Loss of engine water story

[CraigC]

I am only writing this for anyone that is not familiar with the possibility of the following scenario.
I am familiar with this happening several times on some of our ranch, trucking equipment & etc. over the years.

I just left 103 degree weather at the top of a major grade and at the bottom the temperature was 65 degrees.  My engine temp. was about 192 as I crested the hill from a long up hill grade. The down hill was much steeper at the bottom my temp. was 165 degree the thermostat setting. Nothing unusual here. I did use the Jakes all the way down. I had a friend behind me try to CB me, but I did not receive anything. He saw some water leakage. He did not get to concerned because I have a water mister system and thought that was the water. I do not ever use it going down a hill. Five miles later I had a 15mph cross wind of cool ocean air and now my temp gauges say 148 degrees. I was questioning the readings in my head and watching the gauges very closely. This was unusual for me it never runs below 165. Then we went behind a mountain the breeze was gone and temp went up a few degrees but still lower then normal. I am thinking this is better but still a little cooler then normal. I am going to have to check the thermostat out when I get home. About 5 more miles I am a few hundred feet from the ocean with a 15 plus mph cross wind and temp starting to drop again. About a 1/2 mile down the highway a very unusual major instant traffic jam. I had to hit my brakes almost to max effort. and immediately both my digital, analog and 200 degree idiot light all said 200 degrees plus {digital 203 }. Know my heart sunk a lot I think we got big problems Houston. I pull over used the digital hand held gun and found out the hottest spot on the engine at a water jacket was 211 and it went down from there. The thermostat area about 160 the bottom of radiator 140 degrees. I do not remember all of the rest. WE let the engine cool completely and added 8 gals of coolant to it. A bolt in the radiator top neck had the threads somewhat rusted away and the thread in the radiator because it was a little short were also bad. It blew out about 3/4" of gasket by less then a 1/16" gap and lost water. The field fix for this was the threaded hole was much deeper then the original bolt. We measured how deep the threaded hole was. We had a bolt that was too long and started adding lock washers to it until it would almost bottom out in the hole. We made a new gasket and used permatex  super 300. The permanent fix will be to use grade 5 all thread and make it like a stub and lock tight  it in the hole.
I have had a low water probe for several years. I just did not put it high priority to install it. This is not going to happen to me. Really dumb thinking since I have been around equipment since I was a baby.

I decided to share this story just in case not every one know it is possible to lose water fairly rapidly and the temperature gauge sender and emergency shut down will not read properly until it is too late. They do not measure air.

Before my next trip I will have the low water sensor working working. Isspro makes a kit, Robertshaw has a sender with all built in and you wire it up. Probably others. You can have a light, and or alarm or even add to auto shut down. The & evev to much water in a fuel tank. The mentioned kits do not tell how to do the auto shut down, but it would not be hard to add that feature.
Just for info Robertshaw also has a probe  for low fuel, engine oil, transmission oil. I am going  use the Isspro one. My info on Robertshaw is a few years old and I have not checked today's availability.

I have since driven mine many miles with no over heating or coolant loss. Defiantly a guardian angel was on my shoulder that day.

[Dreamscape]

Craig,

Very sound advice you gave, and also what we need to carry with us when we have to do a McGiver fix.

The details of the experience that you had is great, instead of saying, "It ran hot than cold then hot".

Those IR guns sure do come in handy, I should have bought one years ago. I use mine now after every run. Well what runs I have are pretty short until my current project is completed.

I envy those of you who get out there and burn that fuel!

Paul

[jjrbus]

Good post. Thanks.  Jim

[Barn Owl]

Do you have any links for the probes? Good advice, Thanks.

[Len Silva]

I don't know how practical this is and I've never heard of anyone doing it, but.... I have considered adding a coolant pressure gauge.  I wonder if it might give you warning of an overheat before the temp gauge did. One of the problems as Craig experienced, if you don't happen to catch the temperature gauge going up due to a loss of coolant, then it will go down again as the sender is no longer submerged.

Len

[niles500]

I think the moral of Craig's story would be that any irregular gauge readings, high or low, is cause to stop immediately and find out the reason for the anomoly - FWIW

Thanks for the reminder!

[CraigC]

The Isspro R4290 Low Water Kit W/ Relay, about $180.00 list.  http://www.isspro.com/proddetail.php?prod=R4290

Robertshaw info: old faxed to me info. I have not looked on the net for them. Laryn try this number it is close to you 615-546-0524 Knoxville.

[JohnEd]

Niles,

Great advice.  I have gauges for everything including the differential temp.  I installed idiot lights for the oil pressure and water temp.  The idiots run a big red light on the dash AND an obnoxious buzzer.  I wish it had an auto park and engine shut-down but what I have will do.  Race cars I have seen have this feature but the light is about 3 inches across and fired by a halogen bulb.  We don't get much more time to react than they do.  My system is dirt simple as I use a manual switch to disable the system till the engine starts and the oil pressure sensor resets.  This also lets me test the alarms when I want to at startup.  The way mine is wired I get a silent alarm/red light(dim) if I start her and don't switch to the armed mode.  I am real happy with how that worked out.  Did it 15 years ago and no problemo.  If I took out/disabled the system I would burn up the engine the next time out....not a shred of doubt in my mind.

John

John

[JohnEd]

That $180 was probably a good price for the insurance that system provides.  I am much more broke than cheap but I really like doing somthing worthwhile for near nothing but sweat and or thought.  Is it possible to install a second overtemp sender in some part of the system that would not get cheated of water if you get a leak?  Say the block drain hole.  If the infrared gun saw 211 somewhere I should think that another gauge/idiot light sender should have a nesting spot that would be suitable.  What part of the engine heats up fastest in this situation?  What say you all?

This is impotent, and we should be dressed accordingly.

John

[CraigC]

I bought a probe for a Volvo truck that was to be used for a electronic controlled engine. I payed 20 to 40 for it. My electronics back ground was lacking the ability to figure out a way to make it work. I just wanted it to work a idiot light. The right person could make one very reasonable.

If the Robertshaw probe is still available at a reasonable price the wiring to make it work is very simple.

The isspro unit is a kit- I did not check the prices to buy just the probe, electronic box the rest I am not going to use. I am going to us wiring, unused idiot light, buzzer that is already in the bus.