Does anyone know the different reasons a 88 chevy silverado 350 engine could be getting hot??

have changed thermostat..could it still be sticking?? it hasnt got hot enough to crack head so im sure its not that but we can start it drive it one block and its out of water and getting hot could it be water pump and how can i tell if it is water pump any other reasons whyDoes anyone know the different reasons a 88 chevy silverado 350 engine could be getting hot??
Ok I milled over in my head what is the common possibility here and I really think its the pump because the the truck is of coarse RWD you probably wouldn't get smoke from the because the water pump isn't located near the exhaust and if the leak is at the bottom of the gasket you could just simply be leaking down, some leakes aren't apparent until the car is running because of the lack in pressure and when the car is at normal operating temperature this pressure is exponentially higher liek you said your heads are probably not leaking and if they were you would probably be having worse problems also old radiator seals can leak like this, I would run the car and look underneath from a safe distance to see if you are losing water this way, the only way your coolent can be leaking and not come out of the front of the car is from the heater core and if it was comming out of yoru heater core, you would know it trust me.Does anyone know the different reasons a 88 chevy silverado 350 engine could be getting hot??
time to buy a new truck
water pump...radiator...hoses...you said its loosing water...but dont know where it is going...it could be a head gasket leak...just because its not leaking into the oil does not matter...it could be leaking into one of the exhaust ports...
bad fan clutch or missing fan shroud
It could still be the thermostat. You could test it by putting it in boiling water. The water pump could be the culprit. A mechanic can tell if it's the problem. Are there any holes in the radiator? What about the hoses?



Check the connections at the hose ends as well. There might be a crack in the water neck, where the hose connects to the radiator.



Is there a visible evidence of a water leak? Underneath the truck? The worst scenario would be the heater core. The heater core is usually and unfortunately, behind the passenger side dash board. Quite difficult to get to. Water from the engine passes through this to provide heat to the passenger area when needed.



It looks just like a miniature radiator and can suffer from the same problems of mineral buildup. If that is the problem, it can be bypassed but you'd have no heat should you need it.



Have a mechanic check for all possible problem areas. Good luck!
You can't be losing all the water in one block and have no symptoms!

Make sure you have filled the block and bleed the air. Not hard on Chevy, just start it cold with radiator open. Fill radiator until it will not take more water.

I have had two small blocks of similar age blow the head gasket on the drivers side at the back and burn the water in that cylinder, but not leak or show in the oil. If it was NEAR as bad as you say, it would however produce a LARGE amount of steam from the tail pipe. NO it is not the water pump, it cannot lose water through the bearing breather hole that fast.

As talked about above a bad clutch or shroud will cause heating but you are describing something else.

I guess I could add one more thing..a clogged converter would cause quick overheating, but the engine would run terrible, particularly during acceleration.

Good Luck
Get a manual and troubleshoot the problem from the book!