it from being as noticeable.

I have read bad things in other threads about water pumps from AutoZone, has anyone here had bad experiences with them going out really fast. It's not that mine is having a problem just that I might go a head and buy a back up because I am getting ready to move pretty far away from any auto parts store that can get parts shipped to it overnight for free like they can here.