I was digging through paperwork on this truck and found the Midas ticket. Aparently in November my brother took the truck in becasue of no heat. They noted there was antifreeze in the truck but the protection was only to 5 degrees. The flushed the cooling system, then "pressure flushed" the heater core. They also changed the oil. All in all about 700 bucks. The truck was noted as having 15,791 miles at this point.(Now it has 151,000) It was a few weeks after that that the truck's temperature started climbing higher than normal. My brother said he turned it off and parked it overnight. The next day when he attempted to drive it back to Midas is when the white smoke started coming out of it.
Midas told him I think it would be 4 hours labor at 70 dollars an hour just to find out what was wrong with it. One of the guys there offered to buy it from him for 300 dollars.
I called Midas. the head tech said it rolled so much white smoke that they had to open the bay doors. I think he also said they did a coolant pressure test and it would not hold pressure.
My dad had the truck towed to my house and basically gave it to me. I am needing a truck as mine has 302,000, but I thought about selling it and putting the money toward a good gas mileage car. Not sure.
Also had a few more questions. I will say I am learnign alot by talking to you guys:
- When I first got the truck and checked the oil there where "specs" like dirt or sand in the oil. Not sure what. this was on the dipstick. Later, I drained the bottom part of the oil in the pan to get the antifreeze out. Yesterday I went to check the oil. It looked perfect, nothing on the dipstick. I will say the coolant passage look brown and terrible. Could this be the material? WIll it hurt anything?
- Two studds broke in the head where the exhaust mannifold went. Where I work has a maintenance department and said they would look at it and see about putting a helicoil in. My manual said to use permatex number 2 sealant when re installing the studs. WIll it leak if no sealant is used around the helicoil? Also, I forgot which holes were for studs and which were bolts. Is there a safe way to tell which hole has studs and which has bolts?
- What is the best thing to use to remove gasket material? Is there anythign faster than a razor blade?