Air pushing though the radiator.. 3406e

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by chuy1978, Jan 8, 2011.

  1. chuy1978

    chuy1978 Bobtail Member

    32
    1
    Dec 26, 2009
    Indianapolis,in
    0
    I just put a new radiator in at Cat. They did a bottle test and said that I am pushing air into my radiator. They told me that I need a head gasket. There is a small miss but I it still runs good. Just a little less power. I don't know what to do!! Is there anything I can test and do my self?
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Izzyloco

    Izzyloco Light Load Member

    105
    8
    Jan 21, 2010
    New London,WI
    0
    Make sure the head not cracked inspected the hole and replace head gasket if not it will only get worse.
     
  4. mslashbar

    mslashbar Medium Load Member

    602
    813
    Jul 22, 2009
    elizabeth,co
    0
    Before you do a head gasket, make sure it's not your air compressor leaking air into the cooling system.
     
  5. chuy1978

    chuy1978 Bobtail Member

    32
    1
    Dec 26, 2009
    Indianapolis,in
    0
    I checked the air compressor and it is not leaking air into the system. Is it possible that the air may be coming into the system though the manifold gage?
     
  6. king Q

    king Q Road Train Member

    2,880
    3,032
    Jul 26, 2010
    Johannesburg sa
    0
    Unfortunately this won't get better only worse.
    You could end up with a piston filling up with coolant when parked up.
    This could cause you to bend a conrod when you crank her.
    If you drive like this for to long the escaping cylinder gases slowly erode the head and/or the top of the block.Expensive to repair.The longer you operate like this the more it will cost to repair and you could be let down with a bang.
     
  7. ramloghauler

    ramloghauler Light Load Member

    107
    52
    Dec 24, 2010
    Cookeville, Tn
    0
    Are you loosing coolant? Check your coolant bottle and see if you have oil in your coolant; that's a sign of a bad head gasket also. Start, if you can, and pull the radiator cap off. If you see bubbles that is a sign of a blown head gasket or a cracked head. Here is a list of other things to check; that I found on dieselplace dot com:
    1. White smoke when engine is cold (water in cylinder causing incomplete combustion)
    2. Coolant smell in cold exhaust
    3. Engine sometimes "binds" when starting (hydrolock in cylinder)
    4. Exhaust bubbles in coolant tank when engine is running (cylinder blow-by into coolant system)
    5. White water blobs on dipstick (small water leak into oil)
    6. Oil level rises (big water leak into in oil)
    7. Coolant pressure bleeds off overnight (leaks out through blown gasket)
    8. Coolant running onto ground when engine is hot (blown out of coolant tank)
    9. Loss of fuel economy, rough running, vibration, noisy (cylinder compression being lost)

    You can also send your oil to Blackstone Laboratories and have them test it for you. Their website is www.blackstone-labs dot com They will send you out a test kit to put your oil sample in and also a return label for free. You just have to pay for the test. Hope this helps.
     
  8. JohnP3

    JohnP3 Road Train Member

    1,594
    684
    Feb 21, 2010
    Rock Creek B.C. Canada
    0
    When they did the bottle test did they drain the air completely from the system and hook the fan to a remote source, disconnect the air compressor output hose, also they need to check the radiator cap first, and run the truck for at least three fan in cycles, to be sure it is the head gasket.
     
  9. rjones56

    rjones56 Heavy Load Member

    823
    486
    Jul 15, 2008
    staunton va
    0
    What a bunch of good answers in this thread.My thanks everybody!!
     
  10. chuy1978

    chuy1978 Bobtail Member

    32
    1
    Dec 26, 2009
    Indianapolis,in
    0
    I don't have a clue what all is involved in the tests they ran. I know they said it would be 3 to 5 thousand dollars to do the work. I think this is a high number!!! I don't have oil in my coolant. I just put a new radiator in line. It is pushing very little coolant out. I do have a small vibration when not under a load. I don't have any smoke when I start it up. That is why I am really what else it could be....
     
  11. mslashbar

    mslashbar Medium Load Member

    602
    813
    Jul 22, 2009
    elizabeth,co
    0
    Are you sure you didn't just overfill the radiator? I know mine will push coolant out the overflow until it gets to about 2" below the filler neck.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.