Overheating....got a question..

[black93DX]

First of all, I have a 1993 Pickup 22RE 5-speed. As I was driving about a 4 mile trip down a relatively moderate highway today, my truck began to overheat. It ran well for about the first five minutes, and BAM!! the temp gauge skyrocketed. So I was able to coast into my destination as the temp gauge reached its max level and the radiator began to boil, yes, boil as I got out and some antifreeze/water overflow was dripping onto the ground. I shut everything off and just popped the hood and let it sit until I was able to get a normal temp reading from the gauge. I then ran some cold water over the radiator to cool it down and proceeded to use a towel a few more minutes later after it had cooled some more to open the radiator cap. Fluid levels were fine, as was the overflow tank and the oil level and pressure. I have a huge hunch it is my thermostat, seeing as I just had my old radiator and hoses replaced with a new radiator and quality fluids, as well as an oil change. So my questions are A) does it sound like the thermostat is bad? it was NOT replaced with the radiator and B) how easy is a thermostat to replace for the hands on man? C) is it worth taking to a shop to get it diagnosed(hopefully under the radiator warranty) and fixed?

EDIT: reading back over a few overheating threads, does it matter that I have used green Prestone antifreeze? and do you possibly think it could be the fan-clutch?

[smasheromalley]

using green cooland will not cause overheating, and I dont believe a bad fan clutch would cause VIOLENT overheat situation like you describe... Especially as you are driving down the road - more likely if you were sitting in traffic and had it overheat would be the fan...

Thermostat is possible, but it doesnt seem likely that it would slam shut while you were driving...

My guess would be to check see that the water pump belt is still on and that the water pump pulley still turns freely. If it does listen for strange noises at the front of the engine that would sound like the pump impeller becoming detached from the shaft...
HTH

[black93DX]

There are some strange noises when the engine begins to run at a higher temp. Also, at idle, my pil pressure is now beginning to rise past normal.

[black93DX]

Well, I found the dman problem. The belt from the crank to the fan to the alternator decided to obliterate itself, leaving me with an electrical and cooling problem. Good news is its not a part and not expensive to replace, bad news is I can't do it myself. So I'm hella glad it was only a belt, but it sucks I have to pay labor to get it replaced.

[smasheromalley]

fan pulley = water pump pulley