I possibly lifted the head hauling a load in the bed. Can I get by with some head studs and get more mileage out of the truck? Or should I have the head gasket replaced and head checked?
Long version:
The truck has around 100k miles, is deleted and running a PPEI 100HP EFILive tune. I was hauling a 1 ton load in the bed of the truck and I instantly lost heat when I pulled out at a stop light. When I got home I had a puddle of coolant on the ground and I noticed that it had sprayed back along the underside of the truck. I believe that it had sprayed coolant out of the EGR delete coolant fitting near the exhaust manifold of the truck. There was nothing wet above this fitting but everything below was soaked. I tightened the clamp down and made sure the fitting was seated into the coolant pipe well. I refilled the overflow bottle as it lost all of its coolant, I also refilled the radiator as it was missing some as well.
In the mean time I replaced the belt, tensioner, water pump, thermostat, and coolant cap as that was pending service to be done to the truck anyway. I also borrowed a radiator pressure tester kit from autozone and pressure tested the system which held 18PSI fine (what the cap is rated for.) I even got a combustion leak tester (the one with the fluid) but I wasn't able to get enough bubbling out of the radiator to test let alone find exhaust gases.
Currently, the truck takes a very long time at idle to warm up. I believe I had it idling the other day for around an hour and a half from cold and I had about 1/4 on the temp gauge. Also, it will overheat about 10 degrees and then fall back to operating temperature when driving but it will also fall below operating temperature about 5-10 degrees when driving as well. I had tried to bleed the system by parking the truck on an angle and running it with the radiator cap off and heat on to make sure there wasn't any air in the line. Recently I have bled the system by using the vent tube.
Long story short, I'm uncertain if the problems started due to the cylinder pressure lifting the head on the truck or not.
your truck will never keep heat or fully warm up when idling in cold weather. a slight overheat and then falling back is normal, it takes a bit for the thermostat to open and coolant get flowing again. is your overflow reservoir filling up a bit when warm, then sucking back down when completely cold?
I could be wrong, but I think you'd be noticing some other issues if you did lift the head. Loss of power, potential fluid mix, smoking etc.
Any chance that the EGR delete fitting could have simply failed by installation? I've had an older 12v blow multiple freeze plugs out while taking off from a light. Never figured it out before we switched to billet plugs. The machine shop seemed to think that the water pump spooling can create some interesting effects on the rest of the coolant system.
I'm confused as to what symptoms are pointing towards a lifted head. 1000 pounds in the bed isn't going to magically lift the head, there has to be other things leading up.
Every truck has to hit the thermostat temp +5-10 depending on the truck in order to open the thermostat, so that's normal.
Your pressures are staying constant, so where do you see a problem? If you blew a head gasket, I don't see why an EGR blockoff plate would be leaking, they're connected, but don't cause each other.
Since you seem to thing it was a fitting, and you tightened it then checked the PSI, that seems to be the problem, am I wrong in saying that?
Head gaskets often times begin as a slow leak that goes unnoticed. I've never seen one get so bad it starts gushing fluid. That sounds more like a catastrophic failure, not the mixture of fluids or slow leak of a damaged head gasket.
I'm confused as to what symptoms are pointing towards a lifted head. 1000 pounds in the bed isn't going to magically lift the head, there has to be other things leading up.
A ton is 2000 lbs... The coolant system pressurizing enough to spew fluid where it did is what makes me believe the head lifted. I've pulled heavier loads (my pontoon boat, my Bayliner, dump trailers, tractors, etc.) with no issues of that fitting leaking but I don't know that I ever got on the throttle as hard as I did when I was hauling that load in the bed.
I could be wrong, but I think you'd be noticing some other issues if you did lift the head. Loss of power, potential fluid mix, smoking etc.
Any chance that the EGR delete fitting could have simply failed by installation? I've had an older 12v blow multiple freeze plugs out while taking off from a light. Never figured it out before we switched to billet plugs. The machine shop seemed to think that the water pump spooling can create some interesting effects on the rest of the coolant system.
