coolant flowing?

[srv1]

put new t-stat in today,bleedind system,t-stat opened,upper hose got hot,however squeezing the upper rad hose I did not feel any flow.i also do not see movement in recently replaced rad.heater hoses are hot and I have good heat but I don't know why I cannot feel or see any flow.i suppose its moving if its getting through the heater core.everything seems normal to the touch and on the temp gauge.i am concerned about impellar inside pump.any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dodge 1500 4X4]

With a replaced radiator top hose will be hot when the thermostat opens, it is the inlet to the Rad, Lower hose should be allot cooler going through to Rad, if the water pump wasn't functioning properly you would be over heating, get a Infra red temp gun to see what the temp is

 

[srv1]

my concern is that the rad and rad cap are staying cool to the touch.is it possible that my fan clutch is keeping my fan spinning so much that it is keeping my rad that cool?trucks first start of the day on a cold day will make this awful howling sound for 5-10 sec..i have ruled out water pump,alt.,ac,ps,tensioner,idlers and belt.im thinking its either the impeller on the water pump or the fan clutch binding up.water pump shaft and fan have no play.no grease leaking from fan clutch.cold or hot ,if I try to spin the fan by hand,it only moves about 40 deg..I put a stethoscope on everything and it was quiet,the fan clutch I could not because no part of it is stationary when running. I just don't understand how after t-stat opens I don't feel any flow in top hose or see coolant flowing in rad . top hose hot,bottom hose cooler, heater hoses hot. rad is slightly warm around top hose I want to take off the fan and start the truck but I have to get the pin spanner wrench for the water pump pully,its on there pretty tight.

 

[justin13703]

I don’t understand how you would “feel flow” in the upper radiator hose. If the upper hose gets hot, heater hoses get hot and heater works, and truck isn’t overheating, I don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. Sounds to me like everything is fine.

 

[crash68]

To be able to "feel flow" you would have to have a high enough velocity of the volume of water being pumped. The same volume of water pumped through a 3/4" hose will move with more velocity than through an 1.5" hose, people confuse volume and velocity all the time. Your also less likely to "feel flow" if there is no air in the system.

Sounds like the fan clutch maybe making the noise, the fan should spin some but not a lot wen you spin it by hand

 

[Octane]

my concern is that the rad and rad cap are staying cool to the touch.is it possible that my fan clutch is keeping my fan spinning so much that it is keeping my rad that cool?trucks first start of the day on a cold day will make this awful howling sound for 5-10 sec..i have ruled out water pump,alt.,ac,ps,tensioner,idlers and belt.im thinking its either the impeller on the water pump or the fan clutch binding up.water pump shaft and fan have no play.no grease leaking from fan clutch.cold or hot ,if I try to spin the fan by hand,it only moves about 40 deg..I put a stethoscope on everything and it was quiet,the fan clutch I could not because no part of it is stationary when running. I just don't understand how after t-stat opens I don't feel any flow in top hose or see coolant flowing in rad . top hose hot,bottom hose cooler, heater hoses hot. rad is slightly warm around top hose I want to take off the fan and start the truck but I have to get the pin spanner wrench for the water pump pully,its on there pretty tight.

Your fan clutch is operating properly by your description.

 

[justin13703]

To be able to "feel flow" you would have to have a high enough velocity of the volume of water being pumped. The same volume of water pumped through a 3/4" hose will move with more velocity than through an 1.5" hose, people confuse volume and velocity all the time. Your also less likely to "feel flow" if there is no air in the system.

Sounds like the fan clutch maybe making the noise, the fan should spin some but not a lot wen you spin it by hand

Yeah i get that, I’m saying in all my days of working on cars, I’ve never felt flow inside of a radiator hose. I’ve felt the temp change which indicates flow, but I’ve never actually felt the flow of coolant. It’s not a fire hose or something.

 

[Runaround]

According to thread #3, all sounds good, with the bottom hose cool and the others warm and warmth fel around top of radiator. As others have said, if the water pump wasn't pumping your engine would overheat quickly.

 

[srv1]

top of rad and rad cap stay cool,almost cold after driving for a while.i suppose this is not a "problem" ,however it does not seem "normal".
I would expect to feel some heat there,though not as hot as side of rad with upper hose.without feeling flow"squeezing top rad hose",not seeing flow in rad and the top of my rad and cap staying cold is why I suspect a flow problem.

 

[Octane]

If it aint broke dont fix it.

 

[srv1]

I hear ya,but I think I have a touch of ocd,i need to know why the rad and cap are so cold all the time.im gonna get one of those infared thermometers at harbor freight and check it out.or are they a waste of $?

 

[srv1]

I hear ya,but I think I have a touch of ocd,i need to know why the rad and cap are so cold all the time.im gonna get one of those infared thermometers at harbor freight and check it out.or are they a waste of $?

 

[Octane]

I hear ya,but I think I have a touch of ocd,i need to know why the rad and cap are so cold all the time.im gonna get one of those infared thermometers at harbor freight and check it out.or are they a waste of $?

Infrared therms are good to have.