1993 v6 3.0 4x4 extended cab... So I was driving to work this morning about a 45 minute drive and I noticed my temp gauge started to rise with about five minutes to go and at the next light I seen the vapor from it over heating and then u heard a pop almost like a tire blowing up and slit of steam to go with it... I pulled over within seconds popped the hood to see a crack about a foot ling across the top of the radiator... I've been driving this truck for over a month and it has never over heated till now... I did take it mudding Saturday night but was sure to hose everything down before going home... what could of went wrong?

 

Oh well, get a new radiator and cap (maybe the cap pressure release failed). You'll probably see the problem when you get the old radiator out (like mud stuck in the fins or something). Hopefully you didn't blow a head gasket.

 

I had the neck on the top of the radiator that the cap screws into blow off my radiator. My head gasket failed and the coolant system became over pressurized from the exhaust or cylinder pressure leaking into the coolant passages. The pressure was building too fast for the cap to release the pressure.

My bet is on your head gasket is toast.

 

the cap prob didnt release the pressure like it should, happened to the guy i work with when someone brought in a car that was overheating

 

Now that i registered... just a different name, I bought a radiator from bumper 2 bumper along with a new cap and a new thermostat, but I'm a lol worried about the blown head gasket talk, are there any signs To look look for?

 

Plastic top? Lol, bought a great T-100 that way....

Guy got it so hot, it melted the timing belt to the pulleys...

Blew #5 and I bet I put a good 5-10,000 miles on it before I did the head gaskets.

 

before the radiator blew, did you have any other issues?
loss of power?
miss or rough engine?
loss or low coolant?
white smoke out the tailpipe?

When my head gasket let loose it fogged up the whole street out the tailpipe.

You could just replace the parts you already purchased (1.5 hr job max) and start it up and check for white smoke. If if runs OK then just keep an eye on the coolant level.

If the head gasket did not fail to cause the rupture, and the truck did not overheat after it blew, then you should be golden with a new rad and cap.

 

I have much experience in this arena. Same engine and have had the same overheating as a result of not getting all the mud that collected at the bottom of the fan shroud thoroughly washed out. Luckily I was able to catch it in time. So remove the bolts from the fan shroud, pull it away from the radiator and watch chunks of all the mud you missed come falling out. Most of which is still going to be baked on the bottom of the radiator and will be a bit tougher to remove...but I guess it's too late for that anyways. Just remember this lesson for the next time. Loosen the fan shroud prior to washing the mud from the radiator to allow for the mud to flow out and away.

Yes, namely a huge cloud of white "smoke", mostly steam really, pouring from the tailpipe. Which will have a strong coolant odor to it.