Coolant leak

[CRuth]

I can see its not the water pump but I can't quite tell where it is. Somewhere in the vicinity of the lower radiator hose. I didn't see a leak there but I can't see the whole thing so I'm not ruling out a radiator hose leak. I am wondering if theres anything else in that area of the engine that might leak.

 

[MAllen1]

I would get a flash light and, if having to, take the passenger side inside fender. There is an oil cooler behind the filter. I would check that whole area to make sure.

 

[SWiller]

There is a small piece of hose about 4'' long under the exhaust manifold towards the back of the block, mine has a silver heat reflective sleeve on it, i know most of the third gens came with the being loose. hope this helps

 

[rbattelle]

There's a good chance it's the water pump. It seems like water pump life on these trucks is often 70-80k miles.

Otherwise, if it's in the vicinity of the lower radiator hose, it could be the lower radiator hose.

Also check the expansion tank line where it connects to the radiator. A couple years ago I found mine was leaking there.

Ryan

 

[MickeyMiller]

Water pump... I agree with Ryan. I changed my water pump about 2 months ago... . 2 weeks ago I found drips under the bell housing. Checked all the likely culprets, the fitting on the back of the head, the block heater, upper and lower hoses, freeze plugs... turned out to be the H2O pump. It looks like I didn't do a good enough job cleaning the matting surfaces... . removed the pump, cleaned everything, new $3 gasket, and no more leak!

 

[CRuth]

Thanks, I"ll check those things in the morning when its cool enough to touch.

 

[CRuth]

Update

Okay, it was the water pump. Being replaced under warranty. Then they mention "ought to replace the thermostat too while we're in there, only cost ya $170". Umm, no thanks.

 

[kmcdonough]

I discovered a significant coolant leak after I got home from work. Fluide on the driveway. When I looked underneath, fluid all over the place. In trying to find the source of the leak, I opened the radiator cap. Immediately coolant began to leak down from the crankshaft pulley. Could this be the water pump leaking or a more serious problem?

 

[MickeyMiller]

CRuth:

I replaced the thermostat when I did my water pump, it was $30 from a Cummins dealer. Now $30 for a thermostat seems high, but no $170, and was cheap for the peace of mind!

 

[TimothyLong]

I discovered a significant coolant leak after I got home from work. Fluide on the driveway. When I looked underneath, fluid all over the place. In trying to find the source of the leak, I opened the radiator cap. Immediately coolant began to leak down from the crankshaft pulley. Could this be the water pump leaking or a more serious problem?

Yes, most likely it is the water pump. Mine had a very slow leak for a long time. But being it was late spring/early summer, I didn't think much of it. Just thought it was coolant getting pushed out from running in the warmer temps. Then, back in July, it starting leaking like a sieve and it was quite obvious. It was a little hard to see from the top, but I could feel the coolant draining out the back of the pulley like someone had turned on a faucet.