3.0L engine swap

[dn010]

FWIW, the reason I would have used the garden hose to flush/reverse flush the radiator is to remove any scales or deposits and particles that cascade won't touch. You also have control over the pressure so you don't blow your radiator core.

[Farrar]

FWIW, the reason I would have used the garden hose to flush/reverse flush the radiator is to remove any scales or deposits and particles that cascade won't touch. You also have control over the pressure so you don't blow your radiator core.

Thanks, I have a garden hose attachment that I have used before. What I do is I open the drain valve I installed at the lower radiator hose, and connect the garden hose to the small return(?) hose to the expansion tank.

The Cascade has detergents and enzymes in it. I have already used two containers of Preston Radiator Flush prior to this. I have also flushed out both sides of the engine prior to this (block drain plugs removed one at a time, garden hose turned on). After I've done another heat/cool cycle with the engine with the Cascade and water in, I will drain it and flush with fresh water again until it comes out clear. If it gets dirty again, I will try a water and white vinegar mixture, flush everything out again, and so on.

Now that I've cooled off and the towels have done their job, I had another look under the car. A hose clamp has partially broken on the upper radiator hose. Not the end of the world. I have a spare somewhere. What a mess, though!

[dn010]

Cascade is good on grease and oil, like if your head gasket or liner seal failed allowing oil to circulate your cooling system, but it doesn't break down the chunks of scales and rust that might be blocking the radiator passages. Your attachment point flushes the entire system and so if you attach the garden hose to an old, junk cooling hose to only the radiator and leave the other side of the radiator open, you're getting that direct pressure right at the radiator and that does a good job of knocking things loose, especially if you're hitting it in the reverse direction, that otherwise may stay in place.

Regardless, enough explanations; good that it is only a clamp and nothing major, hopefully what you did works and you can move on to something less messy.

[Farrar]

New clamp installed and everything is dry. Yesterday after draining over two gallons of detergent/water/dirt, I flushed with fresh water until it came out clear. However, by this time the thermostat had closed so I wasn't flushing the entire system.

Today I added more fresh water, burped the system, and started the engine to get everything up to temperature.

Oh, and I put the 18 PSI cap on. I know stock is 16, but Dodge/Eagle says 18. Maybe this engine just runs hotter than the 2.8L. Maybe the larger displacement means smaller water jackets. Maybe higher compression means hotter engine. I dunno. It probably won't make any difference, but what the heck.

Thermostat opened at about 190 degrees. Cooling fans came on at about 205 degrees. Fine.

Took the opportunity to finish charging the air conditioning. A few weeks ago when the engine was running hot but I was forced to drive it anyway, the a/c blew out the high pressure relief valve. I found no blockage in the system (checked in both directions) so maybe it was just the condenser was sitting next to an overhot radiator and it caused the head pressures to rise too high. That's just a guess. Also, the compressor was squeaking. I added about .75 fl. oz. of PAG-100 oil to the system and it is quiet now. Ambient temperature 90 degrees. Charged until high side read 220 PSI. Air coming out felt plenty cold and compressor seems to be operating on a normal duty cycle.

Engine still runs like it's on five cylinders and has no power to speak of, but I have to drive the car to a job interview tomorrow. (Daily is out of service temporarily.) Guess I'll just bounce and shudder my way there. Also, to get the engine to run at a decent speed with the a/c on and in gear I have to set the curb idle so fast that the engine diesels for a few seconds when shut down after a long, hot drive. Fun times.

Taking a lunch break inside for now, then will drain the system (it should be cool enough by then) and see what I find. Will snap a picture if I can remember to.

[Farrar]

Yep.

IMG_0291.jpg

No idea why these photos show up sideways. They are properly oriented on my computer.

[Lwanmtr]

Yep.

IMG_0291.jpg

No idea why these photos show up sideways. They are properly oriented on my computer.

Cause youre closer to the equator?

[Ron]

No idea why these photos show up sideways. They are properly oriented on my computer.

Did you use an Apple/ipad/ipod/iphone to take/store/post the pic? If so, the file could contain orientation data that vBulletin ignores, I.E., vBulletin posts it as is. Sometimes you can turn the cam to the left to trick it, re-orient & save it in most viewers, or, D/L an app in the App Store (corrects for email too)...

[Farrar]

Did you use an Apple/ipad/ipod/iphone to take/store/post the pic? If so, the file could contain orientation data that vBulletin ignores, I.E., vBulletin posts it as is. Sometimes you can turn the cam to the left to trick it, re-orient & save it in most viewers, or, D/L an app in the App Store (corrects for email too)...

It's a handheld digital camera. Different product, but probably the same cause and reason.

Update: Drained water tonight and it looked clean, so I added coolant. Here's hoping I survive two hours of driving tomorrow!

[Lwanmtr]

Good luck...hope it works..finally.

[Farrar]

Either I have a leak, or I suck at burping the system.

Drove an hour today into downtown Miami, mostly on the interstate. By the end of the trip, the temp. gauge was reading close to 280°F. The cooling fans were on (I was using the a/c anyway because it's August in South Florida and I do not wish to die today), but did not bring down the temperature.

After sitting for a while, it seemed cool enough to check the expansion tank. Sure enough, the tank was low. I had brought some spare 50/50 with me to top up if needed. Well, it was needed. In fact, the tank was dry and the amount of fluid I had was only enough to fill it to about half. But that's what I had, so I drove home.

On the way home, the engine ran hotter than what I would consider normal, but not *AS* hot - somewhere around 250-260. When I got home, I noticed the overflow tube dripping, so I figured I had filled it. But I waited until it had cooled off, and checked again. Yep, the tank was low again - but not dry. I checked all around for leaks but didn't see any. I added what was left of my coolant supply and some water, not really mixing, just eyeballing it. (Why be precise when I'm just going to drain and flush again next week?)

Also on the way home, the a/c compressor started cycling more quickly and the air became less cool. Not sure if it might have to do with the condenser sitting next to a hot radiator, or what. "Cooling fan fail" light did come on briefly, but both fans seem to be working. (Note: #2613's cooling fan system is different in that each fan is on its own thermal-trip circuit breaker and relay. If power fails to cross either breaker or relay, the "cooling fan fail" light will illuminate. At least, that's how it worked when I tested the system a few years ago after I rebuilt the circuit.) Maybe one of the breakers tripped and then reset. Maybe there was low voltage to the fans. I have some things to check before I have to drive the car again ... tomorrow!