Please help this "Girl" with a lot of ??

[Steph70]

Hi, I have several questions that I hope can be answered. Every time I ask questions around my house they might get ( somewhat) answered but not explained. I think mechanics is very interesting and just because I'm a middle aged female doesn't mean I'm stupid, maybe a lil dumb sometimes, but not stupid.... I want to know the basics,at least, so I can figure things out without having to deal with dishonest mechanics that pop up more and more these days. But here is one of my questions..... My daughter just turned18, and has been driving our 04 one ton dually diesel that has a small radiator leak. I have told her to watch her guages and we looked under the hood put water in radiator and all that good stuff.... Well she drove it home from a 25ml. Distance and she noticed the guage was going in the red, and she kept driving cuz she said it would drop back down as she drove. She got home and killed the truck herself and did a few things got back in the truck expecting it to be cooled off 20 mins later and it wouldn't crank. Well my significant other says its screwed, and it may be but he hasn't really messed with it or anything since it was parked. I just want to know if it could be drivable again. I want to mess with it so bad but I don't want him to see me tinkering with it since he's so sure that's its screwed. My gut is telling me it's not a total loss yet. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Jimmy68]

Heat is bad. How hot did it really get?

 

[MADDOG]

Heat is really bad and it is not beyond the realm of imagining it got hot enough to seize the engine.

One thing to try...get a large wrench or socket and bar, try to turn the crankshaft.

 

[Jimmy68]

Heat is really bad and it is not beyond the realm of imagining it got hot enough to seize the engine.

One thing to try...get a large wrench or socket and bar, try to turn the crankshaft.

Hope not.

 

[Harley Harrold]

 

[The War Wagon]

AND... where are you?

DON'T need a street address, but a state/region/city would be helpful, in perhaps putting you in touch WITH a good mechanic who WON'T rip you off.

Heat IS bad for an engine - if the radiator was leaking enough to seize the engine in 25 miles (if that turns out to be the case), it should've been fixed/replaced. Radiators are still cheaper than new engines.

 

[Steph70]

Heat is bad. How hot did it really get?

I'm not sure how hot it got. Now this is however what she told me.... As she started to head home she noticed it pretty quickly that it was getting hot, but as she kept driving the guage would start to drop back down so she assumed, ahhh, it will be OK, not taking me serious enough to realize how much damage could be done. She was also pulling a small gooseneck trailer with her show heifer. I can say tho, she's not one to drive fast or hard on a vehicle other than not knowing the maintenance that is important other than getting the oil changed, she will do that without being told. So the guage fluctuated back and forth but said it ran fine like always and when she pulled in to the house that it did go into the red and was when she turned the truck off. I asked if steam or smoke was coming up from under the hood and she said no. She unloaded her heifer and got her put up and did what she needed to do and about 20 mins give or take, she got in it to move and unhook the trailer and it wouldn't crank. That's when my significant other claimed it was the end. I wasn't there at that time and didn't witness anything, I'm just going by what my daughter and my other half told me. Which he also said that it was definitely hot and could smell it before he even popped the hood. So when I do start asking questions its not that I'm asking because I'm trying to prove his or anybody else's diagnosis wrong, I'm just trying to understand and learn and because he said the truck was finished I didn't want him to see me messing or looking under the hood because he'll take it like I am trying to prove him wrong and then becomes a competition of Man vs. Woman, lol.... And that is so not me and he does without a doubt know what he's talking about and is very mechanically inclined, BUT, been with him 18 yrs and knows how stuff works its the assembly or reassemble that 99% of the time will have left over parts that aren't supposed to be leftovers..... I feel like I'm more less talking with relationship problems than truck issues..... I don't mean to I just was wanting different answers as to if I was one of your buds and not female, lol.... And I really appreciate you and anyone even taking the time to reading and replying back to me and I totally mean that,
Thank you

 

[Steph70]

AND... where are you?

DON'T need a street address, but a state/region/city would be helpful, in perhaps putting you in touch WITH a good mechanic who WON'T rip you off.

Heat IS bad for an engine - if the radiator was leaking enough to seize the engine in 25 miles (if that turns out to be the case), it should've been fixed/replaced. Radiators are still cheaper than new engines.

I am in East Tx . Mt. Pleasant , Longview, Tyler area.....

 

[CMil527]

welcome!

 

[jawzs2]

Quick question, did the engine stop on its own, or was it running and she shut it off normally? Not saying it's impossible, but I've never heard of an engine seizing up after it was shut off. Does the starter make a loud click when you turn the key? Do the lights work? With the lights on and try to start, do the lights go out?

Ok , so that's more than one quick question, but the engine being seized after running hot wouldn't be my first conclusion if it was running fine before it was shut down.

 

[Padilen]

I think it could hot engine hot coolant shut it of and if it didn't have an electric fan.
But my other thought is she said they added water not antifreeze/ coolant so it might have boiled and not even had much left. One ton dually towing in Texas to me seems Hot Hot Hot. But on the other hand if SO knew about the radiator why wasn't it fixed. Why'd he risk a diesel $$$ over a radiator$?
Us middle age women got to stick together

 

[Jimmy68]

When your low enough on water the sensor will read air temp.
200+ air temp with no coolant is bad. I cooked a car like that. Gauge was pegged on the hot side so far it never came down. Engine was done.

 

[Steph70]

Thanks for more than one question because that puts more knowledge of how things work in my head.... And NO the engine did not seize on its own, she actually turned the truck off herself. The truck is at our shop a few miles down the rd from where we actually live and I haven't had the chance to look at the truck( alone ).... I don't want anyone around giving me a hard time just because they assume I couldn't possibly know what I'm doing .... I know that's dumb, but because of these forums and Google I am becoming a "Jenny (not a jack)of all trades".... My gut feeling is telling me its not fried, and I am definitely going to do everything you suggested in your questions and I will let you know what happens... Thanks so much!!!

 

[1ATony]

Thanks for joining, it's great to have you here
Tony