7.3 losing coolant

Turbosuzuki · Jun 23, 2016

Hey guys truck is losing coolant, I have a bad radiator where it was leaking from top side.
I just got home from a 5 mile drive and it lost it all in my driveway. It looks to be coming from the pulley for the fan. Any ideas what that could be? Truck is a 02 stage 1 injectors 5in exhaust php tunes. I was driving in my heaviest tow tune and heater was on because it ran hot a week ago. I have some pics I'm gonna try to post, thanks in advance.

TyCorr · Jun 23, 2016

Waterpumps shot?

Turbosuzuki · Jun 23, 2016

Sorry for the crappie pics

Turbosuzuki · Jun 23, 2016

TyCorr said:
Waterpumps shot?

Thanks for the quick reply man. When it got hot a week ago I let it cool but added some water to try and help, well some spashed on the erea where I guess the water pump is and it sizzled it was so hot. I guess back in the shop it goes

TyCorr · Jun 23, 2016

You realize that is the waterpump shaft mounted to that pulley right? If its running out around that shaft that bad the bearings are long gone. Theres a weephole on the bottom of the pump if you get under and look, they'll leak there first when the coolant starts seeping past. Thats to warn you. Yours is failed entirely.

Turbosuzuki · Jun 23, 2016

TyCorr said:
You realize that is the waterpump shaft mounted to that pulley right? If its running out around that shaft that bad the bearings are long gone. Theres a weephole on the bottom of the pump if you get under and look, they'll leak there first when the coolant starts seeping past. Thats to warn you. Yours is failed entirely.

No sir I didnt I'm trying to learn what I can sorry for the ignorance on my part.
Then that would explain the noise it was like a squeeling sound about like bearings gone out it would do every so often. Well I need a new radiator and a new water pump.

I'm just gonna go back with a oem radiator would a stock water pump be OK also?

Jomax · Jun 23, 2016

Stock radiator and water pump is what I would run.

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Turbosuzuki · Jun 23, 2016

Jomax said:
Stock radiator and water pump is what I would run.

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Yep is what I'm gonna do also, thanks guys.

TyCorr · Jun 23, 2016

Turbosuzuki said:
No sir I didnt I'm trying to learn what I can sorry for the ignorance on my part.
Then that would explain the noise it was like a squeeling sound about like bearings gone out it would do every so often. Well I need a new radiator and a new water pump.

I'm just gonna go back with a oem radiator would a stock water pump be OK also?

Yea on both. Or google airtex waterpump for 7.3 powerstroke.

No sweat. I wasnt talking down to you. You had probably better count on replacing the tstat and housing as well. If you would, go to riffraffdiesel.com and find the water pump and radiator under "oem" and you can get a tstat there as well or there are some aftermarket options like 180° and 203° tstat as well. If you look a bit more you'll find "billet thermostat housing" if you buy that you're goid for life. No leaks, no rust throughs, no bs. Its twice the priceof a cheap one and only 10-15 more than ford.

That guy is a site sponsor and has hard to beat prices.

Turbosuzuki · Jun 23, 2016

TyCorr said:
Yea on both. Or google airtex waterpump for 7.3 powerstroke.

No sweat. I wasnt talking down to you. You had probably better count on replacing the tstat and housing as well. If you would, go to riffraffdiesel.com and find the water pump and radiator under "oem" and you can get a tstat there as well or there are some aftermarket options like 180° and 203° tstat as well. If you look a bit more you'll find "billet thermostat housing" if you buy that you're goid for life. No leaks, no rust throughs, no bs. Its twice the priceof a cheap one and only 10-15 more than ford.

That guy is a site sponsor and has hard to beat prices.

Oh I know you weren't man I just hate asking stupid questions lol. Thanks for the heads up I want to deal with a site sponsor so I will go there for what I need. I live in Louisiana so it gets HOT down here I was going to maybe run a cooler t-stat. Thanks.

Jomax · Jun 24, 2016

Turbosuzuki said:
Oh I know you weren't man I just hate asking stupid questions lol. Thanks for the heads up I want to deal with a site sponsor so I will go there for what I need. I live in Louisiana so it gets HOT down here I was going to maybe run a cooler t-stat. Thanks.

I loved my 180degree T stat

Everything tycorr said is spot on.

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OBS-Addiction97 · Jun 24, 2016

Jomax said:
I loved my 180degree T stat

Everything tycorr said is spot on.

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What did you like so much about it? Just curious, I've read so many different things about t stats over the years.

Jomax · Jun 24, 2016

OBS-Addiction97 said:
What did you like so much about it? Just curious, I've read so many different things about t stats over the years.

Coolant temps were better towing in 115degrees. Only thing really.

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Turbosuzuki · Jun 24, 2016

I heard a lot about people running the 203 t-stat and liking it but I also read about a guy running hot while towing heavy with a 203. I don't tow heavy but I don't want to raise the coolant temp either, a stock one would work fine for what I do.

dsberman94 · Jun 24, 2016

Jomax said:
Coolant temps were better towing in 115degrees. Only thing really.

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Lower oil temps or not really? Just curious.

Jomax · Jun 24, 2016

dsberman94 said:
Lower oil temps or not really? Just curious.

That too. It did lower them.

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heavydoc · Jun 24, 2016

I run a 203* t stat from dieselsite and an all alumminum radiator from performance radiator and pull a 35 foot 5th wheel all over this country with no problems

TyCorr · Jun 25, 2016

Jomax said:
Coolant temps were better towing in 115degrees. Only thing really.

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Where you live, you'd have to be psychotic to run anything higher than the stock 192...180? Perfect. I wont get into tstat operation like the old days. People think like we're talkng sbc and "them higher thermuhstates will get ya heat quicker in the winter". And boiling hot oil when its not freezing out. LOL

Here the old 192 is fine. When it stsys up near 100 degrees for highs in July and August the oil starts getting a wee bit hot.

TyCorr · Jun 25, 2016

dsberman94 said:
Lower oil temps or not really? Just curious.

Jomax said:
That too. It did lower them.

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It gives you full coolant flow before **** is cooking balls. Gives the chance to get heat shedding before its soaked by it. If you plan on making heat you should encourage shedding it. If you have to use a high stat to heat the truck up, you arent working it.

Turbosuzuki · Jun 25, 2016

OK guys I will be ordering my parts monday. I don't have the money to pay a mechanic so I am going to try to do as much as I can myself. I have seen a couple videos on the net that's all I have to go by. I would like to flush the system or motor I guess seeing I will have a new radiator to install. Would anyone have ideas how to flush it being it will be apart? Or should I flush it out before taking it apart?

Maybe disconnect the radiator and run fresh water to clean out the heater core and engine. I want to go back with a good coolant and hopefully no future troubles.