Coolant Issue - Not covered in any posts I can find

[WhiteSheep]

While on the way to work yesterday (9/24), I was 9 miles into a 10 mile commute when I noticed my temperature gauge was about in the red. I was driving with the windows down and there was no smell or sign of a hot engine. I pulled over, shut her down and opened the hood. None of the radiators were hot and the cap was barely warm to the touch. I went ahead and pulled the radiator cap off and was rewarded with a pretty good burp of fluid. Luckily I had left a 6 gallon jug of drinking water in the truck after a desert trip a while back. I used about four gallons to fill up the radiator and off to work I went and then drove back home at the end of the day with no issues.

As an aside, while working on a power steering leak earlier in the week I noticed a weird pink baked on residue all over the front of the engine. I know now I should have checked the coolant level, but I still expect radiator fluid to be green and was focused on the steering issue. My bad. The point is that not all of the baked on spray was from the burp I caused yesterday.

Today I drained the cooling system and inspected the engine compartment. There was baked on spray all over the front of the engine no different than before. I filled the system with tap water and drove it on the freeway up to operating temperature with the heat full on (just under 200 F). No leaks. Parked it and let it idle for a few minutes and again no leaks. This truck has about 90,000 on it stock and while I suspect the water pump, it seems too early in this trucks life for that to be an issue. I wonder if I have a bad cap and it has been allowing "burps" when very hot. Does it do this? I do live in Phoenix, and 115 F ambient is hard on any cooling system. While on a camping trip earlier this summer it did get over 200, probably about 220, but way below the red.

I am letting it sit for the day while it cools and will drain the tap water and replace it with 50/50 distilled water and HOAT and a little leak indicator along with a new cap. After an engine wash I hope to be able to find the leak. What do you think of this plan? Would it be better to just go ahead and replace the water pump now along with new hoses and a new cap?

Thank you in advance for any advice

 

[Motorhead]

I would check the water pump first before you waste the new antifreeze. The coolant color is the dye you need.

 

[jelag]

I just replaced a belt on the front of my 05 and when the old belt was off I grabbed the front of the pump and tried to see if there was play there... it was fine... I've got a pressure tester... and I suggest you either invest in one or borrow one... first with the attached adapter test the cap and see that it holds the rated pressure... if not replace it... than test the cooling system. . I'd pump it up to max pressure and add 2 or 3 psi... I'm sure I'll catch heck for that suggestion... I'd go set the timer on the stove for 20 min and come back... . if the pressure has dropped off I'd start looking for the leak...

I know when I changed the belt I had to use a flashlight and mirror to inspect the front of each of the driven units on the front of the truck... I've owned several of these trucks in the past and most of them went to sale with 450 to 500K miles on the engine with their original water pump, alternator, power steering pump and usually 2 belt changes with a tension-er each time...

But I agree with Motorhead, its either the cap or the pump... and most likely the pump if its slowly sprayed over the complete front of the engine... I'm also guessing if you looked at the weep hole on the pump you'd see it... it just blowing off so slowly that it drys and leaves no drips... And you in Phoenix at what 105* daily right now...

 

[mwilson]

Also be aware that many "B" pumps have a weep slot now rather than the old weep hole that we all know and love..... pump itself will be dry but block below will be wet.



See photo below...

Mike.

 

[WhiteSheep]

Thank you for all the quick replies. I am going to go ahead and "do the pump" tomorrow. You are all right, the problem really can't be anything else and the spray is probably the belt and fan sharing the intermitant leak with the rest of the engine. My wishful thinking to not spend the morning banging my knuckles is just that. My wife and I are going camping next weekend with our TT pulling up to 7000', so it would probably blow on a nice narrow and steep mountain road. Been there, done that, and really need to head the warning kindly offered by my RAM. By the way it is only 93F at my house right now and this weekend may see our last 100 F day for the year. One can only hope.

You guys all appear to be geeks for older vehicles (how is 1997 old?) I can 't match the Willys, but I due have a "breathed on" 1984 F-150 4X4 with some internal engine modifications set up for desert work along with a stage II 98' Jeep ZJ, so I get it.

Thanks again,

 

[Prairie Dog]

This is one of those times it's nice to have the Cummins. If it were a DuraPad you'd be working all day long to replace a WP since everything up front including the radiator and harmonic balancer has to come off.

 

[RichMorris]

I just replaced the tube between the block and the heater core on my 03 3500. It must have been leaking for a while but when stopped at a light I noticed smoke or a mist comming out from the right front wheel well. The coolant was leaking onto the exhaust behind the turbo. It took 1. 5 gallons to replenish after the repair. The temp gauge never went above 200 but the truck was not working hard at the time

 

[BGlidewell]

When I replaced my WP I felt like I had been through an Orwellian ordeal the weep hole makes it very hard to pin down and the WP had no wobble until I got it off on the bench. I guess it was hot so it was tight then cooled down and leaked while contracted.

 

[WhiteSheep]

When I replaced my WP I felt like I had been through an Orwellian ordeal the weep hole makes it very hard to pin down and the WP had no wobble until I got it off on the bench. I guess it was hot so it was tight then cooled down and leaked while contracted.

Boy do I hear you. I spent more time than I care to admit on this project. First time car/truck work is always a learning experience as I have no mechanical training and am just to stupid to understand how bad a mechanic I am (yes, e-room trips have been involved, but not this time). I found a great post on how to swap a water pump with the very good suggestion to take off the P side front wheel well dust shield so you can get to the lower hose. What was missing was the information that there are two clamps on the block side of said hose. I got the first one off, but couldn't see the second, so figured it was just stuck on good so I tried to cut it off with a knife. The knife found the second clamp and off we went. I did put both clamps back on and hopefully will remember this the next time I am there.



All was good and the new factory pump was a work of art with a nice LARGE rubber o-ring instead of a cheesy cork/paper gasket. The problem is if the o-ring falls into the block while you're playing shade tree mechanic (I did have a tree), you will get a nice large LEAK when you put everything back together Oo. It took me a while to figure this out, but once I took everything back apart and put it back together again (stick the o-ring in the pump with a couple of dabs of RTV and it will not fall out) all was good. EXCEPT I forgot to put the belt back on the tensioner and when I did a test run I was rewarded by the snap, flap, flap, flap... of a broken belt. My bad, but who knew the belt was such a PIA to reinstall. I had a spare, but that is another story on a different post with similar issues.



In the end I learned a lot, got to practice swapping out a pump twice (practice makes better if not perfect), and saved a few hundred bucks