203Cree

You'll notice the difference. The uppper will go, but it shoud take some effort. If it's bad, it'll feel like a sponge when you squeeze it. Collapse all the way with no effort.

MrDestinE

I work in a Machine shop and I will offer a few observations if you will,
Please take no offense as I do not know anything about you or your mechanical knowledge.... All the advice I have seen so far is good there are a couple of other things that you may look at: on the 351 and 302 engines and like the head gaskets are easy to get on wrong. One will go right side up and the other will appear to go upside down ( the gaskets have up stamped in them ) If you get one gasket on upside down it will behave in the manner in which you speak. After an engine has been hot tanked it is almost impossible to get all the scale out of it, even after vigorous washing inside the core, after it has time to dry scale can become loose inside. After reassembly and the engine gets cranked and running some of the loose scale will go straight to your freshly cleaned radiator and stops it right up... I know some engine builders use a screen on the upper radiator hose for a while to prevent such a problem.
Just a couple of things that come to mind.... you may also check the fan clutch.... I know, I always thought those only worked to keep the engine cool in slow speed operations.... but I had one drive me crazy on a Chevy s10, if it is thermostatically controlled it can work at all engine speeds. When I replaced it all my problems went away and it sounded like and airplane taking off. ( I won't go into what all I did before I went to this... I am not a parts changer so I went through a lot of diagnostics ).

TJ

ChillOutWayne

God i hope those head gaskets went on right, now u got me paranoid

Im definetly gonna look into the radiator and that hose. Ill also check into the fan clutch also, tho i would think on a cool day that would to minimal on the highway, but definetly worth a look.

I also am not a part changer, so im hoping to get the radiator looked at (are there even places that will flow test them?) and get that lower hose checked out, and probably changed. Im just praying right now i dont ahve to tear those heads back off. If i did put a gasket on wrong, wouldnt it pull air in all the time, just like when i had the bad headgasket?

Thanks guys, i appreciate ALL help...

Dan

MrDestinE

What happens when the head gasket is on wrong is that the cooling holes are not lined up and water does not flow thru that cylinder head. So heat will build and the faster you go the more heat... This may not be your problem, but it is more common than you would think.... I see a lot of Chevy engine builders, who are quite good at what they do, make this mistake because it does not apply to them. I also see the thrust bearing get put on the wrong journal on each engine.... ( allthough that is a little harder but it does happen ). You know, if you know someone that has a infrared temp scanner you may find it simply by scanning the heads once it starts to overheat... the hotter head will be the one with the incorrect gasket placement.... now mind you I have never done this but it is a thought...
TJ

ChillOutWayne

I am taking this into great consideration, and will be kept in mind for sure, but im hoping its going to be the last resort. Im not gonna look forward to having to try and removed and replace a head gasket with the engine still in the car. No thanks on that one.

Anyway im probably going to pick up a radiator hose for the lower, and call some radiator shops and see if they can check this radiator for flow. Ill see what happens.

Any other thoughts feel free to add.

Dan

ChillOutWayne

So the thermostat you are speaking of still cycled normally until on the highway? If this one was intalled wrong, wouldnt i have cooling problems all the time?

Just thinking here, i cant get this off my mind, and theres not much i can do on a Sunday.

Dan

PappyDan

iTrader: (4)

overheated it did you.
did you have the heads check out?
did you rev the van to see if your sucking the lower hose closed?
have you had the radiator rodded out?
is the fan clutch working right?

ChillOutWayne

The heads were decked, tanked and pressure tested.

I did not rev the van to check that.

Radiator was not rotted out.

Fan clutch was not checked, it seems to work alright, but if it was a fan clutch issue, wouldnt it be a problem at lower speeds/rpms?

Dan

ChillOutWayne

If the lower radiator hose was pulled off and the spring that was in it was corrored and fell apart (at least for the most part) and is missing at least some of the spring, would that have any effect on things?

Dan

203Cree

Yes, more than likely.