overheating

[78Suburban]

I drove my burban on a 1 mile round trip today and when I got it home, the motor seemed hot. I felt of the radiator hoses and they were boiling inside. The factory warning light never came on (are these things reliable, or will they let you burn up your motor?) Will the radiator being about 3 or 4 inces low cause a motor to overheat this rapidly???? I wonder if I should change the thermostat to see if that helps? I really don't want to burn up my motor, so any suggestions are welcome.....
thanks

 

[blownout]

just add some water its not cold out yet so just get a beer out and look at the truck and say thats nice reel nice .

 

[78Suburban]

blownout,
in the words of the farmers on Napolen Dynamite...."I didn't understand a word you just said"

 

[kgblazerfive]

Disregard what the last post said Blownout

If the radiator is lower then the engine the air that is in the moter will not be able to get out. The highest point of your cooling system should be the radiator cap.

 

[Cricket]

Check your antifreeze level and quality. Make sure your v-belt hasn't broken. Make sure your lower hose hasn't collapsed. Check your radiator cap for a good seal.

How old is the radiator, is it full of gunk? How about your heater core? Changing the thermostat is cheap and easy insurance if you suspect it.

 

[78Suburban]

the 1978 truck is Bone Stock, and the radiator is origional. the belts are fine. the fan turns fine. I think I will try to change the thermostat first and go from there. What degree Tsat should I get? goin into town tomorrow to buy parts anyway.

 

[Cricket]

195 degree thermostat if I remember correctly.

 

[txfiremank5]

I agree that the t-stat is the best choice to start with. It's likely that it's either stuck shut, or only opening enough to let just a little amount of coolant pass.

 

[LongIslander26]

Low coolant

You also need to keep your reserve bottle filled to the marked level and have your cap checked to make sure it's holding pressure. Cracking the hood open from time to time and checking the fluid levels doesn't hurt either. You've probably got some steam pockets in the system that are causing the boiling, and if the coolant temp sensor isn't immersed in coolant, it will not read the coolant temp correctly, and may not light the idiot light.(It will read lower than actual temperature). You might want to put a set of guages into your future spending plans. You can also put a 180 degree thermostat in there with no problems. Might just give you a little more power by running a little cooler.

 

[dyeager535]

Do you have gauges or an idiot light? With gauges, you don't get a coolant warning light.

From your post I assume you have just lights, but just making sure...bad thermostat can sometimes be seen with the temp gauge.

 

[southernspeed]

the motor seemed hot. I felt of the radiator hoses and they were boiling inside. :

Seemed hot?Was it puking coolant out into the catch tank (or to the floor if you don't have a tank?
160 to 200+ degrees is hot! 1 mile could just about be enough to get the t-stat to open which'll sart things flowing and make some bubbling/churning noises for a spell.

 

[Roz]

coolant low!!!

defenatly coolant, try there first. top it off start it up heater on let it warm up and keep toping rad off to get rid of air pockets. after that, if still overheating get new cap and thermstat-190* ish(dont remeber, think its 190-195 or something).

 

[78Suburban]

its just got an idiot light

i'll try to just top off the coolant. should I do this with the motor running????

 

[Mad-Dog]

Living up there in Georgia i would run a 165 thermostat and let that water start flowing ASAP, we don't have have any problems heating up in the South so don't stress on the cool nights....

I run a Moroso restrictor plate where the thermostat normally sits and i don't have any problems staying cool in the day and warm at night, i also use a high-flow water pump to help with the cooling chores.

Keep the water cool and the oil hot and things will be just fine........

 

[cbbr]

1 mile could just about be enough to get the t-stat to open which'll sart things flowing and make some bubbling/churning noises for a spell.

That's what I was thinking. I don't think that a 1 mile trip is enough to open my T-stat.

 

[Roz]

yes add while running-NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH opening cap while hot!!

wait till cool and then start and let run till it gets warm while watching and topping off.