2001 duramax problem with coolant pressurized

[Kbagg]

Hi y'all. I'm new to this so please forgive my terminology if I foul it up. I have a 2001 duramax that has recently had work done and trying to figure out what possibly it could be.

It started off with diesel in oil so I assumed that it needed injectors. I went to a local shop that I was told has amazing experience with duramax's. What they did was install bigger injectors, lift pump, welded water pump, down pipe, and head studs. I haven't had it back long and my low coolant light came on. I figured that it was just low from an air pocket or something so I filled it up and kept going. I parked it for about a week and then went to start and it wouldn't turn over. Finally got it to fire up then it puked water out at me when the engine was cold and I opened the filler cap (opened it as soon as I started it). I haven't really been driving it cuz right now it kinda scares me.

What I have noticed is that the lines on coolant most of the time holds pressure. I was seeing bubbles in overflow but that seems to have stopped or slowed down. (Can't really tell). It runs great. No smoke from cold start or anything. Doesn't overheat. Stays about 185 or so when idling and a lil less than 210 while driving. I did notice some sediment in overflow and some was black and some was red. Has plenty of power and runs like a scalded ape!

Oh also pulled oil filler cap and is blowing a lil there. Not terrible but is a whitish smoke. Have lost water but not sure where or how much. Can't notice any water in oil or diesel in oil but it's fresh oil. I'm lost. May not know diesels but do know a gas burner well.

I'm leaning towards injector cups, but do understand that could be head gaskets. Oh one more thing. Head studs were changed out one by one (didn't like it but assured me that it would be fine). So the heads were never pulled.

Not saying they did bad work cuz I'm not too family with these engines. I appreciate any help y'all could give me. Thank you.

 

[clrussell]

I would say an injector cup by the given symptoms.


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[Awenta]

Sounds like headgaskets. Possibly a cup, Crank it without starting and take out the glow plugs to see which is wet.

That's an acceptable way to install head studs.

Welcome!

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[Kbagg]

Thank y'all. I wasn't sure about replacing the studs like that. All the gas burners I do I replace everything I break seal on that holds pressure like that. I'm actually starting to lean to more of air pocket. It's been running for about an he now and is up to my usual normal operating temp (just below the 210 mark). Lol may be some kinda gremlin. If it continues in gonna do cups first I believe if they look loose. Not seeing the bubbles in my coolant anymore. It's the strangest thing. I'm gonna shut it down and let her cool and see what the hoses and pressure is. Anyone else have some input please send it my way.

 

[catman3126]

this is why I never skip resealing the cups. and doing the bolts with studs one at a time is not the right way to do it either. ( go ahead and disagree with me but you all know the right way to do things) for the 30 min to an hour extra time it takes it reseal the cups and how deep it is to get to them after the fact I can't see why anyone would skip that especially with the puller tool that is written up on here that a member built and how easy it is to do them. like Awenta said pull the glow plugs and see which cylinder and make that shop fix it since they either disturbed them or did the reseal job the wrong way. I actually saw once where a shop or person put anti seize where the Loctite goes on the cups LMAO now that was very wrong.

 

[catman3126]

Thank y'all. I wasn't sure about replacing the studs like that. All the gas burners I do I replace everything I break seal on that holds pressure like that. I'm actually starting to lean to more of air pocket. It's been running for about an he now and is up to my usual normal operating temp (just below the 210 mark). Lol may be some kinda gremlin. If it continues in gonna do cups first I believe if they look loose. Not seeing the bubbles in my coolant anymore. It's the strangest thing. I'm gonna shut it down and let her cool and see what the hoses and pressure is. Anyone else have some input please send it my way.

I did three head gasket jobs on LB7/LLy this last month and all three you could start them up cold with the cap off and after a couple minutes the coolant level would rise in about a minute and a half and then burp out a pocket of gas then go back down and in a minute or so it would start to rise again and burp out another pocket and just keep doing this. no way there can be that big of a bubble in there after that much time.

 

[Awenta]

Never said it was the right way just that it's acceptable. I agree, always reseal the cups. Doesn't make sense not to.

Anti seize?


Yeah there wouldn't be air in it still. It also wouldn't cause a hard start. What do you mean by it wouldn't turn over? It wouldn't crank or wouldn't start?

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[catman3126]

Never said it was the right way just that it's acceptable. I agree, always reseal the cups. Doesn't make sense not to.

Anti seize?


Yeah there wouldn't be air in it still. It also wouldn't cause a hard start. What do you mean by it wouldn't turn over? It wouldn't crank or wouldn't start?

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Yes anti seize I wish I would have saved the picture.

 

[Kbagg]

Idk if he resealed cups or not. I can't confirm that. All I know is the studs were changed one at a time without removing heads.

The engine didn't turn over but that could be from the starter or weak batteries. The starter is a Napa starter. Changed it awhile back.

