Heath Cooling Upgrade....Update

[SmithvilleD]

opposite head then you'd have 3 to guess from

Good choice of wording, particularly regarding stock electrical gauges & senders.

 

[WarWagon]

Do you have a newer radiator or the old brass and copper one? Possible the radiator is internally plunged up.

 

[JiFaire]

I've cleaned the radiator (outside) the way Heath recommended: soaked in scrubbing bubbles and pressure washed mucho times.

?? Did you take it right out of the truck to do this? (reason I ask is Bill told me not to use a pressure washer... said it was hard on fins and still didn't get everything. I didn't believe him... but hey, I was still overheating.

When I pulled the thing right out of the truck, placed it face-down on a couple of sawhorses and spent a couple hours soaking with scrubbing bubbles, washing with a garden hose, and blowing it out with an air hose (with a diffuser end - they tell me a leaf blower works better), I got HUGE amounts of bugs, sand, little rocks, slow hitch-hikers, a Prius, and several pounds of Cottonwood fluff out of it.

And I had spent lots of time pressure washing it and soaking it (without removing it) the week before, which had no effect. I was appalled at how much stuff eluded my pressure washer...

If you don't take the rad out of the truck, you won't get it all...

You probably did, but now I've mentioned it in case a newbie reads this

 

[buddy]

If you take the radiator out, its easier to take it to a radiator shop and they will do a real flush and get it spotless outside too. Although spend some time and beers and you can do a bang up job without too much effort. The flushing part can be tricky.

 

[Big T]

Bill Heath told me to remove the rad, lay it on a couple 5 gallon buckets, spray with DOW Scrubbing Bathroom Bubbles cleaner, soak and pressure wash. He said to be careful with the setting on the pressure washer and don't get too close. I used a Honda pressure washer and it had various fittings which altered the pressure. No damage to the fins. I got it to the point where the aluminum color returned.

If I experience heating problems, I will replace the radiator. That is the only remaining element of the system. I've been through this on an Acura with 200K mile and the only solution to cool it down was to replace the radiator and the problems went away.

So far it seems to be operating as it should.

 

[JiFaire]

Cool. Or sort of cool )) as the case may be... just wanted to know if you had the darn thing outta the truck, and wanted to put in a plug for that. Figured you had, but I thought it needed to be said.

Hopefully things stay fixed!

Jim

 

[WarWagon]

If you have a copper/brass radiator it is better to recore it than replace it with the inferior aluminum/plastic cheap units. The copper works better for cooling and the metal tanks leak first rather than suddenly split and burst.

Performance Radiator, a chain type store/shop, has quoted me $180 to recore the copper/brass tank unit I have. I would also have a new engine oil (if equipped) and trans oil intercooler installed to prevent/fix pinhole leaks in them as well.

So you have a choice of the modern cheap stuff or the old school that works better. :coolgleamA:

 

[Big T]

Son drove the truck up to Big Bear last night. I had him set up with GMTDScan Teck on his laptop to monitor it up the hill, but his yellow lab Moose decided to join him in the front seat. The rear seat was filled with guest and a second yellow lab, Hefner, Moose's father. Report back was that the truck ran great and the coolant temp on the dash gauge never got above 180. Ambient temp at the top of the hill was probably in the low 30s.