new to me 7.3 psd overheating

[dm88]

So i picked up 95 f350 long bed crew cab ps today! but on the ride home it was overheating popped the hood and heard hissing from the res cap so replaced that and it got much better no more going into the red buuuuuuut im still getting like 3/4 of the way up. the level of the coolant is fine after i added 5 gallons. seems like tstat is working.
is it normal for the upper rad hose to be empty when it cools down? it has pressure after driving it for awhile but once it cools down its bone dry. im no expert but air in the system is no good right?
the needle goes up to about the end of the word normal on the gauge is that normal?
thanks for any replies!

[southend]

Originally Posted by dm88

So i picked up 95 f350 long bed crew cab ps today! but on the ride home it was overheating popped the hood and heard hissing from the res cap so replaced that and it got much better no more going into the red buuuuuuut im still getting like 3/4 of the way up. the level of the coolant is fine after i added 5 gallons. seems like tstat is working.
is it normal for the upper rad hose to be empty when it cools down? it has pressure after driving it for awhile but once it cools down its bone dry. im no expert but air in the system is no good right?
the needle goes up to about the end of the word normal on the gauge is that normal?
thanks for any replies!

Bad radiator caps do not cause overheating, they allow an increase in pressure which raises your boiling point. Thermostat, water pump, clogged radiator, or fan clutch is your problem. your fan clutch should spin freely when cold, it should have some resistance after it gets hot. Start with a thermostat, it is cheap. When you do that, see what the coolant looks like, and go from there. Don't keep running it like that. Your truck is telling you something is wrong, why run it to failure?

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[dm88]

Is it normal for the upper hose to be empty when the truck is cold though? I was thinking it could just be air in the system


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[southend]

Originally Posted by dm88

Is it normal for the upper hose to be empty when the truck is cold though? I was thinking it could just be air in the system


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Probably not, try running it in the yard at idle with the heater on high and open the coolant cap. Then add coolant as necessary. Before you start, check the tension on the fan clutch, then watch it when you start it up. It should be spinning slowly. the only way to have air in the system is if most of the coolant was drained for some reason and the heater was not operating after the coolant was put back in. usually the air will eventually work out and the coolant level will drop.

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[dm88]

I think that's what happened because I did add the 5 gal of coolant and I didn't turn the heater on because I forgot because I was on the side of the fwy. How long should it take at idle to get hot enough to open the tstat? Is been idling for about 20 min and it didn't move any significant amount


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[dm88]

Can I drive around with the cap loose? Maybe like that I'll reach temp


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[southend]

Originally Posted by dm88

Can I drive around with the cap loose? Maybe like that I'll reach temp


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Drive it around easily, get it up, then ease the cap off slowly at the house. Be careful.

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[zROCK]

Originally Posted by dm88

I think that's what happened because I did add the 5 gal of coolant and I didn't turn the heater on because I forgot because I was on the side of the fwy. How long should it take at idle to get hot enough to open the tstat? Is been idling for about 20 min and it didn't move any significant amount


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if your adding 5 gal of coolant on the side of the hwy you have another issue. Water pump could be shot?

[southend]

Originally Posted by zROCK

if your adding 5 gal of coolant on the side of the hwy you have another issue. Water pump could be shot?

This is true, I didn't see that post earlier. Why were you adding 5 gal of coolant on the side of the road?

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[85_305]

Make sure to remove the water from the system and run the correct stuff... these motors need special coolan or the cylinders will become porous.