help! my truck overheated? now it won't start ...

i'm not sure what happened ... i haven't had any over-heating problems
at all. but after sitting in stop-and-go traffic in the sun on the
freeway, my truck quit running and was spewing steam. when i got off
the freeway and looked under the hood the radiator cap had blown off
and the engine was covered in dirty rust-colored water. i refilled the
radiator (it doesn't appear to be damaged) but now the truck won't
start. does anyone have any ideas?

is it possible it just needs to cool and dry off and it will start
again? is there something besides the heat that would've caused the
radiator cap to come off? could it be something like the spark plugs
need replaced after being wet?

any thoughts would be so helpful. thank you! thank you!

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> i'm not sure what happened ... i haven't had any over-heating problems
> at all. but after sitting in stop-and-go traffic in the sun on the
> freeway, my truck quit running and was spewing steam. when i got off
> the freeway and looked under the hood the radiator cap had blown off
> and the engine was covered in dirty rust-colored water. i refilled the
> radiator (it doesn't appear to be damaged) but now the truck won't
> start. does anyone have any ideas?
>
> is it possible it just needs to cool and dry off and it will start
> again? is there something besides the heat that would've caused the
> radiator cap to come off? could it be something like the spark plugs
> need replaced after being wet?
>
> any thoughts would be so helpful. thank you! thank you!
>
When you say it will not start, do you mean it will not turn over (crank) or
it cranks but will not run. If it will not crank, then it may be seized from
overheating and might turn over after it cools down enough, but there will
likely be some major damage to the engine if that is the case.
Although some diagnostics concerning the cooling system is needed, the
problem at hand is a no start condition and your diagnostics should start
with the basics for a no start condition. If it will crank, do you have
ignition spark, fuel delivery, compression, and correct timing. After those
basics are satisfied, you might start looking for other possible causes for
a no start such as vacuum leaks or arcing secondary ignition components
(i.e.. wet wires or plugs) etc. My first thought is a blown head gasket
caused by over heating due to an inoperative radiator cooling fan. Of
course, that is just a guess based on the limited information you provided.
--
Kevin Mouton
Automotive Technology Instructor
"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"
Red Green

wrote:
>
> i'm not sure what happened ... i haven't had any over-heating problems
> at all. but after sitting in stop-and-go traffic in the sun on the
> freeway, my truck quit running and was spewing steam. when i got off
> the freeway and looked under the hood the radiator cap had blown off
> and the engine was covered in dirty rust-colored water. i refilled the
> radiator (it doesn't appear to be damaged) but now the truck won't
> start. does anyone have any ideas?
>
> is it possible it just needs to cool and dry off and it will start
> again?

By now it should be cool and dry - so does it start?



>is there something besides the heat that would've caused the
> radiator cap to come off?

Yes, old age and corrosion and also the failure to put it on correctly.
The cap suddenly completely blowing off isn't the usual failure mode for
cooling system with too much pressure. Boy, that sure is one thing you
wouldn't want to happen if you had the hood open and were looking
inside.


>could it be something like the spark plugs
> need replaced after being wet?

That could be what caused it to quit. They would eventually dry off and
then they should work again.
Take a look inside your air cleaner is the filter soaked in anti-freeze.
That would certainly explain it quitting and not starting. A new filter
is probably the only good solution if that is the problem.

-jim

>
> any thoughts would be so helpful. thank you! thank you!

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If the water was rust colored, you should flush the crap out of it
anyways, cuz something is desintigrating. Filling it back up is not
the solution here. The coolant should be a nice green color. I have
an old crappy truck, and the coolant was just about the color of rust
when I got it. I flushed it out and waited for the radiator to die
(usually where SOME of the rust is coming from) then got a new
radiator, flushed it some more, and it has been rust free and green
(the coolant) for about 5 years now. I know that doesn't help with the
starting issue, but that's already kinda been dealt with, so I thought
I'd add my two cents.


wrote:
> i'm not sure what happened ... i haven't had any over-heating problems
> at all. but after sitting in stop-and-go traffic in the sun on the
> freeway, my truck quit running and was spewing steam. when i got off
> the freeway and looked under the hood the radiator cap had blown off
> and the engine was covered in dirty rust-colored water. i refilled the
> radiator (it doesn't appear to be damaged) but now the truck won't
> start. does anyone have any ideas?
>
> is it possible it just needs to cool and dry off and it will start
> again? is there something besides the heat that would've caused the
> radiator cap to come off? could it be something like the spark plugs
> need replaced after being wet?
>
> any thoughts would be so helpful. thank you! thank you!

wrote in news:1152933644.760093.195600
@s13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> i'm not sure what happened ... i haven't had any over-heating problems
> at all. but after sitting in stop-and-go traffic in the sun on the
> freeway, my truck quit running and was spewing steam. when i got off
> the freeway and looked under the hood the radiator cap had blown off
> and the engine was covered in dirty rust-colored water. i refilled the
> radiator (it doesn't appear to be damaged) but now the truck won't
> start. does anyone have any ideas?
>
> is it possible it just needs to cool and dry off and it will start
> again? is there something besides the heat that would've caused the
> radiator cap to come off? could it be something like the spark plugs
> need replaced after being wet?
>
> any thoughts would be so helpful. thank you! thank you!
>

truck? freightliner or peterbuilt? how many wheels (please include steering
wheel)?......other than that most us mindreaders out here in the real world
are kinda glad it wont start. sounds like a POS!. POS,s can be dangerous on
the roadways.................kjun btw; dont let al gore know your
polluting his earth with remnants of a cooling system and rusty water.