Author	[Modern View]
DON TX 10-23-2012 18:39:38 76.196.0.42 Report to Moderator	Well, After overheat troubleshooting was going nowhere, the positive cable had to be cleaned to get her to start again. Now it is missing on #2 & 3 cyl. Getting good spark, swapped plugs, not oil fouled. Went ahead and tightened belt and removed thermostat. There are no bubbles, no surging, but the level rises occasionally but lowers and remains steady a few minutes and repeats. There is a vibration on the surface of the water so it's hard to tell if it's circulating but I'm not sure it is. I'm about ready to pull the water pump and check it out. DON TX [Reply]   [No Email]
PackardV8 10-27-2012 15:16:24 205.188.116.19 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   IIRC on the TOP of the head, manifold side of engine, about 6" from rear of head there is a 3/4" pipe plug screwed in verticle. Maybe remove that and flush from there. Maybe other places on head too. But what has me worried is that if the head is plugged up that bad then so is the block???? Probably radiator too. [Reply]  [No Email]
DON TX 10-27-2012 15:46:34 76.196.0.42 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to PackardV8, 10-27-2012 15:16:24   I had the rad cleaned and checked months ago. It was installed and sealed since I got it back. Water flows freely thru the rad. The block drain will open and drain. The head is stopped up and will not drain out of the lower opening to the pump thru the head. At least that's what I see should happen. Where the goose neck attaches is where I am filling it up with CLR rust cleaner. It isn't moving at all. There are plugs in the top of the head, but I don't dare try to remove them. No telling what would break. Maybe last resort scenario. DON TX [Reply]  [No Email]
DON TX 10-27-2012 11:00:29 76.196.0.42 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   Did a comp test. Still 125#s all 4. Looked at the distributor and found the spark plug wire nodes going into the dist were corroded bad. Water had sat in the top of the cap where wires connect. It's the screw on leads with no rubber seal and corrosion had set up bad in #2 & 3. Still getting spark just not enuff. Spark looked good outside but not good inside, I guess. Cleaned and started right up. I had cleaned those up a couple of months ago so I know it is a recent problem. Had kept it covered til I got the gas tank and dizzy back on. I'm guessing the hood or tank had drained water right on top of the dizzy and filled the wire holes up. Didn't do that till I put the tank and/or the hood on. Now for the overheating prob. There was no circulation at all. Removed the water pump and impeller looked good but tried to push water into the head with water hose, no go. Can't get a wire more than 3"s into the head thru the top opening. What do I do? Pour a flush and let it sit? That could take some time. Looking for suggestions. TIA DON TX [Reply]  [No Email]
Jerry/MT 10-27-2012 18:42:18 206.183.116.145 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-27-2012 11:00:29   Is the thermostat stuck closed? It"s supposwed to be in the upper rad hose. Have you removed the goosneck from the head and seen if the head outlet or the head itself is plugged? [Reply]  [No Email]
DON TX 10-28-2012 10:45:06 76.196.0.42 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to Jerry/MT, 10-27-2012 18:42:18   Reread my 1st post. I removed the tstat to find no circulation. The head is plugged. I have the goose neck removed and filled the head. The liquid is sitting to the rim of the head. It does not flow down to the water pump. Is there anything I can use to clean the head without removing it? DON TX [Reply]  [No Email]
Jerry/MT 10-28-2012 12:40:40 206.183.116.145 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-28-2012 10:45:06   What"s plugging the head? Is it lime deposits? If so, I wonder if taking it to a machine shop and having it hot tanked will clean it up? Are you sure it"s just the head? [Reply]  [No Email]
DON TX 10-28-2012 13:09:37 76.196.0.42 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to Jerry/MT, 10-28-2012 12:40:40   I assume it's rust. Could be anything. The system has been closed so don't suspect mice or other critters. When I drained it to remove the radiator the water was very rusty. With the w/p removed the block drains thru the opening created and the block drain works. As I said, I'm trying to do this w/o removing the head. I don't want to get into the valve train. It'll have to be removed to tank it. Don't want to open a can of worms unless it's necessary. DON TX [Reply]  [No Email]
Jason S. 10-29-2012 06:11:20 204.54.36.245 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-28-2012 13:09:37   Have you tried blowing air thru the passages? I know it will make a mess and blow water and rust all over you but it doesnt sound like you have too many options left besides removing the head. [Reply]  [No Email]
