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Old 02-13-2020, 06:44 PM   #1
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Does the Fleetwood FLAIR belong in this forum?

Hi all!

My name is Teresa. My husband is Andy, and if I'm in the wrong forum, Please delete or let me know. And I will move on.

However, Andy & I are big time Newbies to the RV'ing world!!

I bought a used 1995 Fleetwood Flair. It always overheats. I don't have a lot of money and I'm afraid that I'm going to blow the head gasket and/or blow the motor.

It does blow steam outta the exhaust.

He says it's normal when taking off. I get this. But... I'm behind him and it's a lot of white steam?!?!???

Is this common is it normal?

Can anyone PLEASE point me in the direction I need to start?
Thermostat? Radiator?

Ahhhhhh I'm going insane with everything needing work in this RV!

Thank you in advance. I hope to hear back from someone that may be able to assist my lack of knowledge!

Teresa AKA: TLC
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Old 02-13-2020, 07:26 PM   #2
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The 1995 chevy 454 with throttle body injection was prone to running hot in summer weather. Is it running in the red overheat area of the needle or just close? Is it always running hot or just in stop and go traffic and when climbing mountains?. Is your fan clutch cutting in? Can you hear the fan getting louder when the needle moves up ?
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Old 02-13-2020, 07:59 PM   #3
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With the engine cold, remove radiator cap.....top off coolant if needed....leave cap off and start engine.....let it warm up and look in radiator to see if bubbles are being made,,,,,head gasket or intake manifold gasket problem.....or, remove sparl plugs, get a radiator pressure tester, install on radiator, pump it up to 15 lbs, let sit a minute, then using key, act like you're going to start engine and watch spark plug holes for water blowing out.....head gasket or cracked head...
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Old 02-13-2020, 08:02 PM   #4
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Yes, you are in the right forum section. Ask away & welcome.

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Old 02-13-2020, 09:12 PM   #5
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Welcome TLC, your worse case with "lots" of white steam, is a head gasket. Steam and not smoke right? Steam dissipates while smoke lingers a bit longer. There are additives that could help you on a temporary basis but I hate to recommend any over a proper repair (check with your auto parts store) . Careful around hot water and steam, can burn worse and quicker than fire.
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Old 02-14-2020, 12:13 AM   #6
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I agree with the others. And:

What you are describing would strike me as a blown head gasket or cracked head, but definitely do what the others said to diagnose.

The key for you here is proper diagnosis. Otherwise you'll just be beating your head on it.
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Old 02-14-2020, 04:27 PM   #7
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All good points. If a radiator is blocked or corroded, the engine gets hot. If it gets too hot the head gasket will start to leak coolant outside the engine block and into the cylinders. Water into the cylinder creates steam and coolant smell.


You need to take your coach into a shop and have them find the problem. They need to pull the spark plugs, crank the engine and look for water coming out the cylinder. Then they need to do a cylinder compression test on all cylinders. All said you will most likely need to have the radiator serviced and new head gaskets installed....
Good luck
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Old 02-14-2020, 11:54 PM   #8
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Question: Could a sticking thermostat cause the overheating?
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Old 02-15-2020, 05:30 AM   #9
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There is no quick fix for your condition.

If its steaming out the exhaust pipe, you need the engine torn down.

It probably had an overheating condition that was left unrepaired that caused the cylinder head cracks or less likely head gasket failure, so add that to the repair bill.
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Old 02-15-2020, 06:58 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TLCandALC View Post
Hi all!



My name is Teresa. My husband is Andy, and if I'm in the wrong forum, Please delete or let me know. And I will move on.



However, Andy & I are big time Newbies to the RV'ing world!!



I bought a used 1995 Fleetwood Flair. It always overheats. I don't have a lot of money and I'm afraid that I'm going to blow the head gasket and/or blow the motor.



It does blow steam outta the exhaust.



He says it's normal when taking off. I get this. But... I'm behind him and it's a lot of white steam?!?!???



Is this common is it normal?



Can anyone PLEASE point me in the direction I need to start?

Thermostat? Radiator?



Ahhhhhh I'm going insane with everything needing work in this RV!



Thank you in advance. I hope to hear back from someone that may be able to assist my lack of knowledge!



Teresa AKA: TLC


An overheating engine with steam from the exhaust are indications of a blown head gasket at a minimum. If you check your engine oil and find it looks like chocolate milk, your coolant is leaking into the oil pan as well and that spells more potential trouble for the engine. If the exhaust smells like antifreeze, that’s additional confirmation of the problem. You should really have a mechanic check it out.
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Old 02-17-2020, 01:33 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by daveandcarol View Post
Question: Could a sticking thermostat cause the overheating?

Yes. If the thermostat does not open the radiator water can not enter the engine block and the water trapped in the engine just gets hotter. You can verifiy the operation of the Tstat by placing it in cold water and then heating the water to near boiling. The Tstat should open...Also if the fan is not turning (bad clutch on fan) the engine will over heat even though the thermostat is opened.



So you need to find the root cause or repair to the engine will fail again.
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Old 02-17-2020, 11:16 PM   #12
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I had a big block Chevy of this vintage. GM used steel head gaskets and even with clean antifreeze around the 12 year time zone my steel gasket had corroded and one was leaking antifreeze into one of the cylinders. It would miss when first started and smooth out when it warmed up. The leaky cylinder spark plug was super clean. If the oil looks ok, it may only need new head and intake gaskets. Is it using lots of coolant and how fast does it overheat? After I replaced the gaskets the AC hoses started seeping, they didn't like being flexed. Right now I would replace the thermostat and make sure the radiator fan is working properly. Start with the cheap stuff!
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Old 02-20-2020, 03:45 PM   #13
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Thumbs up

Hi everyone!
Thank you for all of your suggestions. I've sent them to Andy for him to look into.
Hopefully the tax return gets here soon.
Before we head up to Idaho and Washington (my mom was resently diagnosed with dementia) we need a reliable rig!
All I know is I have to get up to be with mom... Time is ticking away.
Thanks again and when we get it figured out... I'll let you all know what was wrong.
Happy Trails
Teresa / TLC
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Old 02-20-2020, 05:24 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TLCandALC View Post
Hi everyone!
Thank you for all of your suggestions. I've sent them to Andy for him to look into.
Hopefully the tax return gets here soon.
Before we head up to Idaho and Washington (my mom was resently diagnosed with dementia) we need a reliable rig!
All I know is I have to get up to be with mom... Time is ticking away.
Thanks again and when we get it figured out... I'll let you all know what was wrong.
Happy Trails
Teresa / TLC

Sorry to hear the news on mom. Take a plane, bus or train. Leave that vehicle home and get it looked at. You don't need more grief.
73
John
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