This is a sealed system! You need to have all the hoses connected and engine running to purge all the air out of it. Like I mentioned it can take a while to do this. I've spent as long as 30 minutes or more just getting all the air pockets out of some machines.If the w/p seal is bad you would notice it leaking or pouring out the weep hole in the cover. You may have to end up jacking it up from the drivers side like we had to do on the Rangers and Razrs to purge the air. That is if the radiator is clean as you mentioned,the thermostat is operating properly,the fan sensor is ok and the fan is cycling on and off..

 

Sealed system...got me thinking. Are all the hoses good to go, and I found one that has a gauge in it. Don't think it is fully through but is probably enough to not allow pressure to build up through the system. Gr. Time for a new lower hose.

 

Replace if it's got a badly worn spot as it could burst later on out in the boonies and leave you stranded. Some have even spliced a new hose section into the original hose that didn't want to spend the bucks on a new one,BUT if mine I'd do it right!. This gouge shouldn't affect the pressurization of the system unless the hose is kinked,collapsed or leaking.

 

Soo...after a long break to climb a mountain and get caught up from that, back at it. Figured out the thermostat is bad by taking it out and running it for a bit, fan cycled on and everything. So I thought I was out of the woods and all. Take a spin around the machine and saw this.....


Leaking coolant from the seam on the block just below the thermostat housing. Any ideas why or how to fix or what might be causing that??

 

Leaking coolant through the cylinder base gasket coolant jacket area,or possibly a small crack in the cylinder wall itself.I think you finally found the source of your problem. Looks like time at least for a new gasket.If you're having to go through all that trouble to replace this, I'd check everything out on the top end,have the cylinder checked out along with the piston and rings,makes sense to at least hone the cylinder and replace the rings if piston is still in tolerance,valve job along with new seals if any valves are seeping,plus make sure coolant hasn't gotten into the oil..

 

A coolant pressure tester comes in handy in these cases.

 

Okay so latest update. It has been awhile since I have moved and had a lot going on...

I ended up getting the head gasket replaced, and it was still having overheating problems (A lot of steam coming out the radiator cap) even though they said they burped the system.

I bought a new thermostat thinking maybe that was getting stuck. Installed it last night and had the machine running what seemed like it was fixed. Fan was coming on, it was running with no steam or coolant out the rad cap.

Still need to burb the system and I think that is causing an overheating problem right now, but I have finally gotten it to where I don't see any bubbles come up after turning it on or shutting down with the coolant level up to the rad cap.

Crossing my fingers...

 

So the fan kicked on three times during the last warm up. I guess I have a couple concerns...

Should the rad cap ever allow steam or coolant out it? If not, once the system gets going and pressurized, I could get air in that way.

Also I replaced the line to the overflow container. If that line doesn't allow free flow, could that be putting unnessecary pressure on the rad cap.

It seems like I have had it running good like this before but then got air in the system again.

I guess the only way to truly tell is to run the machine and see if it continues the overheating problem but if I can do anything preventitive prior to having to burb the system again.

 

If you haven't replaced this 13 psi radiator cap,I'd do it also. You can get em cheap at any auto supply. Plus in the video you posted it showed seepage at the base gasket. Did you just replace the head gasket or both?

 

I did replace the cap before the gasket went out.

I had a shop replace the head gasket and they didn't say anything else. It's not seeping or losing coolant except out the rad cap.