No heat in Truck.....?

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • CHCRandy

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Feb 16, 2013
    3,699
    113
    Hendricks County
    I got up this morning ready to go to work, went out and started truck came back in.....went back out 15 minutes later expecting a nice warm truck and it was cold as ice but temp gauge was way up. Truck is overheating but no warm air. Pretty sure it got ice in it. I forgot back in the summer I had an intake manifold go bad...I replaced it but I just remembered as I was typing this, I don't think I put proper anti freeze in it at that point because I wanted to make sure it was fixed before dumping liquid gold in it.

    What are my options now? Wait on it to thaw? As cold as it is outside I don't think salamander will thaw it and it wont fit in my garage. Any chance if I keep starting and warming engine that it may eventually break loose? The reservoir is not frozen....it is still liquid. Any thoughts? Thanks guys. What a dumb ass move this was....
     

    t-squared

    Master
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    May 9, 2012
    1,765
    113
    Crown Point
    Salamander with plywood to help guide the heat to the radiator. I’d bet your heater core is ok, and of course the block is nice and toasty now so it’s probably the radiator that’s froze up.....especially since the engine temp is too high.
     

    femurphy77

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    30   0   0
    Mar 5, 2009
    20,268
    113
    S.E. of disorder
    I'd put the salamander on it and do a start-run-shutoff cycle to try and get it thawed out. Open the radiator cap and see if you can add any liquid gold to it cost be damned. As cold as it's supposed to stay all day you don't want that thing freezing any more solid than it already is or you may be starting a "Need a new engine" thread soon.

    Start it, let it run for a few minutes just not enough to show overheat. Shut it off and let it heat soak for 5 or 10 minutes and start all over again. Good luck
     

    04FXSTS

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Dec 31, 2010
    1,789
    129
    Eugene
    I'd put the salamander on it and do a start-run-shutoff cycle to try and get it thawed out. Open the radiator cap and see if you can add any liquid gold to it cost be damned. As cold as it's supposed to stay all day you don't want that thing freezing any more solid than it already is or you may be starting a "Need a new engine" thread soon.

    Start it, let it run for a few minutes just not enough to show overheat. Shut it off and let it heat soak for 5 or 10 minutes and start all over again. Good luck

    Sounds like good advice to me, bet it is radiator hose that is frozen. Jim.
     

    CHCRandy

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    5   0   0
    Feb 16, 2013
    3,699
    113
    Hendricks County
    Daggone....think I may have gotten lucky. Cycled it twice without salamander.......just went out and I got heat! Now I guess I just need to drain some fluid and add more juice?

    Thanks guys......that kind of freaked me out. Been a long time since I let a vehicle freeze up.
     

    maxwelhse

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2018
    5,415
    149
    Michiana
    Keep an eye your core plugs, water pump, etc in the coming weeks to make sure any hairline cracks that might have formed don't turn into a big deal without you noticing it. Here's to hoping you're lucky!
     

    maxwelhse

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2018
    5,415
    149
    Michiana

    maxwelhse

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2018
    5,415
    149
    Michiana
    None of this makes sense. Engine would have plenty of heat in cab if it was over heating and everything would thaw out fine. You have a hvac issue or water pump issue feel the coolant lines from heater core


    If the hoses are frozen the engine can't pump any coolant anywhere, including into the heater core, so you end up with a hot engine and no heat. You're right that the engine heat would eventually thaw the lines, which sounds like what happened.
     

    Sigblitz

    Grandmaster
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Aug 25, 2018
    14,584
    113
    Indianapolis
    I would change out "ALL" the coolant you can drain off with the proper mix.

    Good advice.
    You didn't pull the pump or hoses, so you probably won't even get half the water out. Check your capacity, devide by 2, and try to get that much straight antifreeze in it, not the 50 50 stuff. Run it fast idle for a minute with heat on high, top it off, repeat until full. Check it the next couple days and top it off.
    Sounds like you got lucky the block didn't puke.
     

    maxwelhse

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2018
    5,415
    149
    Michiana
    Good advice.
    You didn't pull the pump or hoses, so you probably won't even get half the water out. Check your capacity, devide by 2, and try to get that much straight antifreeze in it, not the 50 50 stuff. Run it fast idle for a minute with heat on high, top it off, repeat until full. Check it the next couple days and top it off.
    Sounds like you got lucky the block didn't puke.

    FWIW, I just "flush by dilution" to achieve this. Drain all you can, fill with distilled water, run, dump, repeat until it's just water coming out, dump, fill to 50% capacity with coolant (never had one that wouldn't take at least 50% just in the rad), run, test coolant with hydrometer, dump raw coolant into the overflow/surge tank up to the fill line just to be sure, and call it a day. Pretty much everyone (including me, sadly) ignores cooling system maintenance, so... Now is as good of a time as any to catch up.

    It sounds like a lot of effort, but it really only take maybe 1.5 hours and most of that is just waiting for the temp to come up time and again. If you pull the thermostat it goes MUCH faster. It also helps that all of my stuff has draincocks. <---which may end up censored... :)
     

    Sigblitz

    Grandmaster
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    9   0   0
    Aug 25, 2018
    14,584
    113
    Indianapolis
    That reminded me of how I flushed the truck. I had forgot about it. I pulled the plug completely out and let the hose run in the fill while it was running. Let it cool, drain the rad, and add proper amount of coolant. 100% coolant change.
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
    Emeritus
    Rating - 100%
    187   0   0
    Dec 7, 2011
    191,809
    152
    Speedway area
    That reminded me of how I flushed the truck. I had forgot about it. I pulled the plug completely out and let the hose run in the fill while it was running. Let it cool, drain the rad, and add proper amount of coolant. 100% coolant change.

    So many folks ignore the coolant and the trans fluid. Both have life cycles or fuses if you prefer.
     
    Top Bottom