My 6.2 Guzzles Water!!

[cornemuse]

Lately, as in the last month, my '84 Blazer with 6.2 diesel has started really going through water. So much, right now I'm not adding antifreeze, just water.
It does not have any external leakage, exhaust pipes are dry, (no water at all there)
After letting it run till thermostat opens, no bubbling coming from radiator fill.
It was 102º ± & the temp gauge went up to around 200º, put in what water I had & went home, added almost 2 gallons of water.
Now its addicted, , , ,

Motor around 150,000 miles.

I figured maybe head gaskets??
Is head gasket replacement much hassle?? I've rebuilt several fuel governors, (injection pumps), so that woukd be ½ way to head removal?

I also have another "good" '84 engine, but it has been setting on the back porch for 15 years, (covered tho, also, no glow plugs in it)
I am 71 and would rather NOT swap motors again <- done that a few times too.

Thoughts or opinions??

Thanks

-corne-

 

[Twisted Steel Performance]

sounds like head gaskets.. go by a napa and get some test strips for the radiator that show hydrocarbons ie blown head gasket..

Other than that you may be able to remove the belt, remove the thermostat, crank the motor and see what side bubbles come up from while looking in the water crossover..

Does the top radiator get hard very soon after start up when cold, if so that's a sure sign of a gasket failing..

 

[ak diesel driver]

That's alot of water to be going nowhere

 

[ak diesel driver]

have you checked the oil?

 

[Will L.]

Yeah... check oil dipstick first,
Then go to parts store and Pressure test the cooling system and do combustion in radiator test.

 

[cornemuse]

Sorry, meant to mention, oil is ok. If bubbles are in the crossover, where are they going? Not out the radiator fill. No bubbles there at all.
I figured head gaskets, , , , ,

I had pulled the head off a bad motor many years ago, (25 yrs), as I recall, the biggest problem was the weight of the head.

Do a valve job at the same time?? This motor allus was a hard starter in cold weather.

-c-

 

[ak diesel driver]

has to be going out the overflow or tailpipe then. no where else to go

 

[WarWagon]

Last head I cracked, well, it would suck the water down, but, it also pressurized the system quick. Have you pulled the fan shroud and inspected the radiator? X2 on pressure test of cooling system. I have had bad radiator caps, new OEM from factory, allow the system to boil over after shutdown - warranty as it was boiling over in the dealer service bay.

End of the day a hot engine can leak and evaporate a lot of coolant without being seen. Radiator core leak is a good example of this esp. with lots of airflow. Sometimes the leak is intermittent sealing up with higher pressure. Example is the video I posted where revving the engine makes a heater hose spray coolant. I thought it was a minor weeping...

You run the engine without belts on it with the t-stat crossover off. The side that is bubbling has the crack or HG popped. The small bubbles may not make it to the radiator to be seen. Other tests above are better before you do this one.

 

[cornemuse]

Radiator is newest item on the car! Its 5 or so years old, one of those aluminium/plastic ones. (has gm part num got it from a big ac/cooling/radiator shop).

I figured it is head gasket, even before, oh well, , , ,

 

[WarWagon]

New parts that are 5 years old... Nothing gets a free pass. Heater cores are the newest most of the time on mine and they blow often.

 

[cornemuse]

Radiator was brand new 5 yrs ago, , , ,