Hello all. I'm the new owner of a 1995 F250 XLT 2WD. I just recently bought it from an older gentleman who barely put 1000 miles on it the 4 years he owned it but said he cranked it up every day. I already planned to replace the radiator hoses and also install a coolant bypass filter system. I drove it home from work today (about a 3 hour drive at 70mph) and when I shut it off in my driveway, there was coolant smell. I looked but couldn't see anything other than evidence of coolant spray so I cranked it back up to see if I could see anything and I could not. Also, it cranked up just fine and sounded ok, but when I squeezed the upper hose, there was ZERO coolant flow and then I noticed it was draining in a small stream from around the main crankshaft pulley. I know it was draining from above that but it's where I saw it. Anyway, the truck has just over 93,000 miles now and I hope I haven't wrecked the motor already. I plan to replace all of my coolant system items now as well as changing the oil. I'm praying there is no coolant in my oil. Please help a new-to-diesel owner!! Is the lack of coolant flow in the upper hose a sign of pump failure? What do I need to check if I have coolant in my oil? Will that mean that I've wrecked it? After all, I drove it home from New Orleans and ran at 70 mph for a 3hr trip..... OMG but I hope I haven't destroyed my motor. PLEASE HELP!

 

Sounds like it's leaking from the water pump. Did you notice your temperature was high? If it wasn't I wouldn't be worried about having damaged the engine.

 

As for coolant in the oil, you may be able to tell from the dipstick. The coolant would be at the bottom of the dipstick because oil is lighter than coolant/water. If that doesn't tell you, open your oil drain plug and coolant would come out first. If you have coolant in the oil the most probable cause is the oil cooler. For now I'd worry about the coolant leak first. Water pumps, rad hoses etc have a tendency to fail after sitting for a while.

 

LOL - One of the things I ordered for this round of maintenance work was a temperature sending unit. My temp gauge is not working (stays bottomed out low) so I don't know what it was doing. I work 12-13hr days every single day (commissioning project on new ammonia plant) so I haven't had any time to do anything yet. I've been reading the posts here about mods and such and made plans to go ahead an install a coolant bypass system as well as replace all my hoses, thermostat, radio/speakers, and the serpentine belt too. I guess I'll be replacing the pump too now. I just hope I didn't do any serious damage during the drive home.

 

I pulled the dipstick and the oil was black and I couldn't really tell if there was any coolant on it. I've had the truck for almost 2 weeks now and when I bought it, the oil was fresh by the look of it (clean & clear). I'm going to install a Fumoto drain valve and go ahead and change the oil and filter now too.

 

Most likely a bad hose or thermostat housing. I highly doubt you hurt the engine. You would know. Change all hoses, thermostat and housing, flush and fill with fleet charge. 4 gallons of coolant and 4gallons of distilled water

 

Thanks brennanforgeron and fordpride for your help. I really appreciate it. I'll be getting started on removal and replacement today and see if I can't get it all sorted out.

 

Make sure and get a Ford thermostat with the rubber on both sides. Most of the parts store thermostats only have rubber on one side and tend to leak sooner than later.

 

Thermostat housing fix - https://www.strictlydiesel.com/p-267...sing-ring.aspx - A new thermostat housing will have the same cr@ppy bend/leak prone flange. This backup ring fixes it, and comes with bolts that are MUCH better than OEM. Another option is an aftermarket housing with a rigid cast flange, but they're more expensive and I don't remember where to find them.

Don't forget to use FULL STRENGTH anti-freeze if you add distilled water. And as said, use Fleet Charge, or add your own SCA.

Could you smell coolant in the cab? That would suggest a heater core leak.

 

Let us know how you fair out!

 

I made some progress today. I was able to remove the water pump and it looked pretty ****ty inside with a lot of rust and even the plastic overflow tank was all full of rust. I flushed the engine as best I could with the water hose and got a good bit more rusty water out. I replaced all my hoses and cleaned the overflow tank too. I also replaced the thermostat and housing too. After I put it all back together, I cranked it up and it was leaking just exactly as before, so I guess I replaced a working pump when I didn't have to. I ended up doing a thorough search and discovered the damn thermostat housing was the culprit so I took it back off and ended up using the old thermostat gasket added on top of the thermostat housing. this stopped the leak once I tightened the bolts again. I still have to install the coolant bypass filter and I'm not so sure that I don't still have some leaks from around the pump so I'll be making more checks. After I get this sorted I plan to remove the stock stereo and install aftermarket stuff, including speakers. I took a few pics of what I was seeing while working and I'll post them ASAP. Thanks for all the help to everyone.