Alright so if you're following my old posts you know what's going on. Put a new head gasket on. Mistakenly put some oil over the pistons before putting the head on. Started it last night and it ran rough for 5 seconds and Started smoking until it started running a little better. Shut it down worried it might catch fire. Started it again this morning and it burned some more off before running pretty well. I let it idle for 10 minutes and checked the temperature gauge and nothings moving. Shut it down because it was starting to overheat. Upper radiator hose is swollen and almost trying to escape out the hose clamp. Slight gurgling in the coolant reservoir but it's almost out and no heat coming from it so I don't think it's burning coolant. But could it be? Could the oil in the pistons have burned so rich that it blew my new head gasket? Any ideas?

 

I am no expert, but sounds like you have no flow of coolant through the radiator, like it is clogged. Did you put a new radiator in? And maybe left the shipping plugs in the openings?

As far as the temp gauge goes, did you remember to hook the wire to the sensor after you put the head on?

These are all mistakes I have made in the past.!

 

Ive been reading that on the 96 and below this is the second temperature sending unit? But where does it go? Theres no receiving unit. Also I should mentioned I sent the head into a machine shop to get resurfaced and hot dipped.

 

Nope no new radiator. And what sensor? The one in the photo I just posted?

 

Also my serpentine belts is screeching really bad the first 5 seconds after starting up. Then it goes away. Any help would be great.

 

It should not be overheating in 10 minutes of idling. How do you know it was overheating if the gauge doesn't work?
did you confirm with a thermometer?
did you burp the air out of the coolant system?
Is the coolant system full?

 

I think you're right. It was the air in the coolant system. She's burbed now and I'm about to run it and see what happens. The serpentine belt screeching at startup is driving me insane though. Any ideas on that before I put the electric fan back in?

 

Yep air locked coolant system. She runs fine now. Screeching was the serpentine belt too loose. I'm a little worried I damaged the long tension bolt threads trying to loosen and tighten without loosening the tension pulley first. Now when I tighten the belt up she runs fine and doesn't screech but if I stop and turn off the engine and restart it there's the screech again just not as bad

 

That belt needs to be very tight. You should only be able to deflect the belt about a 1/4 between the water pump and air conditioning pulleys.

Todd

 

how are the pulley bearings and belt surface

should not screech

sure it should be tight, but it should not screech unless something is amiss

there are several sizes that fit a '96, check the size which is printed on it

if you spray pure water with a $2 pressure bottle at each the bearing, and it goes quiet, that identifies the fault, aim careful, the fan blows water, which will also quiet yr belt

 

Check the pulleys with belt off. If you twist the belt with your fingers it should twist 90° from horizontal to vertical. Not less or more, right on the money works good. Fix the threads of you need to.