Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Where is my antifreeze goin???

[CumminFast]

I am losing antifreeze out of my truck. I cannot find ANY external leaks. I lose different amounts. Sometimes it will lose a gallon a week sometime alot less. My oil is not milky or anything. I changed it yesterday and it was black as sin. I hope it is not an internal leak. My head is o-ringed so it seems it would be hard to get in the cylinder. Would the fluctuating tempature do this? Yall got any ideas. And if your ideas include changing my head gasket please don't reply... . no I am just kidding, but I really don't want to get that thing changed.

 

[keimmmo]

When a water pump first starts to leak it can be hard to see any evidence of water coming out of the hole on the bottom of the pump, yet water gets away. I have seen it many times over the years. That would be a good place to look in my opinion.



Steve

 

[Snow man]

Heater core?. Are you getting foggy windows,check the evaporator box drain,see if there is antifreeze coming out of it.

 

[Bigramguy]

Check carefully under the exhaust manifold for stains. Could be leaking around the edge of the head,or at one of the little frost plugs,between the manifold runners. Like in the pic below

 

[CumminFast]

Yep my headgasket is blown. It just leaks when I get on it and by the time I stop it evaporates. Dang headgaskets. Are they more prone to blow in the cold?

 

[keimmmo]

With your power level I assume you have ported the head already. If not, it sure would be a good time to make it breath a little better! Might give you a reason to look forward to pulling the head!



Steve

 

[CPG]

Loss of coolent

Sometimes these leaks are hard to detect. They may

not appear when the engine is running, and dry up.

A lot of times its a loose hose clamp somewhere.

A Stant pressure checker is a great aid to find this kind

of coolent loss.

I had the same problem a few years ago and found a

loose hose clamp with this tool.

These are available through a good tool source such as

Snap on Tools or equivalent supplier. A real handy item.



Chuck

 

[CumminFast]

The coolant looks to be coming from the side of the head near #3 and #4. How hard would this be to change myself? I mean getting the head out seems pretty hard. But I mean basically don't you just have to torque everything down right? If I do it wrong can it cause engine damage?

 

[Bigramguy]

Not that hard to do,if you have the place,the time,and the tools. Most important part of the job is cleaning and prep of the deck and head surface. Do a search,I have seen a few good posts on how to do it,and what all to look out for. If your stuck,drop me a line,and i'll help ya out.

 

[GSchlegel]

Just noticed mine leaking again today. Had head planed(?) and head gasket replaced this time last year and now it just started to leak on the outside of the block. Any ideas?



Gene

 

[R.E. Miller]

I have done these "b's" a few times now. I would like to remind folks that have not done this before of some pointers. If you have "neatness genes" as I like to call them and a lift, leave the injectors and return line on. Time saver. leave exhaust hooked up, just remove mainfold bolts, remember, the #5, #6 cylinder push rods have to go through the plugs that are in the cowl, I like to remove them before I start so no dust goes down in the engine. The LONG head bolts are the SIX that hold down the rocker assemblies, they are the only ones that go to the higher torque 89ft/lbs I think. If you read the cummins manual, this can sometimes be confusing. Make sure that you torque by taking to 66ft/lbs, then checking 66ft/lbs then take the 6 longs to 89 and check, then go plus 90*. The check part is important, IMHO, you'll see when you do it, I like to do jobs like this once, you'll see after doing yours

Good luck pm me if you have questions.

Russell