Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Mysterious coolant leak: any ideas??

[Mad Max]

If you're only filling the resovoir, you need to check the radiator itself WHEN COLD.

If you're doing both, expansion tank and radiator, and still loosing coolant, there's only a few places it can go.

1) Bad H20 Pump, on the underside on your waterpump, on the housing which extends outward toward the pulley is a "weep" hole, check for either coolant and wet or krusty trails from evaporated gunk.

2) Oil, a failing headgasket, cracked block or head could allow coolant into the oil. Coolant contaminanted oil turns milky and smelly at the extreme. Small amount are better detected through oil analysis.

3) Hoses, make sure none of your hoses are sliding off or leaking, upper, lower, heater.

4) Getting back to number two above, another area coolant can disapear to is the combustion process, ussual a cracked block or head will consume a fair amount of coolant, a failing headgasket however can behave totally differently. Tell tail sign of coolant getting "burned' is steam from the exhaust.

5) Last place heater core, which could leak into your cab, check the carpet and padding under it for moisture, these leaks usually smell.

6) Last theory, you may have/do have some air trapped in your system, maybe the heater core if you don't use it? Getting the rig up to temp cycling the heater, let the rig cool and recheck the expansion tank and radiator levels.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck

Max

 

[HC]

I don't really know for sure where it is going, but if you are finding no external leaks and you don't smell anything in the cab (as in possible heater core leak), then one possibility is a head gasket or other leak internal to the engine. Since coolant leaks are really rough on the oil, I would suggest you draw an oil sample and send it in for analysis, even if you don't normally do oil analysis. Even if the test comes back negative, at least it should give you some peace of mind. Good Luck in tracing this!

 

[JJW_ND]

Tom:

I had a heatcore leak. You will definetly smell antifreeze long before you see anything in the cab.

Several others have had head gasket leaks including myself. All external! (No harm to the engine). Grab a oil sample and have it tested to be sure. If you have a local Cummins or Caterpiller dealer, they will have test kits and probably a local lab.

External coolant leaks are usually easy to find between the smell and mess.

Good luck. Most likely nothing serious!

jjw
ND

 

[Chad Sheets]

Before we all scare you with the "could bes", lets decide if you even have a leak. Go get yourself a radiator leak down tester. It takes the place of your radiator cap and allows you to presurise the coolant sytem. If the pressure starts to fall, you start listening and looking for leaks until you find it.

Could be a s simple as a bad radiator cap or a pin hole in the radiator itself. Or as these guys stated, it could be as serious as a head gasket. I'm betting the simple route. Most auto stores will have them, or be able to rent you one. Good luck, let us know.

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[TomGolden]

Howdy all,

Godzilla has about 8500 miles on him now. Every weekend I check all fluid levels, tire pressures, etc. , which I learned to do in the Army (weekly PMCS: Preventative Maint. Checks and Services). About 2 weeks ago I noticed the coolant level in the resevior bottle was down from it's usual location of mid-way between Full and Low, all the way down to Low. So I added about a quart or so of distilled water, as I haven't yet picked up some quality coolant. Well, this morning just prior to leaving for work, I opened the hood to check on my new K&N RE-0880 (see if it hadn't been sucked flat yet #ad
), and I noticed the coolant level is again back down to Low!

I checked the garage floor, and saw no signs of any fluid leaks (recent or old). Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Thanks,
Tom


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Get outta the way: The Cummins is Cummin'!

Tom Golden
Godzilla: Patriot Blue 2001 2500 SLT QC 4X4 LWB ETH/DEE, Tow & Camper packages, 3. 54 Ltd. Slip, 4 wheel disc ABS, Isspro EGT/boost gauges, black SmittyBilt nerf bars, TDR decal, Jack antenna ball
2001 Zinc Yellow SVT Mustang Cobra on order
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[Bill Stockard]

Tom,

Take your truck to a Cummins distributor, not a dealer, and have them check for leaks. You'll probably have to pay for it and they can tell you up front how much it will cost. If you are on pretty good terms with your Dodge dealer, he can make the arrangements and put it on warranty(I asume your truck is still under warranty).

Cummins has a special dye they put in the cooling system that is visible under a black light. They can detect a very small leaks to the outside. Also they have the equipment to find any signs of antifreeze in your exhaust stream.

