1997 - 2003 F150 1997-2003 F150, 1997-1999 F250LD, 7700 & 2004 F150 Heritage

leaking a decent amount of coolant

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
  #1  
Old 04-19-2009, 08:22 PM
bla1879's Avatar
bla1879
bla1879 is offline
Fleet Mechanic
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Simi Valley, CA
Posts: 1,398
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
leaking a decent amount of coolant

hey guys, so i came out from lunch today and there was a massive puddle of coolant under my truck, it was right about under where the passenger seat is, its dripping off of the heat shield over the cat and off the passenger side frame rail about even with the transmission. I also found my carpets wet with coolant, i could squeeze them and coolant would run from them. the coolant was coming from under the middle of the dash. i couldnt see any leaking coolant from the engine bay but when i climed under the truck it was leaking all over the place at a pretty steady pace. thing is that it only leaks when its cool, so when i start the truck it starts leaking and leaks for a few min till its hot. then it wont leak while im driving, but as soon as the truck turns off and starts to cool it begins to leak and leaks pretty heavily. It usually leaks about 2-3 quarts from when i turn it off to whenever i come back out and turn it back on. It does stop leaking eventually after i let it sit when its off, im not sure what makes it stop leaking however. here are some pictures of how much it leaks and from where


this is in the cab


in the cab again its down in the black area, by the vent on the floor on the right


this is the carpet pulled up on the passenger side, you can see the pool of coolant, and that whole area was wet with coolant, its not aparent but if you touched it you had a coat of coolant on your hands


this is that black plastic piece in the cab removed and you san see coolant on stuff in here too


this is about 2 min worth of leaking after shutting the truck down


passenger side wheel well looking backwards toward the cab


under the truck its hard to tell where it is leaking in this but you can see its coming from several areas. if you look at where the cross member meets the close frame rail, it looks like there is an out of focus string hanging down but that is actually a steady stream of coolant leaking


and dont worry i threw some kitty litter down there to soak up anymore leaking fluid, just had to snap some pics first

in the pictures if something looks wet, it is coolant, inside the truck and out/under

there is no coolant in the oil, i checked that too even though im mostly sure its not a head problem


SO this look like a heater core? something worse? my money is on hearter core, i think they did something wrong last time or it was defective. we will see tomorrow, i dont have time to tear it apart and do it myself.

thanks boys
 
  #2  
Old 04-19-2009, 08:40 PM
Ron W.'s Avatar
Ron W.
Ron W. is offline
Elder User
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Stockton Ca.
Posts: 589
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
When you mentioned the carpet was wet, heater core came to mind. As I continued to read thermostat and radiator cap came to mind. Excessive pressure when you shut it down? Check the hoses that feed the heater core.
 
  #3  
Old 04-19-2009, 08:42 PM
firefighter1416's Avatar
firefighter1416
firefighter1416 is offline
Senior User
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 452
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I bet your right all the pics you have posted look like its coming from that area, good luck
 
  #4  
Old 04-19-2009, 09:02 PM
bla1879's Avatar
bla1879
bla1879 is offline
Fleet Mechanic
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Simi Valley, CA
Posts: 1,398
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
radiator cap? like you mean the radiator cap is leaking? ill check the hoses
 




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:56 PM.