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A buddy of mine has a '86 International cabover that has all of the sudden started overheating on the least little hill. He was haulin full time with the truck but bought a Western Star and only uses the cabover to pull a reefer trailer around a 100 mile round trip on saturday. The truck is a low mileage truck around 400,000, and the fuel is set on the factory settin. Just the least little incline it'll heat up then shut it's self down. Bobtailing it does fine, but even pullin his savannah log trailer around EMPTY it'll try to heat up. He replaced the water pump with no luck and is wondering what to look for next. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks guys

This message was brought to you by Hargraves Potted Meat Product. Chopped full of "Peckers & Lips" since 1933 - John Boy & Billy

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A buddy of mine has a '86 International cabover that has all of the sudden started overheating on the least little hill. He was haulin full time with the truck but bought a Western Star and only uses the cabover to pull a reefer trailer around a 100 mile round trip on saturday. The truck is a low mileage truck around 400,000, and the fuel is set on the factory settin. Just the least little incline it'll heat up then shut it's self down. Bobtailing it does fine, but even pullin his savannah log trailer around EMPTY it'll try to heat up. He replaced the water pump with no luck and is wondering what to look for next. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks guys

Three things starting with the cheap and easy!Thermastat replace it. does it have a thermatic or air fan does it operate correctly?

Rad is it clean?and one more thing if it has shutters are they opening?

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A buddy of mine has a '86 International cabover that has all of the sudden started overheating on the least little hill. He was haulin full time with the truck but bought a Western Star and only uses the cabover to pull a reefer trailer around a 100 mile round trip on saturday. The truck is a low mileage truck around 400,000, and the fuel is set on the factory settin. Just the least little incline it'll heat up then shut it's self down. Bobtailing it does fine, but even pullin his savannah log trailer around EMPTY it'll try to heat up. He replaced the water pump with no luck and is wondering what to look for next. Any and all help would be appreciated. Thanks guys

Joe, on models with Horton, or similar fan clutches, the same Kysor shut down also controls the fan clutch. Whether viscous or air operated the fan clutch would be the first suspect. See what it has. If it is air operated look for a manual switch. If no manual switch, jump the solonoid with a test lead to make the fan operate, and test drive it. A quick test for a suspect Cummins water pump is to attempt to lay your hand on both top and bottom radiator tanks, when the engine is showing hot. If the bottom is a lot hotter, it is not circulating. Cummins uses a lot of phenolic impellers in replacement pumps. They are prone to turn loose and spin on the shaft. Due to cavitation, over time they will sometimes lose the vanes. They always end up in the oil cooler. If you pull one of these pumps, and find part of the vanes missing, do not pass go or collect 200 dollars, but pull the oil cooler and clean it out before using the truck. If you can't find your problem, call me. James

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I appreciate the help guys. I'm gonna try and go up there his weekend "Hopefully" and see if we can sort this problem out. He kinda needs the truck for other things, but with his overheating issue it kinda throws a wrench into the gears scenario. I'll be in touch wih ya James.

This message was brought to you by Hargraves Potted Meat Product. Chopped full of "Peckers & Lips" since 1933 - John Boy & Billy

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Take a pressure gage and put on the coolant side like any were below the thermostat and at 1800 check the water pump pressure. This will tell you how the water pump is. At 1800 or 2100 it show be running around 25 or more psi and if it is a BC4 then it should be around 38 to 45 psi at 2100. A slipping belt or a spining impellor may cause low or no water pump pressure. this can be done cold . If ever thing else checks ok then check for air pressure in the coolant and it is easy by using a pop bottle that is clear. warm the engine up for say 15 min. to the operating range and with a bottle full of clear water take the raditor overflow hose that comes out from under the rad. cap and put in the bootle. With rad cab on it should stop bubbleing air into the bottle after it gets to operating temps. If air bubbles are present then you may have compression in system. Some air operated heater control laves can let air in coolant if bad.

glenn akers

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  • 1 year later...

Joe, on models with Horton, or similar fan clutches, the same Kysor shut down also controls the fan clutch. Whether viscous or air operated the fan clutch would be the first suspect. See what it has. If it is air operated look for a manual switch. If no manual switch, jump the solonoid with a test lead to make the fan operate, and test drive it. A quick test for a suspect Cummins water pump is to attempt to lay your hand on both top and bottom radiator tanks, when the engine is showing hot. If the bottom is a lot hotter, it is not circulating. Cummins uses a lot of phenolic impellers in replacement pumps. They are prone to turn loose and spin on the shaft. Due to cavitation, over time they will sometimes lose the vanes. They always end up in the oil cooler. If you pull one of these pumps, and find part of the vanes missing, do not pass go or collect 200 dollars, but pull the oil cooler and clean it out before using the truck. If you can't find your problem, call me. James

