Drove 135 miles this morning Temps never got above 190. Mostly 186 or lower. Oil temps around 192 to 196. When I got into miami traffic it started burping fluid to the point I could smell it. Again it never overheated or even got close. If anything I was thinking g it was under temp. Ideas to check. Before I freak out about head gaskets?

 

Check the cap and mating surface. I had similar issue and changed the cap and was good to go. Also make sure the fluid level is correct.

2006 F350 4X4

 

Still got the EGR cooler?

 

Yes it still has the EGR cooler but with good ECT/EOT deltas I have a hard time believing that this would be the issue.....And no overheat?

 

I just checked it now that its cooled down and there is no fluid in the degas bottle..... It appears to have all blown out the cap.

 

Have you tried smelling the exhaust?

 

Yes I did, No white smoke and no sweet smell. I have lost enough chevy intake manifold gaskets that I know that smell quite well.....

 

Did you actually see coolant come out of the degas cap? If not, maybe you have a leak elsewhere.

 

How fast were you driving with those temps you reported? The 15 degree delta is at 65 on flat terrain at a steady pace. Hopefully something where you can run a mile or two at that pace to get a steady state reading of the oil temps.


Look for leaks elsewhere. As others said, it could be leaking elsewhere.


Regardless, if you have to drive it home, top of the coolant system with distilled water up to about 3" below the cap. Clean any residue off the degas bottle and see if it pukes on the drive back.


Don't drive it on an empty coolant system. If there is no water, the coolant sensor doesn't have anything to measure and WILL report erroneous temps.

 

In my fear of catastrophic failure, I didn't thoroughly check the level. In the light level it appeared to be empty but when I dipped it just now at lunch it was just below the fill mark. Just very hard to see. From what I can see there is white residue (like water spots) all over the degas bottle, the brake reservoir, and the battery. Just a haze. I am going to try the new cap before I head back on Friday.


Bryan, I was running about 75 totally flat (Alligator alley) and my worst deltas were 9 degrees and those were short lived. Usually 6-8 degree delta.


Thanks all! I am sure this will not be my first mini heart attack......

 

Maybe you had too much in there....the proper level is the MIN line, which sounds like where it is now?

 

Maybe? I have a sticker on mine that lowers the min by about 3/8" from the original markings on the bottle. I have it right in the middle now that its cooled. At least I hope its the new markings? Now you have me thinking.....

 

The minimum mark that is molded into the degas bottle is the new max fill mark.

 

I had a blown EGR cooler and bad head gaskets and it never overheated nor got a delta above 7. I'm sure it eventually would've overheated when the coolant got low enough, but with a 7 gallon capacity, it would've taken a while. Mine was bad enough to need a gallon of coolant after a couple of weeks of city driving, nothing over 50MPH.


Have you made the coolant pressure tester?

 

No I haven't yet. I will try it this weekend. With no significant loss of fluid I am not nearly as concerned. I will be keeping my eye on it for sure.


Thanks again to everyone!