DII Cooling System Confusion

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I hate to be that guy, but it could be a slipped liner pressurizing your system. If you cooked it and popped the headgaskets, that is not an uncommon outcome. I second what was said previously, check for exhaust gasses.

That's not the problem. If it's anything internal, it will simply be corrosion.

That all may well be irrelevant, because by the time I manage to get this fucking squid hose on, I'll have to buy another hose kit.

I can't bend like this right now. I'm one more headache away from an engine swap just to be finished with it and have mine on a stand to polish back up, even if it's perfectly fine.

I have no time for this bullshit. I'm losing money every minute I'm out there, and losing even more with the bad mood after.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Well, I feel better after cursing for a while. :ROFLMAO:

I really, really, really hate that hose. Next time, I'll be removing more for access. I just can't get in there easily.

Last time I swapped it I had more room, and I wasn't so damned stiff. Only took a few minutes...

Cheers,

Kennith
 

ukoffroad

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
2,125
168
Lynchburg, Va
If you're finding it in the valley I'd double check the throttle-heater hoses. They may not be tight enough, especially if they're old or aftermarket. Just a guess.

I removed the throttle heater, bypassed altogether. It was the line that would go there, it has loosened up since I did the head gaskets.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina

Well, I think it's the tester is sealing right... Hard to tell. I wasn't about to crank it any more than that. I used the #10 (red) cap, which doesn't seem to go quite as deep as the factory unit. None of the others fit, so that must be the one that was used.

Under 15-17 pounds of pressure, I'm hearing a hiss from the reservoir. If I cover up the overflow hose, it silences, but pressure still lowers observably. It doesn't drop like a rock, but you can sit there and watch it lower; maybe it would bottom out after a minute or so. The point is it's not going to hold it.

Bugger will sure hiss after three days parked, though; whether it's holding this pressure or not. I'm wondering if it's not sealing, or maybe there's a flaw in the reservoir neck.

Fluid level doesn't seem to be affected by the process, and it's still passing the combustion gas test. The only thing I noticed is the coolant seems to lower a lot in use, but I'm not positive it's entirely bled just yet, and I've done it since I observed that. Maybe later I can verify.

Maybe pressure is sneaking through that drain somehow; or around it. I do know that with the new hose and thermostat it's holding about ten degrees lower, but the way these thermostats are shipped and boxed, there's no telling what I have. It's only touched 190 once, and that's after stop and go traffic, and full throttle for a while into a sudden stop. It's hovering at about 184 to 188 now.

I think it's just a lower temperature thermostat. Whatever. A leak is still a leak. It may not be pushing boiling, but if there's a problem internally, it should still manifest. So far I haven't seen any external leaks, but they can be sneaky.

I'm being as thorough as I can because the next step if it's internal is going to have to be an engine swap. Every gasket and seal from the oil pan to the front cover to the head gaskets and entire top end, along with all the hoses, oil pump, and water pump are new, and I'm not going to be able to swap the engine myself right now, so it'll be a little more than a couple hundred bucks worth of parts I've allotted just to give it a final chance. :ROFLMAO:

Cheers,

Kennith
 
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kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I guess that means it'll hold a vacuum up there but not positive pressure, unless the test cap isn't sealing. Could be a split in the reservoir, but they're cheap and that unit is old enough and has been moved around enough to have an issue, so I ordered one last night. If there's a crack or split, it's tiny.

The only other part left on the "approved replacement" list is now the radiator. The objective is to eliminate everything as required. I know what it sounds like, and I know it's a possibility; I'm just not going to accept it until I'm damned sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt.

A gut feeling just isn't enough when it's got to be shipped somewhere for the work. Logic be damned, here. I'll be pretending I can just fix this for another couple of weeks, at least; and there really isn't much to fix. If it sounds like I'm beating my head against a wall, that's because I may well be doing just that.

It's willful, I assure you. Whether or not it's foolish remains to be seen.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

JohnB

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2007
2,292
12
Oregon
Seems odd to have a hiss without coolant coming out. I suspect the tool is not sealing correct. Use some windex or soap and spray around the connections, tank, etc..to find where its not sealing.
When I use my tool any leak you will find water dripping out not a hiss. Should hold pressure with a minimal dip over an hour or so. Things to consider though is a heater core leak that you are not able to verify but if no engine leaks are found and you are still not holding pressure then the core may be an issue.
 

JohnB

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2007
2,292
12
Oregon
I am assuming you have filled with water if not then using soapy water to spray may be your option.
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Can't be the heater core. I haven't restored and updated the in-dash systems yet. Obviously that can only break after I've taken it apart and put it all back together. :ROFLMAO:

Yeah, I'll hit it with some soap. I wasn't going to, as I ordered a reservoir just in case, as they're pretty cheap and mine's old. That won't show up until next Thursday, though, so I figured I'd play around with it a little today.

You know, when I replace that heater core, I may send it to Griffin or someone to have something I can be a bit more confident in made, as I need to work on the blend motors anyway. Those flaps just aren't doing what they're supposed to do.

They may have changed the depth of that pressure test cap recently, but it's also possible a flaw in my reservoir is causing the issue. Soapy water should find it if that's the case, and if the cap still won't seal, I can do an exchange via Amazon to try a different kit.

I definitely want to keep one around. Hell, I need to make or buy an adapter from my MityVac pressure brake bleeder to the factory brake fluid reservoir. Bugs me that with all those adapters I ended up with in the extra parts kit, nothing fits the damned thing.

I'm driving the vehicle now, but it does lose coolant. It takes a while to bleed these things fully, though. We'll see. Lots of testing to do before that reservoir shows up, and if I'm clever enough, I should be able to use the pressure tester to check isolated systems, as well; such as the heater core and radiator. Just got to be careful as hell.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Yeah, it doesn't look like that pressure tester is sealing. It's close, but not quite. Just a little squeal telling me it's not right, and a slow drop. It does seal much better on the new reservoir, but not completely.

It's hard to tell just now, but after replacing the reservoir it's leveling off a little better. Whether or not it'll drop beyond that is to be determined. There was an issue present, but it may have been unrelated. I'm not seeing any external leaks now, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. I could swear I catch a whiff of coolant every now and again, but at this point I could be imagining it.

Still no evidence of coolant in oil or gas in coolant. We'll see if the waterfall continues. I can't spot a single leak around the center console or floor, but I suppose it could be very, very tiny and not draining visibly.

Hard as it was to bend around getting to the hoses for me right now, I can't imagine how many words I'll manage to invent if I have to dig in there.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
I replaced my reservoir and so far no more leaks!

Glad to hear it.

I'm wondering if this thing is sucking in air under the right conditions, yet generally not leaking coolant. It's possible.

I've still got a couple more days of driving and bleeding before I can move forward. I sure wish I could remember how it behaved before.

Eh. We'll see. I'm not feeling confident about it just yet. Something I can't identify is still bothering me...

I fucking hate my brain. It's solving problems behind my back again without letting me in on the secret. If I ever go crazy, that'll be why, I'm sure.

Cheers,

Kennith