Fresh rebuild on an 04 SOHC 4.0L and it blew the temp sender out of the thermostat housing and I drove it for a couple miles before pulling over. When I tried adding back water it sizzled each time I poured a little in. I’ve put a couple hundred more miles on it now and it runs great but there are bubbles coming into the overflow after it warms up and when I try to burp the system it surges coolant out the top every few seconds till 1/2 gallon+ is gone. I probably cracked the block running it dry then quenching it didn’t I. There’s no water in the oil or exhaust yet but the overflow smells like gas a little. Is there any hope?

 

do a compression test?

 

Blown temp sender indicates there was an issue before you added the water, if it makes you feel any better...
Typically easy/first check would be bad/closed thermostat, but given the issues you describe and that it was just rebuilt my first guess here would be a head gasket (or both) were put on backwards/reverse, blocking coolant passages and trapping pressure and heat. You wouldn't necessarily have water in the oil or exhaust. Yes it could be a crack sending exhaust gas into the coolant, but you might luck out with just the head gasket.

Cheers & good luck!
-A

 

yes!!

 

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind when I tear it down again.

 

A temperature sender is blown out of a thermostat housing and no mention of the retaining clip is made?
Was the clip bent? Was installing it overlooked? The housing wasn't damaged?

 

i initially thought that maybe I didn’t push the clip in all the way. They seem to click in twice and I think I only pushed that one in half way allowing the sender to blow out after a few hundred miles. I’m still driving it to work 50 miles and there’s no water in the oil or exhaust yet so I’m thinking it’s the head gasket I just don’t understand why because it’s brand new. Maybe there was a piece of dirt on it, but the overflow is still bubbling a little bit constantly while it’s running.