No heat, coolant full, not overheating..has us stumpted.

[lmorris]

It's back, first let me recap history. The original engine melted down. We put in a long block plus #4 injector and a new waterpump. Came back running hot, water pump impellers were spinning on the shaft, replaced the waterpump and thermostats. Then came back for white smoke at idle, noticed coolant all over the degas bottle, diagnosed head gasket issue, replaced head gaskets, came back with same issue. This time we found the reman block flatness was out, so we put in an enhamced short block, re-used the heads because they were flat. Waterpump looked like it had been rubbing on the front cover, hotline said this was normal, so we re-used it. I drove it home, 60km return trip, then it had another 100km put on it before returning to customer, all was good. 5 days later it's back. Customer drove it all day with no issues, then he lost heat. If we run it up to 2000 rpm it will flow through the heater core, let it idle and flow stops. Upper rad hose gets hot, but rad does not. Does not overheat, and when idling we see bubbles in degas, like it is air locked. Sounds like a flow issue to me, but the fact that it doesn't overheat is baffling me. Going to back flush the heater core and check the waterpump and t-stats.

 

If anyone has some incite PLEASE give it. I am going to lose my mind over this one soon!!!!

[Brad Clayton]

Probably has nothing to do with anything, but I am curious what the EOT reaches when concern happens and did the cooling system fill to it's max capacity when everything was changed out?

[lmorris]

ECT and EOT never get over 197F and when hot never drop below 192F. Coolant is full, used vacuum drop to fill it. Customer has been checking coolant everyday, cold is in cold range and hot just over the un-used bleed nipple.

[mrbudge]

You haven't said if you have done anything with the egr coolers. Bubbles in the degas and a chronic airlocked heater core means combustion or exhaust leak into the coolant to me, no matter how many parts were changed. New parts are just new, not necessarily good. A small leak will be just enough to fill the heater core, which is nearly the highest point of the cooling system, with gas. If it is not overheating the water pump must be circulating coolant through the rad, so flow should not be a problem.

[lmorris]

Hind sight, it has no EGR coolers. Heater core flows good as well as rad, removing the water pump to see what it looks like. Only thing from the original Enhanced long block are the heads. It may be possible we have one cracked.

[Aaron]

What's the cooling system pressure do when you're out tooting around in it?

[lmorris]

It's below 16 psi and it hasn't purged since we changed the short block. I am trying to convince someone to let me change the heads, seeing as they are still from the original enhanced long block and I don't trust them, but no one will because we don't have enough evidence to support it. IMHO we should have swapped out the entire thing when it came back the first time.

[ktmlew]

What about putting some type of flow meter in the heater hose to see what is actually happening? Maybe a piece of clear hose to see if air is getting pumped into the cooling system?

[Matt Saunoras]

Try a combustion gas leak detector on it?

[Aaron]

Wasn't there a flow meter for heater cores from days past?

[lmorris]

What about putting some type of flow meter in the heater hose to see what is actually happening? Maybe a piece of clear hose to see if air is getting pumped into the cooling system?

After replacing the waterpump I fed the heater return into the top of the degas and blocked off the tube it connects to. The flow is pretty good and has been putting out good heat.

 

Try a combustion gas leak detector on it?

Sadly we don't have any test fluid left and it never gets used enough for them to get new stuff. If this thing comes back again I will be replacing the heads. No more pissing around. I have said I wanted to do this for a week now but never get the actual go ahead to try it. Stupid SPW. Our manager tried to get me a complete long block the first time but he was told no.

[ktmlew]

You need to check flow coming OUT of heater core. If flow and coolant temp is OK you have core or blend door issues.

[Matt Saunoras]

Yeah I rarely use the block tester either. Used it on a 02 duramax LB7 today though

[Aaron]

I'm putting injectors in one of those shitbox duramax trucks right now. 03. C5500. Real special.

[lmorris]

You need to check flow coming OUT of heater core. If flow and coolant temp is OK you have core or blend door issues.

That is what we did, good flow, good temp. Blend door issues have already been fixed, it needed one motor and a control unit. This truck must be making them good money, they keep wanting to fix it. Been out for 5 days now with no word from the customer. Maybe it was just that stupid worn down water pump. Is so, that would have been two water pumps wrecked by the front cover on the fisrt long block we put in it.

[ktmlew]

Cool...er...that's hot?   

[lmorris]

They had me finish off the work order and close it yesterday, either the truck is fixed or they sold it.

[lmorris]

Well, it came back. Coolant pressure rose pretty quick just driving it into bay and idling for 10 minutes. Seeing as it still has SPW on the long block it's getting some heads. I neglected to tell hotline it has no EGR coolers and they still insist it's the horizontal cooler. Responded with the "No cooler info" and I am going to order 2 heads.

 

Hotline's responce to the EGR cooler delete is that it can affect coolant flow through the heater core and that we should put the coolers back on. That's not going to happen.

 

Anyone one else run into this. We have very few trucks come in with EGR deletes, but I know of one fleet that has been deleting them and have heard of no flow concerns. The coolers were removed before the engine was replaced and they did not complain about heat issues until the first water pump failed and it "ran hotter than normal" according to the customer. I think they ran it way to hot and won't say. I do know that they over load this F350, they should be running an F550 instead.

[cbriggs]

I've only seen one truck with the full egr delete, no reports of heat issues from the customer.

[ktmlew]

http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/topic/5305-clogged-hvac/

[leavnon3rd]

ive worked on a few deleted 6.4s and havent seen a no heat situation.  getting back to water pumps ive done a few of them and cavitated covers from a no heat complaint aswell. 

[lmorris]

Just to update, customer has been trucking along, pleased as punch, since I did the heads, no issues. And Ford still won't pay the claim because of the delete.

[Keith Browning]

I don't know why you even told them about the delete. I don't think that is something that should be "volunteered."  In the past I had tried to be the "good little Ford tech" concerning modifications and EVERY time it was ignored.

[lmorris]

In hind sight, we never should have. Our service manager likes to be as honest as possible because Ford currently has us close to Audit due to high warranty costs, duh....we are smack in the middle of oil field central and most of the fleets keep the trucks till the warranty runs out. We are still fighting though.

[Aaron]

What grounds are they basing the denial on? The fact that it needs an aftermarket tune for the delete?

 

Remember, someone on here many moons ago posted that Air Force plane tugger truck. It was "high sulfur" and therefore had no smog gear.

 

Wonder what their stance is on that for no heat without EGR coolers.