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EPIC DAY: Artic front installed... subsequent coolant rupture...leak discovery

merlot566jka

Member
360
0
16
Location
ID or TX or OK
SPELLING EDIT ARCTIC... sorry, I'm a tard.

So yesterday after work I put on my arctic front, in preparation for the cold mornings. I didn’t use the metal screw in clips, just stretched the springs, used some zip ties and whatnot. Went well.
Temps on the way home with the flaps dog eared were around 180. I was pleased.

This morning I closed off the whole front. It was around 28* this morning. I got about 20 miles away at highway speed, and the windows started to fog. Then everything started smelling like pancake syrup. mmmmm.
The temp was at 200, steady. I pulled over and opened the passenger side cover. I saw coolant everywhere. And steam. Fun. Looked like it was coming from the lower heater hose.

So I opened the the flaps some and decided to drive the remaining two miles to work. The temp dropped to about 160 and no more steam.

When I got to work, my co-workers were ready to take me to the parts store. I took a look at the hose to see what size I needed now that it was daylight. Well the hose wasn’t leaking, but the alternator sure was soaked. The shutoff cock stem was bent pretty bad. After looking online, I couldn’t find a replacement anywhere. So I took it apart (its reverse thread BTW) and found the rubber seal in it was trashed. I cut off the threaded shaft and pulled it out, replaced the rubber with some stuff from the shop, put it all back together, reconnected the hose, filled it up with water (1 Gal) and test ran it. All was well.
Took it to lunch, no leak!

On the re-inspect after returning from lunch, my co-worker asked me why my generator reading was just in the yellow and not green... hmmmm? Maybe the belt was slipping cause of the coolant. Took a look at the alternator... I’ll be ****ed... it was completely loose, no bolt at all holding it down... it had come up and smacked into the shutoff cock and hit the hose. Well there was the cause of my coolant disaster. I took a pry bar, got it back in place put a new bolt in, with locktite, and a backup nut, lock washers and an ton of grunting.
All is good...

BUT

When my co-workers were giving it a look over, one noticed that the flame heater injector was pouring fuel all over the exhaust side of the turbo! It looked like the return line was the culprit. My flame heater was connected when I got the truck, but also had an ether kit. I have started it when it was -15* without the flame thrower or the engine crack...so I decided to cap off the flame heater return at the injectors. I took the fitting with the plastic line, filled it with solder and put it back on. Restarted the truck.
Now it was really coming out of the flame heater injector! So I guess the flame heater injector SEND line was leaking? Or now that there is no return, the send line was just pumping the fuel back out to the return and then all over everything? Well I had about enough, so I took the flame heater injector feed line and soldered it up and put it back on. No leaks on retest... good to go.

Or so I thought.

On the 1000th look over, I saw fuel dripping from the new secondary spin on filter connections. So I disconnected all of them, re-Teflon taped them and put them back together. No leaks on retest.

Yay!

One last look around, put up the tools.... then.... Safety from my work comes around for their annual inspection. They saw my truck, and want to ask questions....

"why is there oil coming out of this tire?"
"are you going to do something about all of the oil dripping from the engine into our parking lot?"
"why does it smell like coolant?"

So I have discovered that the passenger forward most rear axle left a puddle of black gooey grease and that the inside of the tire is covered in grease. I just flipped the hubs a couple weeks ago... that axle had bearings that were completely dry. So I greased them up when I re-installed everything. Looks like the grease didn’t want to stay in...Wonder why???

Then I tried to explain to them that the engine will leak oil because it needs head gaskets. They want me to bring a drip pan with me to work so I don’t contaminate the area. Or not drive the vehicle anymore.

I also explained about the coolant rupture on the way to work... They asked if it got on the ground... I said "not sure". They were satisfied, and made a few comments about how American’s build junk, and so on. Not pleased with their tone, but I had to let it go... not the time to start a battle.

So now here I am, end of the day, I haven’t done a single thing productive at work... and I am questioning... what’s next? Will I make it home...into work tomorrow... ???


Long day. **** truck.
 
Last edited:

patracy

Administrator
Staff member
Administrator
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Buchanan, GA
Americans build junk huh? Where do you work? Let's see, our MV's were good enough to win against the Germans and Japanese....
 

merlot566jka

Member
360
0
16
Location
ID or TX or OK
I work for the goberment. Has to do with aircraft and stuff... Not gonna throw anyone under a bus here, I'd rather not say.

The safety guy is a BMW guy... Fwiw
 

runk

Active member
542
65
28
Location
Houston, TX
If the safety guy is a BMW guy, ask him when the last time he did the 80k mile PM replacement of his sh**y $600 plastic radiator...
(From experience, the failure at 90k miles is spectacular ! (replace radiator, fan, water pump, and a bunch of other stuff) I was lucky and got mine shut down before it warped the heads or cracked the block.)
 

SteveKuhn

New member
1,227
4
0
Location
Hasbrouck Heights NJ
"...If this is what's going to happen when I put my Arctic cover on, I'll just leave it off..."

What he said. And here I was all worried about finding those screw-on spring brackets 'cause mine didn't come with 'em.

Anybody know if this kinda thing happens when you just use black-painted cardboard over the front?



 

srodocker

Well-known member
6,549
69
48
Location
Lacey, Washington
I put mine on with a buddy and no problems. I do have only 1 drive on it with the flap open and it heated up quick and heater put out hot air. its nice!
 

6x6TRex

Member
261
2
16
Location
Flint, MI
"...If this is what's going to happen when I put my Arctic cover on, I'll just leave it off..."

Anybody know if this kinda thing happens when you just use black-painted cardboard over the front?
That causes the horn wire to short out in the steering column causing the horn solenoid to short out also. Not to mention the cardboard starting to smolder because your friend who put it on placed it tight against the radiator!

Fun times with the old girl, can't wait to get another one!
 

Heavysteven

New member
2,090
10
0
Location
Hickory Flat Ga
Alternator is a common issue for coming loose. Luckily I caught mine in time. You probally have a spring vent clogged so when the axle gear oil heats up its blowing past the seals.

Good job on your field repairs
 

Flyingvan911

Well-known member
4,709
158
63
Location
Kansas City, MO
These are all seperate problems that usually happen one at a time and are easy to fix. You just happened to be extra special and they all happened at once. These trucks are good, they are just old and need things done occasionally.

I had to plug my fuel heater lines. I have a slight but rare (only leaks once in a while) bearing seal leak. I also need one of the top corners of my radiator soldered/brazed. It drips a little if the thermostat opens up. These are all small things for an older vehicle. Deuces are awesome but not perfect. As issues are correctly fixed, they will stay that way for a long time to come.
 

merlot566jka

Member
360
0
16
Location
ID or TX or OK
Yeah it was just a maintenence day I suppose.

The heater hose is leaking again, and I can see that it is the hose. I am just going to cut a few inches off of it and reconnect and hope for the best.
 

merlot566jka

Member
360
0
16
Location
ID or TX or OK
Alternator is a common issue for coming loose. Luckily I caught mine in time. You probally have a spring vent clogged so when the axle gear oil heats up its blowing past the seals.

Good job on your field repairs

Going to check the vent today after work. Thanks for the pointer.. I looked up the TM and found where the vent is and how to clean it. Hopefully that is the issue.
 

Cleptomaniac

Active member
1,083
1
38
Location
Tecumseh ,OK
I have had my arctic front on for a few weeks now. I close it in the morning when I start her and open it b4 I hit the road. Didn't open it once and it gets hot in a hurry!
Good luck and if you need any thing hollar!
 
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