Fixed...

I hear ya! In this case I have _some_ funds, but not enough to get screwed by a commercial shop just to get a better diagnosis... considering their diagnostic bill would be equal to the truck's cash value and I don't trust commercial shops. Been screwed every time I went to one. If it's a head gasket or cracked block I don't have time.

Still has the loose steering rack that'll chew up tires I don't have time to fix, the bad brake valve, the no AC factor... etc... etc...

 

Where are u located?

 

I'm near Tampa, Florida. (Bradenton)

 

I'd try an OEM water pump and thermostat before I got rid of it. These cheap water pumps are hit or miss. The opening/valve is sometimes smaller on an aftermarket thermostat and doesn't allow enough antifreeze to pass to keep the engine cool. I know of someone with a trailblazer that was having trouble with overheating on the highway... it was the cheap parts house thermostat that he used causing it. I think it was a Gates, he replaced it with an AcDelco and his problem went away.
I understand not wanting to spend money in it though, especially if you need something more reliable and it has other issues. Good luck!

 

Did you put on a new cap when you changed the radiator? Make sure it is working properly. If not sealing it can cause boiling

 

Thanks for the advice... my truck seems to have stopped overheating and I have no idea why!

I beat the crap out of it the other day going through really rough fields and over some dirt obstacles and now it isn't overheating... Could it have been some broken water pump fin lodged in the cooling system or some air bubble or something that got knocked loose with revving/jarring?

Prior to that I'd gone to a 50/50 antifreeze mix and changed the oil again but that didn't stop the overheating, then, off-roading and now it isn't overheating???

No clue what happened.

 

if your pump was jammed up it probably would have burned a belt at some point...very weird it would work fine after off roading

 

Yeah... damned weird. Or at highway speeds it starts to overheat and I hold the clutch in and revv it and then it goes back to normal operating temp... could it be fragments of the old broken pump blades blocking something?

 

Could be, we changed out a water pump on one of our JD tractors not too long ago, I had plastic impeller blades... they had all broken off and were in the coolant lines and water pump housing. Have you back flushed the heater core?

 

Considering I'm too dumb to know what a heater core is; ummm... no

(Thanks to the miracle of editing I have had time to look up what a heater core is. No, I have not backflushed. It does seem to get hot air in the cabin readily though)

 

Head gasket leakING internal

 

Might be, no idea. Would a cooling system compression test be the best diagnosis? I don't have a pressure tester but have a vacuum pump for draining things. Could I rig up a radiator cap and then do a negative pressure test on the cooling system? If it loses vacuum that should be the same as losing positive pressure; right?

 

I'm sure you can find an easy diagnosis on youtube. I just know that every vehicle that I've ever had run hot (3 in 46 years) after I changed all the easy parts, ended up being head gaskets. You can do It in a weekend if you've never done one. A day if you've done at least one. Plus you can do a valve check/adjustment while the heads are off.

 

I'm sure you're right... never done one. if it wasn't the rainy season and I was sure I could take my motorcycle to work I'd start now, but rains every day here so avoiding this project. I wouldn't start a project like that unless I was ready to be without a truck for at least two weeks just in case I screw something up badly...

 

You have a buddy that would let you borrow a beater car if need be? I've got several buddies that have more than 1 vehicle that I'm certain would let me borrow one for a week or two if I needed. I hate borrowing stuff, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

 

You have good buddies. I have nobody within 50 miles of me to either help with the project or lend me a car. I'm on my own. if I screw it up it's a parts truck... but may take it on anyway.

 

What year/engine does your truck have? I see cheap used engines around here on Craigslist from time to time. Could look around and see what's available, if worse comes to worse you could just swap the engine with a good used one.

 

I wish... that's a project that's too big for me and I have nobody to help. No small shops near here either. there's about a 95% chance I'd get elbow deep into it, get frustrated, and then have to part the truck out. Not to mention buying an engine lift or chain hoist and other miscellaneous stuff, would probably be good to have some pneumatic tools... If it's more complicated than a radiator or alternator at this point I'm out.

May be selling the truck as a fixer-upper anyway, but it's got a clean title and runs at least.

 

Is it still running cool? I'd at least make sure it even has head gasket problems before I tore into it.