5FSE overheating problem, Blown head gasket? Options

[jackkasper]

My 96 Vert overheated and the radiator split on top due to pressure I'm guessing. Replaced the radiator and thermostat and still experiencing the overheat symptom.
Took it to my mechanic who told me it needed a new head gasket. I am skeptical due to the lack of appearance of water in the oil (clear not milky) or oil in the coolant.

I suspect the water pump but am uncertain how to check it for failure. Suggestions?

[ST204GT83]

Are you losing coolant? Steam from exhaust? Are you capable of doing the work yourself? If so, take the water pump off and check it, the fan, or fins, propeller, what ever you'd like to call them, are probably shot. But, you'd be messing with the timing belt, and that can be an absolute nightmare if you don't get it on properly. You'd also need a timing light.

[Box]

Odds are what happened is the radiator just cracked from age, it's incredibly common and the older they get the less original radiators out there. If it "overheated" after the radiator burst that was from air entering the system and it losing pressure causing the coolant to boil. Odds are you didn't get the system bled and there's air in the system causing it to show it's overheating. Find an area where you can have the front of the car elevated, or lift it on flat ground, and then run it with the radiator cap off and heat on. Then if you have a funnel that'll fit tightly into the radiator neck fill it with a little coolant and then you can watch the air escape and coolant drop down to fill the air pockets. Once it's up to temp and running for awhile and there's no more bubbles and it's topped off then you should be good to go to put the cap on and then take it for a test drive. Needless to say keep an eye on things to make sure it doesn't overheat just in case there is something actually wrong with it.

Also another thing if your radiator cap is bad it won't pressurize the system and will let the coolant boil.

This post has been edited by Box: Apr 4, 2018 - 3:32 PM

[TimeslideZ]

Odds are what happened is the radiator just cracked from age, it's incredibly common and the older they get the less original radiators out there. If it "overheated" after the radiator burst that was from air entering the system and it losing pressure causing the coolant to boil. Odds are you didn't get the system bled and there's air in the system causing it to show it's overheating. Find an area where you can have the front of the car elevated, or lift it on flat ground, and then run it with the radiator cap off and heat on. Then if you have a funnel that'll fit tightly into the radiator neck fill it with a little coolant and then you can watch the air escape and coolant drop down to fill the air pockets. Once it's up to temp and running for awhile and there's no more bubbles and it's topped off then you should be good to go to put the cap on and then take it for a test drive. Needless to say keep an eye on things to make sure it doesn't overheat just in case there is something actually wrong with it.

Also another thing if your radiator cap is bad it won't pressurize the system and will let the coolant boil.

+1 on this, my brother didn't do his bleeding properly and went through a radiator every 2 years or so (all good now).