r1on1wheel

In order for the fan clutch to kick in wouldn't the radiator need to get hot enough around the fan?

rworegon

It's the ambient air temp around the fan clutch that causes it to engage.

Is the coolant circulating through the radiator when the engine is up to temp and the radiator cap is off?

r1on1wheel

Yesterday when the engine was up to temp we could still spin the fan freely. My buddy said the radiator needs to heat up that's why I asked. But no there doesn't appear to be circulation which is why he thinks the radiator is clogged. In a couple hours I'm going to try out some of the tests I've found on here and see what happens.

rworegon

Free spinning fan is not so good....

Do you know what temp it was running at before the engine work? What other work did you do on it while the engine was out?

r1on1wheel

Don't know exact temp but it was a little less than half way on the gage. The work I did was rebuild the heads, water pump timing belt/pulley/tensioner all gaskets have gotten replaced. T-stat and the normal maintenance like plugs wires drive belts filter. We should have flushed the radiator but we didn't.

rworegon

Sounds good on what you did.

I just ran to town and back, pulled in the garage (coolant temp 191degF) and checked the fan with the engine off.....fan spun about 2 blades before stopping.

r1on1wheel

Thank you it's much easier having something to go off. I should have more updates later on tonight.

r1on1wheel

Update!! Fuel injector fixed the misfire. Truck runs pisser but still getting really hot. We checked the fan clutch and it engaged burped the radiator also bought a new thermostat. We are getting circulation from above but nothing from the bottom hose. So why wouldnt the thermostat not open?

rworegon

Suspend t-stat in a pan of water and make sure it opens at 180f before installing. Sometimes a new one can be bad right out of the box.

r1on1wheel

Problem was we were not jacking up the truck correctly. Once it was done correctly the air pockets were finally gone. Lol. So the truck runs mint no misfire. Thanks for all your help. Rather than start a new thread. Before I parked it the fuel gauge was acting up. It happens no matter what fuel level but I'll use this as an example. If I have 3/4 of a tank and I'm driving the needle will quickly go down to a 1/4 come back up after a bit and then back down its even stayed pinned at empty for a day or so. Is this normal ? I've done some searches and came up empty.

rworegon

Ah, the air bubble strikes again! What temp are you running now?
After driving some, check the radiator a few times and top off as necessary.

Fuel needle does not sound normal. It's unrelated enough to the issue in this thread, you may have better luck with a new thread. My 0.02 worth.

r1on1wheel

Will drive it for some time see what the needle does. I'm at about 195f. Thanks again for your help.

rworegon

Welcome! 195f is good.

mowdyjh

so did a complete gasket install - heads up 97 T100 5VZ-FE now runs super rough at start and sputters to a stop, Timing off?