When I checked the EGR fitting it was tight. The only thing I did was give it a good wiggle and clamp down the hose tighter. My thought was that the head bolts stretched enough for that amount of time while the truck was under load and then seated the head again after the fact. Which was enough to pressurize the coolant and cause the leak. I've read elsewhere of head gasket problems with no signs of failure except for under load. I can always hook a load up and test but I don't want to do any more damage than I may have possibly done.
your truck will never keep heat or fully warm up when idling in cold weather. a slight overheat and then falling back is normal, it takes a bit for the thermostat to open and coolant get flowing again. is your overflow reservoir filling up a bit when warm, then sucking back down when completely cold?
I don't think it was too cold out that day when I checked it. I believe it was around 55. I haven't kept an eye on the reservoir but I can check it this weekend.
I'm basically at the point now of just wanting to do it to be safe. Pull the head, have it checked and decked, replace the gasket, ARP head studs and rocker pedestal studs. Be done and not have to worry about it again.
I'm thinking the same thing you are. To displace that much coolant, you probably lifted the head enough to let combustion gas in, which created the air pocket, and that's why you had no heat for a bit. So, ya, if you're already gonna do head studs, I would just take the extra few steps to get the head off and replace the gasket, and get the head decked
check the reservoir in the morning and make a mark at the coolant line. check it again and make another mark after running the truck and getting it up to operating temp. check it again in the morning and again after running. coolant shouldn't vary much between the 2 lines you made at hot and cold. if it keeps rising, or keeps lowering above/below those marks then you might have a problem. as coolant heats, it expands, as it cools it retracts. thats what the overflow is for. If you have a leak, or are pushing exhaust gases into the coolant, it won't be able to hold the vacuum necessary to pull coolant back into the block as it cools. if you are burning coolant, you will see it lower.
All valid points, but I still can't imagine a head lifting, then warping back down....Once they warp, they warp permanently. If you're running stock head bolts they'll stretch, and they don't shrink back to normal size once they've cooled.
If it were me though, I'd be doing the same. Pull the head, get it checked/decked, put in studs and a new HG and go your merry way. It is a bit of a money dump, but well worth the peace of mind. The last thing you want is to cut a corner and have even bigger problems down the line.
All valid points, but I still can't imagine a head lifting, then warping back down....Once they warp, they warp permanently. If you're running stock head bolts they'll stretch, and they don't shrink back to normal size once they've cooled.
dosent the 6.7 coolant get hot and under high pressure in the back on the block and head under hard throttle. Maybe he just had a high pressure coolant leak.
This was my experience about a week ago. I was on my way back from a dinner with a few friends and I got on it a little to much and spiked 55psi I normally only let it build 45psi. My coolant light on the dash came on for a quick second my mini maxx showed my temps being 185 190 normal. So I pulled off the highway and checked under the hood everything look fine until I looked under the truck and there was coolant all over behind the passenger side tire. Then I seen my coolant overflow was 90% full. I had to add a gallon of coolant to the radiator pumped my overflow out. After that the truck took forever to warm up also. Wile I waited for my 625s to come in I drove it but only let it build 20psi and it seemed to run fine and the coolant stayed where I left it. Couple days after we pulled the head and installed the new studs and gasket. Now the truck warms up normal and runs like a champ. A while back I Retorqued my stock stucks when I installed my dynomite 150s. The only exception in my experience is the head lifted for that moment just enough to alow compression into the coolant system. It might last for a while it might not but for a 8 hour job with three guys and 1500$ its worth just fixing.
This was my experience about a week ago. I was on my way back from a dinner with a few friends and I got on it a little to much and spiked 55psi I normally only let it build 45psi. My coolant light on the dash came on for a quick second my mini maxx showed my temps being 185 190 normal. So I pulled off the highway and checked under the hood everything look fine until I looked under the truck and there was coolant all over behind the passenger side tire..
What color is the coolant. ..
I lifted my head ... did pressure test , checked out ok .. puts studs in , adjusted the valves. ..
My point .... my coolant was discolored with exhaust diesel exhaust , no longer pink .. i must change it out soon ..
Off my boost gauge most of the time unless im login on my mini maxx.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Cummins Diesel Forum
8.8M posts
379.2K members
Since 2005
A forum community dedicated to all things Cummins Diesel! Originally founded for owners and enthusiasts of Cummins powered Dodge pickups, the Cummins Forum has expanded to include ALL Cummins Engine applications! Come join the discussion about reviews, drivetrain swaps, turbos, modifications, classifieds, builds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!