Just got my first diesel (woohoo!) 2000 15 Passenger E350, 290k, was a tour company vehicle, paid $4500. No it's not for a business, I have 6 kids.

I put about 200 miles on it under various conditions including tow my civic for about 100 miles; no problems. So I take my family for our first drive and head into the hills to get our Christmas tree. Wile we are eating in a restaurant, someone comes in to say the is smoke coming from under the hood. I pop the hood and there is sprayed all over the left side. Almost everything on the left has coolant on it but the underside of the hood doesn't have all the much area that is wet (sprayed upwards from down low?). I couldn't find anything leaking so I filled up from a water hose and headed home. I stop to check coolant level 3 times, during the hour and a half drive home which featured far less hill climbing then the trip out, and its stays full. Home now and it's still full.





I shall now sit back and await the (near)limitless wisdom that I have come to appreciate over the past year or so on this site.

Thank you.
Daniel
Acampo, CA

 

Not real familiar with vans but where is the degas bottle?

 

The what? lol
Ok looked it up, should be next to the radiator. will go look around

 

My cap on the degas tank would spit fluid until I changed it out.

 

Apparently the Degas bottle is not easily located by noobs. I will look up a schematic. While your thinking about problems what do you thing of this fluid leak.





I knew it was there when I bought the Van I'm on the way to a shop tomorrow.

 

so does Degas bottle mean the coolant overflow bottle? Thats on the other side and is definitely not leaking. Im pretty sure the problem is here

 

Pop the cover inside and see if you have any oil in the valley between the Heads. Take note if it near the back by the turbo or in the front near the HPOP.

 

Are you shure that is coolant? That looks like an AC line to me.

 

that may be an ac line and therefore not the problem. The liquid sprayed under the hood is coolant for sure

 

I was noticing that the rubber in the line is pressureized so I supposed it wouldnt be coolant since its been sitting for an hour

 

The only other thing I can think of is heater core hoses, are there any in that area?

 

Could it be a heater hose - they should be in that general area.- I would take it for a ride & have some safety glasses with you and see if you can see where its leaking from. Be careful though- Dont let none of the kids get close when u open the hood- Good Luck

 

I drove for an hour and a half including some serious hills and it didnt leak anymore. I cant tell a heater hose from a garden hose so no help there. Thanks for looking guys sorry I'm at the bottom of the learning curve at the moment

 

I had Shlep Boys do a pressure test for $35 and they found the leak. turned out the serpentine was rubbing the heater hose and rubbed a hole in it. it is a 3 way hose that goes all the way back to the rear heater in the van and they quoted me $700.00 for parts and labor . . . . .. . . of course I walked. Later that evening I bought my Christmas tree with my family at this lot right next to the freeway. I notice the old guy wranglin our tree is wearing the usual mechanics shirt with his name on it. The place is an auto shop but it just looks like a warehouse. I start talking to him about my van and he is a 45 year mechanic 25 on diesels and says he'll fix it up in the morning for $100. Now that's what I'm talkin about.

 

Good that you found the leak. If I was you I would tell him that if you have any more problems that you will bring it to him to fix if you dont have time to do it your self.