The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - No pressure in upper radiator hose. Is this normal?

Corellian Corvette · 03-09-2006, 01:21 AM

Still working on getting my "new" 1974 Chevy pickup up to snuff and trying to 'undo' all the cusomizing by the previous owners

One thing I've noticed is that the upper radiator hose never gets any pressure. This seems unusual in that every single other vintage car I own gets a stiff upper radiator hose when the engine is at operating temp.

Now, the car doesn't overheat as verified by 2 gauges, IR thermometer and my hand.

P.O. says there is a 195 deg. thermostat which also is verified by the above gauges.

There is no coolant in the oil, no oil in the coolant, and no water leaks that I can see. I ran the engine with the rad cap off just to make sure the system is purged of air and there are no bubbles that might indicate a leaky head gasket. I'm told that the water pump is new.

Is it normal for these trucks not to pressurize the system? Again, the engine doesn't appear to be overheating but the lack of pressure has me worried.

Thanks!

03-09-2006, 01:21 AM	#1
Corellian Corvette Registered User Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Kirkland, WA Posts: 51	No pressure in upper radiator hose. Is this normal? Still working on getting my "new" 1974 Chevy pickup up to snuff and trying to 'undo' all the cusomizing by the previous owners One thing I've noticed is that the upper radiator hose never gets any pressure. This seems unusual in that every single other vintage car I own gets a stiff upper radiator hose when the engine is at operating temp. Now, the car doesn't overheat as verified by 2 gauges, IR thermometer and my hand. P.O. says there is a 195 deg. thermostat which also is verified by the above gauges. There is no coolant in the oil, no oil in the coolant, and no water leaks that I can see. I ran the engine with the rad cap off just to make sure the system is purged of air and there are no bubbles that might indicate a leaky head gasket. I'm told that the water pump is new. Is it normal for these trucks not to pressurize the system? Again, the engine doesn't appear to be overheating but the lack of pressure has me worried. Thanks!