Earlier i noticed that when the hose was hard all the coolant was gone out of my over flow. When I would kill it and crack cap it would all come back. That's why I was thinking air pocket. This happened to me with a 97 z28 when I changed the cooling system. It took FOREVER to work out all the air pockets. I also noticed yday that the condensation dripping off ac was hissing on valve covers.

Today I ran it again and left cap off for a bit. Then stopped it and let it cool. Refilled over flow and worked lines. I heard what sounded like liquid rushing into something in the block. I let it sit again without running and cap off then checked again and filled to cold mark. After that I started it up and let it get to operation temp for awhile. I felt the hose...still pressure but not as much as it was before and as it cooled it got softer.

This makes me think that it was a pocket...but I'm not gonna stop looking until I figure it out for sure. Just sucks I spent 8g and now may have to spend another 5 or more if it is gaskets.

I'm giving the guy the benefit of a doubt that it is correct craftsmanship, but I'm gonna keep my head on a swivel.


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[baddaddition]

What's the word partner? Sorry to hear that! Sounds like they knocked a head gasket loose doing em that way. No offense to those whom have been successful doing them that way... But what the hell makes it seem like a good idea to do them one at a time when they have a torque sequence and then have to retorque the final number after 24 hours.... Now that a new hg. I'm no mechanic, but I know how hard I work for my money...

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[baddaddition]

Just reread the post.... It's an injector cup.... Bet a dollar to a doughnut hole.

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[catman3126]

What's the word partner? Sorry to hear that! Sounds like they knocked a head gasket loose doing em that way. No offense to those whom have been successful doing them that way... But what the hell makes it seem like a good idea to do them one at a time when they have a torque sequence and then have to retorque the final number after 24 hours.... Now that a new hg. I'm no mechanic, but I know how hard I work for my money...

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Just for my own curiosity where does it say re torque them again after 2 hours?

 

[Kbagg]

I haven't gotten into it yet to see. I've been playing with it. I did read a post on another forum that said he never seen one hydro lock with blown gasket. With me seeing soot and red chunks(that looks a lot like loctite) I will be pulling valve covers off this week and doing it myself. I haven't really heard from the shop (go figure) and will not bad mouth him at all, but if I find it is cups I will be explaining myself to him and def not bringing anymore of mine or my friends to him (actually had several trucks lined up for him but right now they are waiting to find my results). I will keep y'all posted on the situation.


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[Stancedlb7]

For future references the thermostat housing has an air bleed screw to get the air out. But let us know what you find out.

 

[Kbagg]

Oh I know where the bleeder is. I just tried this to see. I remembered a Camaro lt1 that it took 3 weeks for me to bleed everything out the system. Thank you though. What bothers me the most is his response to the whole ordeal. It's as if he didn't want to take the blame for anything. Not even the things I pointed out to begin with before I even took my truck home.


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[Kbagg]

So give y'all an update on my truck. I started tearing it down last week. Got the passenger side off first. Noticed a few of my valve cover bolts were not tight and dip stick bolt was cross treated and on by one thread. Pulled all injectors out of that side and cups. No loctite on them but none were stuck with injectors.

The next day started pulling driver side down. None of the lower valve bolts were tight and one injector hold down was loose. Pulled the injectors and cups out except for that one. Cup came with injector. Took some force to get apart and seen it had a lot of burnt coolant on it. I feel that with it being loose it was just loose enough to break deal with compression of motor and push coolant into it. I still have to put it back together but pretty sure this is the culprit.

Now on to the "shop" that worked on it. I informed him via text (which is gonna be great if I have to go to the lawyer with this) of the situation and sent him pics. Still denying that it was his shop saying "cups stick to injectors 90% of the time". I said be that as it may that his theory was flawed being that I only took out one cup with injector which makes it 12.5% and that if that's so then why wasn't there any loctite on the other 8 if "90% of them come out" (have it all in text if y'all want to see). Of course no response back.

What would y'all do in this situation?


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[Kbagg]

//images.tapatalk-cdn.com/
What the one stuck looked like.
15/10/19/57bf984e7cf3a285b9f0963116feb37b.jpg
What the others looked like.

My really great and homemade cup puller. Spent 6$ on it. Way better than 250$



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[Kbagg]

Sorry all that I didn't post what ended up happening. So it ended up being a injector not torqued down. So if anyone is in the swla area and looking to get work done hit me up and I'll let u know who NOT to go to.


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[IOWA LLY]

Did the shop in question do anything to make it right with you?

Because if not, I personally think you should post who it was.

If he made it right, then I think your doing the right thing not dragging his name through the mud publicly.

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[Awenta]

Did the shop in question do anything to make it right with you?

Because if not, I personally think you should post who it was.

If he made it right, then I think your doing the right thing not dragging his name through the mud publicly.

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I agree. People or employees make mistakes. As long as they're stand up and make it right then life goes on. If not then they don't deserve repeat business to screw people over.

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