truck pukes!!

[deerefan]

Weird problem I'm having...I have a bone stock 97 F150 4x4 with the 4.6 V8 and automatic trans. The truck has about 140k miles on it. Under normal driving conditions, truck runs flawlessly. When I am pulling a trailer, which does not exceed 4000lbs loaded, I find the drivers side wheel well and frame coated in antifreeze. I traced the leak back to the radiator cap, which was original. I replaced it and the problem occured again. The truck never runs hot, always stays in normal temp range. My mechanic pressure tested the system and found no problems. I just replaced the bottom radiator hoses and will be replacing the top hose shortly. Any suggestions???

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Check the radiator puke (purge) tank if it has one. It might be cracked. Also look at the heater core hoses.. The heater core is probably on the passenger side but the hoses may be run around the engine compartment a bit.

 

[deerefan]

speaking of heater core...i had it replaced about 2 years ago but did not start having this problem until about 4 months ago. i'll check the heater core hoses but all the coolant is at the driver's front of the truck.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

The tip off seems to be you are putting more load when you are pulling a trailer.. That is adding a little more load to the engine where it might be getting a little hotter. And yes them heater cores and hoses have caused me grief before.

 

[Runner]

One other thought. I bought a brand new 2004 F350 "built Ford tough" Super Duty and they used the cheapie squeeze-type radiator hose clamps instead of the ones that have a screw to tighten. I had leaks from them on two separate occasions where it was spewing coolant all over the place.

I took it back to the dealer (under warranty) and they fixed it by replacing the cheapies with screw-type clamps (but, of course, only the one that was leaking, not all of them). So I have a mixture of clamps on there now and carry a couple of spare screw clamps in the tool box. I'll change them all over when I get around to it.

Anyway, short story long, it looked like I had a bad problem from the amount of coolant that was coming out, but it turned out to be a very simple fix.

 

[deerefan]

i used the screw type clamps on the bottom hoses, i still have the factory clamps on the top hose...i'll change them this weekend and see what happens

 

[yankeerider]

Coupla thoughts:

How much does the rear sag when pulling? Have you carried load in the bed that causes that much sag, and, if so, does the antifreeze appear? Wondering if it might be a truck attitude rather than temp issue.

You might ask about this on the Ford Truck Enthusiasts forum. Lotas great knowledge and people there.

Some on FTE have mentioned that some ford gauges (not sure if this is coolant or just trans temp) are driven by switches, not true analog sending units. If true, and your truck is one, it might be getting close to overheat, but not enough to swing your gauge to the "H" position.

 

[deerefan]

i will try that site...i don't think the truck is overheating, i do not feel a real power loss...

 

[deerefan]

i had one fellow suggest a bad head or head gasket, but if that was the case wouldn't it act up all the time, not just when pulling a trailer??

 

[wushaw]

i had one fellow suggest a bad head or head gasket, but if that was the case wouldn't it act up all the time, not just when pulling a trailer??

That is correct it would do it all the time.

Check the radiator and make sure it isn't cracked there where the cap goes since the cap is suppose to relieve pressure into the over flow tank and also draw it back into the radiator.

Check and make sure the pump is doing it's job also just for kicks.

 

[tractorsanmore]

You might check your water pump from underneath , look for stains

 

[bjcsc]

I've had two coolant problems with my Ford trucks and neither may be what's going on with yours, but you can't ever have too much info!

1) I had a slight leak at the EGR in my diesel F250 that leaked out in the passenger side wheel well. It wasn't enough to see it on the ground, but I could smell it.

2) My diesel F450 had a blown head gasket that didn't cause coolant to leave the system, but instead caused exhaust to enter the cooling system, and over-pressurize the cap. There was no loss of power while this was going on, but the Check engine light eventually lit which alerted me to it. The inside of the overflow was black with soot.

Both of my problems were fixed at no cost to me under warranty (thank goodness as the second was a whopper!)...

 

[deerefan]

i looked it over yesterday and noticed little bubbles in the reservoir at idle. my mechanic told me when this occurs it is more than likely a head/head gasket problem. i am still baffled as to why it does not occur in stop and go traffic and normal driving, only when pulling a trailer and the truck does not over heat.

 

[zzvyb6]

Park it and put a newspaper in front of the radiator. Let it heat up at a fast idle. Then wait for it to show you where the fluid is coming from. You need to know this first before you tear into the motor. A head gasket ought to show itself as a tailpipe residue and the spark plug tips.

I like the split overflow bottle suggestion the best. Or the overflow pipe is plugged and its spewing out from an overflow hose leak.

 

[copperdog]

Without the trailer actual engine temperature most likely runs whatever is normal, say 200 F. The system seeks a happy level.
When you load it with a trailer, you cause it to go to 210F, coolant expands more and shoves it out the overflow. Then you fill it up and the cycle starts all over again.
The reason it is starting to do it now after all this time is because the radiator is partly plugged and not as efficent of a heat exchanger as it was when it was new and clean.

 

[deerefan]

this weekend i plan on replacing the top hose and clamps, i am also going to pull the shroud and clean the radiator coils with a hose...i will try this and post the results...thanks for everyone's help

 

[Treemonkey1000]

If you have a compressor use that first. Just don't use too much pressure. That will work better than water at first. Guess what you get when you mix water with a dusty radiator??

 

[texasjohn]

deerfan, if you do all items you have mentioned and still have the problem, then I vote for copperdog's answer... radiator overflow because of inefficient 10 year old radiator and ....

I remember that in my experience a temperature gauge is either at a "normal" level... then suddenly flashes hot when fluid is low and you are now running on steam. You haven't had that problem yet because you have been watchful and aware.