Welcome back Rascal :-)
Jimmy Knox, 91 Dak race truck
>
>Sounds like a stuck thermostat
>
>Rascal
>
>-----Original Message----- From: owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net
>[mailto:owner-dakota-truck@bent.twistedbits.net] On Behalf Of
>jherrman@zoominternet.net Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2008 6:36 PM To:
>dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net Subject: DML: coolant troubles
>
>
>
>I usually lurk here and find the list archives an incredibly valuable
>resource. I am now posting after a frustrating few days after a coolant
>flush.
>
>I have a 2003 4.7 V-8, with 61000 miles. It came with the long-life orange
>coolant, and the maintenance schedule recommends changing it at five years
>or 100000 miles. I just hit five years and took it to a local mechanic to
>have the coolant flushed. Everything seemed fine, and the next day I drove
>75 miles without noticing any irregularities on the temp gauge---it always
>sits just below the mid-line when warmed up. Later, after it had been
>sitting in the garage, I noticed a small pool (maybe 8oz or so) of
>antifreeze under the front driver-side of car. I cleaned it up and also
>cleaned antifreeze from the bottom of the chassis. The coolant reservoir
>filler dipstick reads full. I wasn't sure wether perhaps the mechanic just
>did a messy job draining the system, or I had a leak. So today I drove
>about ten miles; while stopped on the road I noticed more leaking
>antifreeze as I was heading home. Just as I got home the temp gauge started
>getting a little hotter than normal (moving slowly past the center), and by
>the time I got home there was leaked coolant visibly smoking from under the
>hood. I opened the hood and saw plenty of coolant (not enough to really
>pool anywhere, but everything on the driver's side was wet with it) from
>the top of the engine compartment down. As I cleaned it up I noticed the
>radiator cap was loose, and I tightened it. I then went for a short test
>drive to see if that fixed the leak. The leak is fixed (at least as far as
>I can see; I'll see if there's anything under the truck in the morning),
>but now as soon as it warms up the temperature begins rising very quickly.
>On a short test drive around the neighborhood I had to shut it off when I
>got the "consult gauges" warning, and after it cooled I drove slowly back
>home (less than a mile, I had to stop another time for the "consult gauge"
>warning). I walked to get a new radiator cap and installed it, but the car
>still seems to want to overheat as soon as it warms up. I noticed when I
>replace the cap that there's no visible coolant in that part of the
>radiator hose, and when the engine warms up the hose feels cool on the
>radiator side of the cap, but hot on the engine side.
>
>As you might guess I'm no expert here. I can imagine the mechanic forgot to
>tighten the radiator cap, but everything was fine for 75 miles after the
>flush. Would the cap loosen and leak on it's own just a day after a flush?
>Would it allow air into the system and thus cause the overheating issue I'm
>now having? I'm short on time to troubleshoot and the truck is my daily
>driver. I can't decide whether I should follow the FSM procedure to bleed
>air and add coolant and see if that fixes it, or have it towed in and
>checked out by someone else, whether to the mechanic who did the flush or
>the dealer.
>
>I would be grateful for any thoughts or advice.
>
>Jud Herrman
>
>
>
>
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>
>
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