Jerry/MT 10-28-2012 19:25:46 206.183.116.145 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-28-2012 13:09:37   You may not have a choice if it"s that blocked up. There"s not a lot of skinny passages in the head that I recall so I can"t imagine it"s just rust. Maybe someone put muddy water in there in an emergency. I"d try a good radiator flush(Prestone Flush?). Any way you can hook a hose fitting to the block drain and back flush it? [Reply]  [No Email]
DON TX 10-24-2012 22:04:36 76.196.0.42 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   The water pump is new, less than 1 hour run time. Luckily, I checked compression right after I got it started recently, so I have a base to go on. Consistent 125# more or less. I guess I've had it run long enuff to hurt something, idled @ 10 mins at longest, most times less than that. Won't have time to check til Sat. The fan has been turning every time it ran and sped up when rpm increased. W/Ps are so simple it's hard to believe it hasn't worked properly. Came assembled so I know I didn't screw it up. May have blown the gasket when I got the rad cap to seal finally. Before, it puked and didn't build up steam. That was the last time it ran on all 4. Hmmm...gets me thinking. Looking more like head gasket. Dang, Saturdays going to be a busy day. Yeah Bruce, I don't know of too many places in Texas that don't have hard water. Lots of limestone around here. DON TX [Reply]  [No Email]
Jerry/MT 10-24-2012 10:41:44 206.183.116.145 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   Pull the thermostat out FIRST and recheck. With out the thermostat, you should see water coming out of the head as long as the engine is running. If you don"t, then pull the pump. If you do see a lot of circulation without the thermostat installed then I would expect you have a thermostat that"s defective and not opening. You can check that in a pan of hot water. Heat to 180+°F (or whatever the rating is on it)and see if it"s opening. [Reply]  [No Email]
John(UK) 10-24-2012 07:34:51 79.76.246.115 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   Check compression on all cylinders by turning he Engine with a starting handle if you don't have a pressure gauge, you may find two compressions down and in that case suspect a Head Gasket initially, until you have had a look at it. also are you sure that the Plugs leads are on the right plugs, they can run after a fashion wrongly wired. From how you describe the water level rising and falling I would suspect a pressure leak, either the Head Gasket or the Head itself. It could of course be a Sleeve gasket that has compressed and it would look like it was a Head gasket leaking, but you would need to check the sleeve "stand-out" from the Block Face for that...John(UK)...fergusontractors@hotmail.com [Reply]  [No Email]
Trac 10-24-2012 06:37:30 76.6.50.70 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   With thermostat out you will see the water flowing something is wrong with the pump. [Reply]  [No Email]
Jason S. 10-24-2012 06:19:57 174.252.178.216 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   A blown head gasket can cause the miss. That"s what it sounds like especially since it is on two cylinders that are beside each other. All it does is bleed the compression from one cylinder to the other. Have you checked the compression? [Reply]  [No Email]
Bruce(OR) 10-23-2012 20:27:06 97.115.26.172 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   I remember Texas water! (El Paso, Victoria, Amarillo, Lubbock, Port Lavaca, Texarkana and points between. You can start at sunrise, drive at 70 MPH east to west, north to south and you ain"t gonna make out of Texas before the sun goes down. Liquid alkalyne. How about that impeller?? [Reply]  [No Email]
Tony in Mass. 10-23-2012 19:46:56 76.127.225.182 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   I had a Dodge V6 that never cooled off, the impeller had no vanes left, wore off to little ribs. Yeah, even on a 4, easy to get plug wires crossed, and take the cap off so you see the direction of rotation, and where #1 is... I will not give my thoughts on 'any' thermostat, 'cause I don't want to get picked on... [Reply]  [No Email]
PackardV8 10-23-2012 19:35:52 205.188.116.19 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   plugged up corroded radiator or as Bruce indicates a bad water pump. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bruce(OR) 10-23-2012 18:55:20 97.115.26.172 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to DON TX, 10-23-2012 18:39:38   wires crossed? Impeller fell off of water pump shaft? [Reply]  [No Email]
Randy Roberson 10-30-2012 06:43:20 146.130.64.165 Report to Moderator	Re: Same TE 20 New Problem in reply to Bruce(OR), 10-23-2012 18:55:20   Repair shops are seeing more and more water pumps with the impeller corroded to the point it will hardly pump, and the car engine is overheating seemingly without cause. Impeller can slip on the shaft also. And, the head can be stopped up with crud. Use wires, etc, and probe, pick, stir, used some compressed air or water, flush her out good. Back of the head tends to clog the most/first. [Reply]  [No Email]