I've got a 1990 B2200 truck that runs really good....all except for the boiling over that comes from the radiator.... I knew I was taking a chance, but I replaced the head gasket anyway... everything back together, truck runs well...but...I still have a major problem. No water in the oil, but the water is bubbling over after sufficient time idling. Best bet is to replace the engine....but for now... I want to use some of the over the counter block repair stuff.....any suggestions..???

 

Did you get the head planed & crack tested?

Have you tried removing the thermostat & see if it fixes it?

Have you fully flushed the radiator & entire cooling system?

 

did not get the head planed or tested... I was going to, but the tranny in my daily driver quit, and I just needed to get the mazda on the road asap....

I will check the thermostat....I am suspicious about it.

yes, the radiator was fully flushed, as well as entire system.

I drove it a bunch today, the only issue I had was water bubbling out of radiator after a 15 minute drive... used the truck for about 60 miles of stop and go traffic in 95 degree heat..... lost about 1/2 gallon of water.

interesting...no oil in water, and not water in oil....... I am assuming that the thermostat is working, as the heater was blasting plenty of hot air...

 

There could be air bubbles somewhere in the system, have you done a pressure test?

 

Yes, must get all the air out of the cooling system on these trucks.

Also, has the radiator ever been replaced? I have a 2-row radiator in my 1988 B2200 (Arizona), the 5-speed trucks originally came with 1-row. My truck does not overheat in our summers, even with AC on and Interstate uphills. It DID run hot when the original 1-row radiator was getting old.

 

OK...it's strange... the engine seems to run OK...sounds good... but it's putting too much pressure on the radiator...now the radiator sprung a big leak near the top... I found a replacement engine from an 89 ford ranger...does anybody know if it will swap?

 

I rather doubt it is putting too much pressure on the radiator; the radiator would most likely have sprung a leak regardless (that's why radiators have pressure caps).

 

The original owner told me it leak out of the pressure cap, and it did. So... I put a new pressure cap and that worked the leak stopped.

 

NO. Will not swap, not even close. Rangers were made in USA, 1986-1993 USA-bound Mazda trucks were made in Japan; only starting with 1994 year were USA and Canadian Mazda trucks essentially the same as Mazda trucks. Some have swapped KIA engines into these trucks, not a simple exchange though.

Japanese-made Mazda trucks continued to be sold after 1993 in other parts of the world though. Sales had dropped in USA for Mazda trucks (little advertising, B2600i engine late in arriving while B2200 pretty underpowered), plus these needed air bags, R134a AC, side protective doors, etc so made sense to align with Rangers.

Rangers vastly outsold the Mazdas though, even though Mazdas were less expensive and had better warranties; guess Ford dealership numbers were so overwhelming, and folks liked the USA-nameplate.

Glad the new radiator cap worked for you; almost always swap out the cap and thermostat when cooling issues first arise as these are inexpensive parts.

 

OK...I new you'd have a thorough answer. I'm going to buy a reconditioned engine. How much trouble would there be if I went for a six cylinder instead of the four that it came with?