CA-RJ
Expo Approved™
It's been 2 or 300 miles since I did that. Do you think there could still be some residue left?
3.4L Engine Problems
- Thread starter CA-RJ
- Start date
It's been 2 or 300 miles since I did that. Do you think there could still be some residue left?
toy_tek
Adventurer
Yes, if the coolant level is correct. But I wouldn't drive it until you find out what the issue is. Idle would *probably* be ok for a little bit for diagnostic. If you have water in the oil, it could potentially damage the bearing surfaces if you were to run it for any length of time under load.
CA-RJ
Expo Approved™
I just took it out to get some lunch and see what it did once it got up to normal operating temperature. It started fine, with no clanging. It's idling fine now. I didn't see any smoke. I ran it for about 15 minutes and it seems to be fine. The water temperature was normal 193-198. I guess it could have been the Seafoam but I find it hard to believe that it's still in the engine after 300 miles.
CA-RJ
Expo Approved™
I will. Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions. I will go crawl under a rock and hide now.:smilies27
At the suggestion of a friend, I am going to go and have a compression test done just to rule out any foul play. I've heard that small leaks can run fine and then become worse over time. If the engine does have to be rebuilt, my wife and I will weigh the options of sinking money into a 200k truck or cutting our losses and buying something new(er).
At the suggestion of a friend, I am going to go and have a compression test done just to rule out any foul play. I've heard that small leaks can run fine and then become worse over time. If the engine does have to be rebuilt, my wife and I will weigh the options of sinking money into a 200k truck or cutting our losses and buying something new(er).
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CA-RJ
Expo Approved™
I rented a radiator pressure tester but the auto parts store didn't have the right fittings for my radiator.
I talked to a friend who said I should try this test--
-Fill a water bottle with water
-Take the radiator overflow tube and stick it in the water bottle
-Start the engine
-If bubbles appear in the bottle, there is a leak that means the block is cracked, head is bad or a head gasket is leaking
Anyone hear of this test? I had bubbles in the bottle.
I talked to a friend who said I should try this test--
-Fill a water bottle with water
-Take the radiator overflow tube and stick it in the water bottle
-Start the engine
-If bubbles appear in the bottle, there is a leak that means the block is cracked, head is bad or a head gasket is leaking
Anyone hear of this test? I had bubbles in the bottle.
toy_tek
Adventurer
I wouldn't use that as a sole indicator. When the coolant temp in the engine heats up, it expands. This is why you have the overflow bottle in the first place, for the expanding coolant to exit the pressurized system. You will notice the bottle has a hot and cold fill to level line. The hot line will always be higher. When the system cools down, the radiator & engine will suck the coolant back into the engine. If your overflow bottle level was not high enough when cold, it would suck air into the system too. This air would be expelled out the overflow line the next time the engine starts warming up.
That is why I suggested watching your coolant level very closely, always checking it when it is ambient cold. If you notice it getting progressively lower with each warmup/cooldown cycle, then there is definitely a problem.
Rely on a compression check over the method you just described.
That is why I suggested watching your coolant level very closely, always checking it when it is ambient cold. If you notice it getting progressively lower with each warmup/cooldown cycle, then there is definitely a problem.
Rely on a compression check over the method you just described.
CA-RJ
Expo Approved™
I finally had time to get the engine looked at. I took it over to the guys at Yota Masters in Corona, CA. They pressure tested the radiator and the engine block and couldn't really find anything. They suggested that it might have a very small leak. The noise at start-up (which it's done 2 out of the last 10 start-ups) is possibly the engine hydro-locking when the affected cylinder has a bit of coolant leaking into in it overnight. They told me to just keep driving it.
In the hour's worth of driving to and from their shop, the engine ran great. It seems to run rough when cold, but as soon as it warms up, it ildes nice and smooth. It still is not running hot and the oil still looks great.
It looks like I will look for a used engine to put in. From what I'm told, rebuilding the top end of my current engine will cost just as much. The search is on for an engine with less than 100k miles. I've also read about putting a 1UZFE Lexus V8 in but that looks to be pretty complicated, especially since I have a manual transmission.
In the hour's worth of driving to and from their shop, the engine ran great. It seems to run rough when cold, but as soon as it warms up, it ildes nice and smooth. It still is not running hot and the oil still looks great.
It looks like I will look for a used engine to put in. From what I'm told, rebuilding the top end of my current engine will cost just as much. The search is on for an engine with less than 100k miles. I've also read about putting a 1UZFE Lexus V8 in but that looks to be pretty complicated, especially since I have a manual transmission.