Archived unexplainable symptoms - help??????

[favord]

This may be long so bear with me:



I'm on the road today pulling loaded horse trailer traveling from south Idaho through Oregon to Washington. Stopped in LaGrande for fuel and all was well. Started up curvy, gentle grade out of LaGrande, went to shift down from 5th to 4th and couldn't get any gear. Coasted to a stop and played with it for awhile and it finally slid pretty easy into 2nd. Took off and shifting seemed a little rough but was able run through gears back up to 5th. Got a "check gauges" light so slowed and tried to downshift again into 4th and couldn't get any gear. After I stopped all gauges at a glance looked OK. Again I played with the transmission for quite awhile this time and it finally slipped into 2nd again. This time I ran the gears up to 4th and didn't go into 5th. As I pulled the grade I noticed my engine temp was well up into the 200's then noticed it was getting mighty cold in the cab... heater would only blow cold air. (have I mentioned it was now snowing like crazy and about 26 degrees out) I got to an exit at the summit, was able to downshift to 3rd and get turned back around south to head home. Got back up to 4th and just eased it back down the grade... . engine temps were still staying up around 200 (normally temp gauge stays pegged at 190). As I reapproached LaGrande the heater suddenly started blowing warmed air and my engine temps went right back down to normal. I decided then to try 5th gear and it shifted easily... tried downshifting to 4th and it wouldn't go, wouldn't go, then just as I was baling for the exit it shifted into 4th. I decided to just limp on down the highway to a friends in Boise and it seemed to run fairly normally in 4th gear taking it easy. As I came up a grade out of Farewell Bend the "check gauges" light came on again and my engine temp was nearing 240. I got way out of it and it came back down to about 200, light went off, so I continued really easing it along. Finally the temp wouldn't stay down so I pulled over in Fruitland. As I eased through the parking lot it did seem like it was going to shift OK. I got out and checked the radiator... looked dry as a bone. No leaks anywhere I could see. I put about two gallons of water in it, started it back up with temps at 190 so decided to keep trying to get to safe harbors... but it wouldn't go into gear. I played with it for quite awhile trying to get it into some gear and it finally went into 2nd just like before. I was able to limp back to a buddies in Boise. The temps stayed fine the rest of the way but as I tried to back the trailer in, I couldn't get it in any sort of gear again for about a minute, then finally it went into reverse, I backed up, unloaded, unhitched then pulled away from the trailer with no problem... shifted fine. I looked again for leaks and found none. Checked the engine oil for fear I'd find radiator fluid or something in it and it was fine. There was no off color smoke or anything from the exhaust. I drove the truck around the lot and it seemed fine. Shifted into every gear just like normal. Drove it across town to his house and ran great.



Now I don't know what to do... something was obviously really screwed up and likely still is. Can anybody tie this together and tell me where to start... it wouldn't shift, had high engine temps, and no internal heat from the heater/defroster (and maybe more things I never noticed) I'm still quite a long ways from home and not sure if I ought to load back up and make a try for it or leave the truck here and have it looked at.



Thank you for any help and if anyone from Boise happens to read please message me any advice on who to have look at it.



My sig doesn't seem to come up so my truck is 98. 5, 5 spd. , with air/exhaust mods, EZ, Stage 2 injectors, Centerforce clutch (fairly new)



Doug Favor

 

[Paulsdodge]

I would guess you may have a head gasket that has blown. It is possible to have one that is only slightly bad and coolant can leak between two cylinders, slow enough where you can't see it coming out the exhaust. The transmission, if auto, was probably trying to save itself by not shifting into OD. And if it was slow to shift into any gear, the seals are most likely gone that provides the hydraulic pressure to enable the transmission to shift. This is the result of the temperature being too high, from the low coolant. Because most auto are water cooled through the radiator cooler.



Good Luck,

Paul

P. S. I hope I am completely wrong.

 

[favord]

Thanks, I had similar thoughts about the head gasket but figured I'd be blowing some off colored smoke or something. Maybe find antifreeze in the oil but it looked clear to me. My truck is a manual... could the heat have effected the performance of a manual clutch also??



I forgot to mention in the original post that I had the truck serviced before this trip and they did add to the radiator and the overflow which I thought was a little odd as it's always been fine before.



Doug

 

[Rob Thomas]

Doug, I think you have 2 entirely different problems, I see your clutch is "fairly new", will it go into all gears with the engine off? Hows the clutch pedal feel? Have you tried shifting without the clutch?



As far as the overheating goes, hard to say, 2 gallons of water lost is an awful lot not to notice. The reason for no heat in the cab is low coolant. The best advise I can give at this point is to have the radiator pressure tested, most garages will have a tester.



Good Luck, Rob

 

[favord]

Rob - I guess I've had the clutch in a little over a year... not sure why that seems fairly new to me. Yah, I'd agree it seems like two problems but just funny that they occurred at the same time... makes me wonder if there isn't something in common with them.



Doug

 

[KWentling]

I wonder if you could be leaking coolant onto the clutch from a bad casting plug. I've never seen the back of a Cummins block, so I don't know if there are plugs there or not. Any evidence of coolant on the bottom side of the bellhousing or transmission on back? That could expain both problems. Hope this helps.



Kim

 

[favord]

I eased my way home - 4 hours on the interstate with a load of horses and dogs was a bit nerve racking waiting for something to go kaboom but took had no problems. I was able to crawl underneath in the garage with some light and see alot of fluid off the back of the engine/bell housing so had the same thought that maybe the coolant got down into the clutch... is that possible? The trans. has been working fine since all the coolant has dried out but I still think I better have the trans. looked at before I attempt any other long road trips.



Anyway pretty sure I've got a head gasket problem after doing a search on blown head gaskets. Not sure what the latest/greatest is on head gaskets. I saw a post where Piers said the Cummins gasket is good to I think 40-50# if I remember correctly. With my set up 34# boost is the max I see so might just run over to local Cummins shop and have them do the repair.



Of course, having the bombing bug it seems like a good time to get some other stuff done... ATS manifold, Piers cam & turbo... so might run it down to Baker's diesel in Utah and see if they want to work it over for me.

 

[illflem]

About the only way the coolant could make it to the transmission is via the oil though the rear main. Even then it would somehow have to make it past the clutch housing. Wonder if the overheating somehow affected the slave cylinder?

Sometimes if the head gasket leaks between a coolant passage and a cylinder the cylinder pressure will over pressurize the coolant forcing it out your overflow bottle.

 

[Blue Ox1]

I don't know if the cummins has a drip tray under the heater vents but could the heater core possibly sprung a leak and the coolant dripped out of the drain tube of the tray, and sprayed the bellhousing and clutch with coolant. Just a thought not sure if the trucks have the same set up as cars.