James i have a 350 Bigcam the top of the radiator gets hot (140}degrees but the bottom is {45}degrees and the motor runs 180, the water dosent seem to circulate. did they have problems with all bigcam cummins waterpumps or do you think it could be air pocket in the system. Thanks Ron
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James i have a 350 Bigcam the top of the radiator gets hot (140}degrees but the bottom is {45}degrees and the motor runs 180, the water dosent seem to circulate. did they have problems with all bigcam cummins waterpumps or do you think it could be air pocket in the system. Thanks Ron

On a BC4 the bottom of the rad will be some what cold because it is a low flow system. But on a hi/flow system the top to the bottom should be like 15 degress colder at the bottom.

glenn akers

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James i have a 350 Bigcam the top of the radiator gets hot (140}degrees but the bottom is {45}degrees and the motor runs 180, the water dosent seem to circulate. did they have problems with all bigcam cummins waterpumps or do you think it could be air pocket in the system. Thanks Ron

Up to and including the Big cam 111 engine, cooling systems were similar to the ones used on automobiles. The water pump pulls cool water from the bottom radiator tank, circulates it through the engine and dumps hot water back into the top tank. You would have to have some circulation to have hot water at the top. An 855 Cummins is a high millage engine, at some time in its service life it will need a water pump. It would be safe to say that all over heating problems are not thermostat or water pump related. Different problems present their selves in a different manner. Most Cummins engines are vented by a no. 4 hose from the thermostat to the top radiator tank. What kind of an issue are you experiencing?

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Up to and including the Big cam 111 engine, cooling systems were similar to the ones used on automobiles. The water pump pulls cool water from the bottom radiator tank, circulates it through the engine and dumps hot water back into the top tank. You would have to have some circulation to have hot water at the top. An 855 Cummins is a high millage engine, at some time in its service life it will need a water pump. It would be safe to say that all over heating problems are not thermostat or water pump related. Different problems present their selves in a different manner. Most Cummins engines are vented by a no. 4 hose from the thermostat to the top radiator tank. What kind of an issue are you experiencing?

The water is not circulateing through the heater core. i will see if it has an air pocket,maybe put a pressure gauge on it like theakerstwo said.i just thought the bottom should atleast be warm after driving 10 miles but it was cold and top was hot with the gauge saying 180 Thanks Ron
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The water is not circulateing through the heater core. i will see if it has an air pocket,maybe put a pressure gauge on it like theakerstwo said.i just thought the bottom should atleast be warm after driving 10 miles but it was cold and top was hot with the gauge saying 180 Thanks Ron

Most truck applications had shut of valves on both hoses, if either valve is closed off, no heat. It used to be a big deal in the fall of the year. The AC would about halfway work with the heater valves open, so you closed them to keep from melting. Then you had to stop and open them for the heater.

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  • 1 month later...

Joe, on models with Horton, or similar fan clutches, the same Kysor shut down also controls the fan clutch. Whether viscous or air operated the fan clutch would be the first suspect. See what it has. If it is air operated look for a manual switch. If no manual switch, jump the solonoid with a test lead to make the fan operate, and test drive it. A quick test for a suspect Cummins water pump is to attempt to lay your hand on both top and bottom radiator tanks, when the engine is showing hot. If the bottom is a lot hotter, it is not circulating. Cummins uses a lot of phenolic impellers in replacement pumps. They are prone to turn loose and spin on the shaft. Due to cavitation, over time they will sometimes lose the vanes. They always end up in the oil cooler. If you pull one of these pumps, and find part of the vanes missing, do not pass go or collect 200 dollars, but pull the oil cooler and clean it out before using the truck. If you can't find your problem, call me. James

I put a pressure guage on it would not move,pulled the waterpump today the plastic impeller was just spinning in the shaft. do they make a waterpump for a bigcam 1 thats got a castiron impeller or are they all plastic. Thanks for you guys help. Ron

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I put a pressure guage on it would not move,pulled the waterpump today the plastic impeller was just spinning in the shaft. do they make a waterpump for a bigcam 1 thats got a castiron impeller or are they all plastic. Thanks for you guys help. Ron

You can and should buy a replacement pump with a cast impeller.

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You can and should buy a replacement pump with a cast impeller.

Go to cummins or a truck dealer and buy a cummins rebuilt and you will not have any trouble. I do not use or advice using the cheap aftermarket water pumps rebuilt for a mack cummins DD or cat. Here my look at it when cummins has to stand behind their pump i think they use what they cn get to stay on. I my self have seen many cat pumps spin and cant remenber seeing a mack pump spin but have seen a few cummins but i still say stay with cummins rebuilt.Thats my 2 cents worth.

glenn akers

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