I have a couple of friends who had very small leaks(seeps) and that was the only that they could be found. Both leaks were head gasket leaks to the outside in the themostat area on 12 valve engines. Like yours JJW-ND. One guy had his head gasket replaced because the leak got worse and the other one is letting his go because it still only a seep.

Good luck, Bill

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[TomGolden]

Chad, Thanks for the tester idea. I'll see if I can get one at a parts store.

On my old 1987 Ford 6. 9L diesel, the engine was blown when I bought it, didn't know it until a couple months later. Cavitation. Both heads cracked, two cylinder walls had holes in them. Replaced the engine. Heater core went out, cab smelled of coolant and fogged up the windows with coolant vapor, so I have experience there. Definitely ain't that here. About 50,000 into the new Ford engine, one head gasket blew and let coolant into the cylinders. Engine "vapor locked" in a couple cylinders, and was hard as hell to start, then started blowing coolant vapors out exhaust pipe, so got rid of it and bought Godzilla #ad


So, none of the symptoms I have personally experienced with cracked heads/head gaskets/blocks/heater core are happening here. However, as pointed out in one post, it may be just an air pocket in the heater core system. It hadn't really gotten cold here until a couple weeks ago, and so hadn't used the heater much. I also hadn't checked the actual level in the radiator yet.

I refilled the resevoir bottle to the full mark. Will get the tester Chad mentioned, and keep my eyes on it for the next few weeks. And will check the weep hole. Next oil change (and analysis) is in about 1000 miles, so will see if anything shows up there.

Thanks guys,
Tom


------------------
Get outta the way: The Cummins is Cummin'!

Tom Golden
Godzilla: Patriot Blue 2001 2500 SLT QC 4X4 LWB ETH/DEE, Tow & Camper packages, 3. 54 Ltd. Slip, 4 wheel disc ABS, Isspro EGT/boost gauges, black SmittyBilt nerf bars, TDR decal, Jack antenna ball
2001 Zinc Yellow SVT Mustang Cobra on order
NRA Life/CRPA/El Dorado #26 F. &A. M. of California

 

[Mad Max]

Good Catch Chad.

Radiator Cap and the radiator itself could also be the culprits.

While we're on the subject of not overlooking the obvious.
1) The hose between the expansion tank and the radiator, check for fit and leaks.
2) the expansion tank itself. Had a GM car in the family once, that went through THREE TANKS in a row before we got a gone one... the all leaked at the seem?
3) Petcock valve on the radiator, it is on the driver's side on the engine side above the frame rail, should be closed and no evidence of and leakage passed it.
4) The thermostats have built in gaskets and such animals are rarely problems, but a warped thermostat housing, from manufacturing or overtightening could also cause a pressure loss, you'd see coolant slime/residue at the base of the housing if this is happening.

Good Luck

Let us know what you unearth.

Max

 

[2-ND TIME]

coolant loss

I have had the same coolant loss since new . Have put the dye in because the daealer**** didn't' know about it or want to put any in . So I bought it from Cummins and never did find out were it was going . Since the plug in power has been in I have used alot less coolant this tells me that it is going in to the cylinder somehow this is the third factory SNAFU!!!!!!!!!!:-{} Ask me if IAM happy with this piece of sit :-{} :-{} :-{}

 

[scotty1]

head gasket

I was always filling the puke bottle and then when I had the big blow out on the head gasket on number one, we found two cracks to the water galleys on 3 and 4

There was also two splits between 3-4 and 4-5.

I believe that the air was forcing back through the coolant, through the radiator and out the puke bottle and dispersing the coolant in there at the same time. Of course I would not see this at idle or as a leak since it was probably misting under load down the road.

This explains the excessive slimey coating under the truck and around the right front that I figured was the oil breather bottle... not.



I think I had a defective head gasket shortly after installing stage 3 injectors and never knew it.

Otherwise, why would I have gained 4 psi of boost by simply replacing the oem gasket and o-ringing the head?

I also netted another 100F of egt reduction.

This was over a period of 50,000 miles but the injectors went in when the truck had under 2,000 miles.

I had low coolant in the puke bottle since new too.

So far the block is fine.

Maybe the gasket was pooched from day one.

ITs on an ETH