'03 Tahoe Overheating

['68OrangeSunshine]

Monday, I took the 2003 Tahoe to work -- about a 34 mile round trip. Morning run included about ten miles on the freeway. [I have alignment or tire issues but that's another gripe for later.] Morning run was good, and the A/C surprised me by blowing cool. I had thought it was not working.
On the return run, I don't have to use the freeway, I can run on streets and boulevards. Since I had to work the next morning, early, I stopped at the In-N-Out for a double-double to go. With the A/C on, I taxied thru the multi-car line on a 104* day. [Still new at this.]
On the run home, there's a big hill. As I got up the hill the truck went nuts with the Goat Bell, and the scroller read ENGINE OVERHEATING. I pulled into a Chevron station, popped the hood and watched orange coolant violently bubble in the overflow tank. I let the turbulence subside and cracked open the filler cap, by degrees. When most of the steam had bled off eventually, I pulled the cap. A small orange geyser chased my gloved hand, but missed me. I had not included any antifreeze jugs of water in the Tahoe. I filled an empty wiper juice bottle from the coin-operated water machine at the station. Fifty cents a gallon. Took two gallons.
I got the 3 more miles home OK.

I am used to putting a T-Fitting from a garden hose into the heater hose line to flush my engine block, heater core, and radiator on my '68 and '71 trucks.
Not sure how to flush this system. The Radiator cap seems to be on the puke tank.
I bought one gallon of Autozone house brand orange coolant. Probably needs 2, and a couple gallons of distilled water.
How do I know if the Radiator needs replacing?

[hatzie]

If the radiator isn't leaking at the plastic tank to aluminum core gaskets and you don't have coolant in the engine oil or transmission from leaking cooler loops I'd keep running it.

I've found the premixed Prestone Dexcool to be reasonably priced. It's 50:50 distilled water and Dexcool.

You may want to remove the radiator and blow the sand, dirt, cottonwood cactus etc seeds, and bugs out of the fins on the radiator and the AC condenser and AUX transmission cooler with compressed air and hose water.
This gives you easy access to the fan clutch too.

I blow compressed air then hose water from the engine side of things to blow the crud back the way it came rather than try to force it the rest of the way through the fins.

Having the radiator out will let you get a look at the ends of the tubes for calcium deposits from a previous owner that used tap water. That would be the only reason to replace it when it's not actively leaking.

['68OrangeSunshine]

Good advice.
Where do they put the Thermostat on these things?

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

Good advice.
Where do they put the Thermostat on these things?

It's in the water neck where the upper radiator hose attaches to the water pump.

['68OrangeSunshine]

186*F? Are they failure prone?
Generally I get the concentrate and cut it with distilled water 1:1.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by '68OrangeSunshine

186*F? Are they failure prone?

Not particularly. Thermostats don't fail intermittently.